Your love for Indy says:

BADASS

Guilty.

I have an enduring love for Indiana Jones that goes far beyond the normal man's interest and enters the realm of geekiness. I am O.K. with this. I love Indy. He's all that is man. Everything I want, hope, and try to be. He's already made an appearance on this blog, I know, I know. But let me 'splain.

Born from the realm of the early twentieth century serials by way of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, there's nothing negative that you could say about this amazing character.

Seriously, try it. I dare you.

Maybe you could diss aspects of his movies, but the character is untouchable.

As the story goes, George Lucas was celebrating the success of Star Wars while Steven Spielberg was enjoying the benefits of the fantastical story that is filming a shark movie in Martha's Vineyard that is commonly known as the story of how Bruce floated...AKA Jaws (more on that tale later). They were/are two best friends on vacation in Hawaii. Spielberg was telling Lucas how he wanted to shoot a James Bond picture. Lucas was insistent that he had something better in mind: Raiders of the Lost Ark...and the rest is history, folks.

What I want to get down to here is brass tacks. What makes this character so enduring? But more importantly, what your love of an Indy movie says about you. Meaning this:

Everyone has their favorite Indy movie (or they should goddammit) and thus love of the individual story says something about you whether you like it or not.

Let's start with my personal favorite, and also the canonical first in the series:

It's the second movie made, but it's actually a prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark which makes it the first Indy movie when regarding the time frame.

This is arguably the darkest of the series, made when both Lucas and Spielberg were going through horrible personal battles and pretty much made sure that was reflected on screen.

However, when one talks about the Temple of Doom as the darkest of the series they almost instantly weaken it and pigeon-hole the whole darn thing.

It's the best of the series (IMO), and not because it's dark, which is what most people would have you believe, but that's a cop-out. What makes Temple of Doom the best is that despite the fact that it IS the darkest of the series and the version where the conflict has the most personal stakes (the lives of CHILDREN rest in the balance), it's actually the MOST entertaining and funny of the entire series. It balances the darkness with light and amazing heroics.

What's more powerful, I ask: Indy literally saving children's lives or having him strapped to a stake with his eyes closed as the Ark of the Covenant goes nutso and kills a bunch of Nazi's???

OK, maybe that was a bad analogy. Because both are powerful, but certainly the idea that the lives of children that we see are seemingly more important than the BILLIONS of lives that we don't see that hang in the balance within Raiders.

Bottom line, Temple of Doom has Short Round, the BEST Indy sidekick of all time (and the most useful), and whether you like Willie or not, the point is Indy DID, and they had great chemistry. While Willie wasn't badass at the start, she definitely became pretty badass by the end, and you can't deny that.

Ultimately if you love the Temple of Doom more than the rest of the Indy films this says that you can look outside the box. You like a bit of flavor and change. You dig the white tux that Indy wears in Club Obi-Wan because it's interesting. And while you pride yourself on liking some edge and darkness, at the end of the day you appreciate the family that Indy has within the film. You respond to his father-like figure approach and/or want to fulfill that role somewhere in your own future. Who doesn't want their own Short Round?

Raiders is undoubtedly one of the best films ever made. Indeed, it is the only movie of Spielberg's that he says that he can re-watch. It's also regarded by most cinephiles as a PERFECT movie.

That says a lot.

But it makes sense. This movie establishes the character as we have come to know him. At odds with Temple of Doom, this is a man that has embraced the search for truth for the good of mankind. He is no longer a man looking for fortune and glory. He's on a quest. Who can't get behind that?

Plus he's facing a truly evil enemy that the entire world will ALWAYS hate: Nazis. The stakes are the world.

It's kind of a typical set-up from what we expect from our world and our Government: Army Intelligence uncovers the fact that the Nazi's are going after the Ark with full power that could raise the stakes in the war.

So what do they do? Send in a LONE Archaeologist to save the world...sounds about right.

But dammit that's the underdog spirit that we love from Indy. He's ALWAYS outmatched. This film establishes that. So it cannot be overlooked.

