Ryan McNeil
To ramp myself up for the new Indiana Jones movie tonight, to give myself a slight refresher, and inspired by my fellow movie enthusiast Shannon, I decided to re-watch The Indy Trilogy over the last few nights.
My thoughts after the jump…
Raiders of The Lost Ark
In a Word: Classic
The Loot: The Ark of The Covenant – a worthy quest to be sure.
The Girl: Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen). Feisty and tomboyish, she sets the standard for the series.
The Sidekick: Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) A loyal friend to Indy, and some great moments of comic relief.
The Reaction: One of my all-time favorites, though until recently I never noticed that Indy doesn’t really do much to save the day in this one. Perhaps that lack of success is what makes the movie work so well.
Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom
In a Word: Dark
The Loot: The Sankara Stone – a bit of a Macguffin
The Girl: Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw). Spends far too much time screaming. Very annoying.
The Sidekick: Short Round (Jonathan Ke Quan). The future Goonie is pretty darned cute here.
The Reaction: One of the first real movies I ever saw as a kid, it grossed me out then but the effects seem kinda hokey now. Not on the level with Raiders, but a worthy follow up for sure.
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade
In a Word: Fun
The Loot: The Holy Grail – Sure…why not?
The Girl: Dr. Elsa Schneider (Alison Doody). Willie was annoying, but she at least she was loyal.
The Sidekick: Dr. Henry Jones Sr. (Sean Connery). Inspired casting, possibly the part of the film.
The Reaction: The funniest movie of the three, with arguably the best action sequences to go along with it. It felt like a fitting way to end the series – Crystal Skull will have a lot to live up to!