If Raiders is your cup of tea it means you love structure. You love originality. An interest in WWII and the interest that the Nazi regime had in the Occult fascinates you. The beginning fascinates you and Indy's assault on the caravan is one of your all-time favorite scenes in film history. Marion is a hard-nosed tough broad that absolutely floats your boat. The Raiders theme swims in your mind and the crack of a whip reminds you of your Indy-filled childhood. 

The Last Crusade harkens back to Spielberg wanting to make a James Bond film...what does he do but have James Bond play Indy's dad...by way of my father.

While Temple of Doom is absolutely my favorite Indy movie, something happened as a I grew from childhood into a man that I came to adore Last Crusade (to the point that I actually watch it more than Raiders) so much more than maybe it deserved.

In so many ways, it's a cheap recycle sequel:

The Nazi's are back.

Another Christian artifact is at stake.

The desert is there and there are horseback ride's aplenty.

Sallah is there.

Etc.

HOWEVER, Sean Connery is here. As Indy's dad, and while the homage is there, Connery is playing a character unlike any other he's ever played. The guy won an Oscar for Untouchables, but IMO, this is his finest hour. He's SO UNCOOL.

He's Indy on paper. He's an ARCHAEOLOGIST!!!

But more than that, for me, he's my dad.

Whereas I think of myself as the ready-for-action, scholarly underdog that can put an ass-whooping down, my dad is the older, wiser version of myself that I have more in common than sometimes I'd like to admit. And that's what's going on here with Ford and Connery.

Yet there's also a cultural gap and a striving for attention apparent here. Indy thinks he's from the school of hard knocks and while he's obviously been through some tough shit, he even talks about his father as a librarian. However, he strives to get his father's attention, affection, and appreciation. Indy constantly looks to Henry to see if he's impressed, and Henry almost never SHOWS that he is even when it contradicts his feelings. There's something to this relationship that I think speaks volumes to fathers and sons all over.

Even the way that Henry constantly get's on Indy's nerves reminds me of my own relationship with my father. And actually it also reminds me of the way my grandfather got on my father's nerves. Thus must be the way of things. Bull's buck horns.

Seriously, I watch this film when I miss my dad or haven't seen him in a while (by no fault of his own, mind you). When I'm done with this article, I think I'm gonna watch Last Crusade again.

Love you, Dad. 


Loving the Last Crusade means really one of two things. Either you love terrible trilogy ending sequences (i.e. Lethal Weapon 3) or (J/K), more than likely you just like a good old fashioned father-son story. Possibly you're a sucker for sentimental stories. Or maybe you like an Indy story without the contrivance of a reliable love interest. Maybe you just like the return of the Nazi's and the Christian artifact number. Maybe you are in love with Sallah. Raiders and Crusade are not two they are one... 

 

Right off the bat, kiss my ass.

This is a great Indy film. Nothing wrong with it.

What are your problems?

Refrigerator? Oh, but Ark ghosts are OK...

Aliens? Oh but ghost Templar Knights are all right...

Crystal Skull? Yet the Holy Grail is all gravy...

Um, you're full of shit...while Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull had it's problems, none of it was the premise. Yeah Shia swinging on vines was a big problem (all Lucas, guaranteed), but to me, that was it.

This flick aged the series properly taking the real time delay and putting it to the Indy world the way it was.

I.E: In the 40's Nazi serials were big, therefore Indy reflected that. In the 50's, UFO flicks were big, BOOM.

GET IT?

To have a problem with Crystal Skull is to have a problem with history. Not to mention, I'm sorry but if you have a problem with Aliens or Extra-Dimensional Beings BUT not with the Ark of the Covenant or Sacred Stones, or the Holy Grail, well, my friend, without being cliche', you HAVE PROBLEMS.

It's an enjoyable flick that brings Indy full circle, what with having a kid he didn't know about (making him almost the Connery character this time around) and bringing Marion back.

This is a good movie. And unfortunately not enough people love it. But for those few that love it a lot:

You have no problem with ageism. To you, Marion has never looked better, and Indy's age has only reflected back at him in the sense that he's still a badass but he's lost his youthful ignorance and can appreciate a good thing when he sees it...like YOU. Aliens were obviously the next step and you can't wait for the next one. 

 

SUCH A BADASS!