Indiana Jones Movies

A lot of people may have been disappointed about the much awaited fourth installment of the Indiana Jones: the kingdom of the crystal skull and with good reasons too. The basis for the success of the trilogy 19 years ago was the fresh lightness of spirit it offered its audience and the impeccable stunts the adventure entailed for its viewers. Of course the star of the movie was much younger then and he is still pretty much capable of playing dashing hero, something that we are afraid cannot be said for this year’s latest installment to one of the best American Classic of all time.

The chilled monkey brains were custard and raspberry sauce which goes to say they affected the way we felt when they were shown. The opening sequence where a pane had its engine failing was the same sound effect used in Star Wars when Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon failed to start. Harrison Ford’s vest he wore when he entered the palace was his Star Wars vest. The time when Willie is strapped onto the cage to be lowered into the fiery pit, as she turns and the floor opens, the sound of a light saber activating can be heard… Hmmm didn’t know that. Being second (set in 1935) in the series, the time period where it was set was actually took place before the other two. Raiders was set in 1936, Last Crusade in 1938!!!!!

Remember the club in the beginning of the film, it was named Club Obi Wan, Remind you of someone out of this world? It is also the first to use the THX Alignment Program which ensures all theaters that would be playing the film would have to conform to strict technical and presentation standards for them to be accredited. The Mine cart Chase was actually shot in miniature with aluminum foil walls painted to match and the sounds of them rumbling were from Disneyland roller coasters (with the sound and effects turned off of course).

Tunisia’s weather proved to be too much for Spielberg and the rest of the cast that he managed to compress an estimated six-week shoot into four and a half much to the relief of the overheated crew and cast. When filming in Tunisia, all the cast including Ford got sick of the food with the exception of Spielberg who relied totally on his box after box of Spaghetti-O’. The giant boulder’s sound was from a Honda Civic rolling downhill. The sound of the heavy Ark Lid opening was the sound of a cistern lid doing the same. The punching sounds were actually leather jackets which were hit by a baseball bat. Did you see the hieroglyphics in the Well of Souls, find the engravings of R2-D2 and C-3PO on the walls, the head of R2 is also on top of the pole Indy and Marion were tied to near the end of the film.

The scene where Indiana Jones was determined to blow up the Ark with a bazooka was the same place where R2-D2 was zapped by the marauding Jawas in Star Wars. In the scene where he went into the Well of Souls where there were snakes of all shapes and sizes, the crew had to go through all the pet shops in London just to make the shot more realistic but couldn’t find enough. Spielberg had hoses cut to length to play dummy snakes which was shot with the true eye for none seemed hose-like at all. The snake that Indiana Jones came face to face with as he fell into the well was a true cobra, which was separated from him by a sheet of glass which was nice for it did spray venom onto the glass! The shot was also so well done the glass doesn’t even show! Spielberg wrote the script to one of his best works in between takes, writing them down with Melissa Mathison, the film to be? ET!

One of the most memorable moments which makes Raiders of the Lost Ark one of the best action/adventure movies of all time, is the scene when Indy realizes a mistake has been made in the estimates his enemies have done with regards to the actual location of the Well of Souls, which he quickly resolves as he thinks (no dialogues spoken for he sneaked into the room, any noise would alert the enemy of his presence) solves the problem and finds the answer all in one scene that didn’t even have any words. Those were some of the most memorable moments in the adventures of the man, the legend that is Indiana Jones.

The character is fittingly aged for the role (with Harrison Ford at 65) which matches the true age of the main actor, making the film and the character age equally. His age necessitates the addition of an assistant in the form of Shia LaBeouf. Rumors that a previous cast Sir Sean Connery would be called onto to again play the father of Indy have been unsubstantiated. He still does crazy stunts with his whip, gun and still jumps from high places. He gets punched, has phobias, makes jokes trips and falls as the movie portrays a character that one can relate to a movie character that is after all, human through and through.

In the new installment to the legend that is Indiana Jones, he gets a sidekick in the character of Shia LaBeouf who has greasier hair and can drive a motorcycle. Racing against agents of the Soviet Union led by Kate Blanchet the lead woman in the film, Indy always has the signature love-hate relationship which has made him the legend that he is. The story takes us back to the Cold War where Indy and the Soviets are after a mythical Crystal Skull made from quartz that is said to possess magical properties. The story takes the characters all throughout the America’s ending up in Peru in some ancient ruin where the skull is finally found.

His father sends him his diary which contains clues to the various deadly tests that is sure to come. He follows the clues and eventually ends up being captured and set to get the grail by the Nazi’s as he tries to save his father’s life who was shot and is dying as he sets out to retrieve the artifact. He goes through the usual tests (stunts and mind bogglers, the whole deal that tries to kill you every step of the way) to get to the grail, eventually facing the last Templar (knight protector from the Crusades) who is the last of the three who has been cursed to protect the Grail for eternity till the true and faithful claims it again from the bowels of the vault.

He gets the grail (choosing it from a wide array of gold and precious stone laden ones) looking back at the known profession and trait of Jesus as a carpenter. He selects a wooden cup, fills it with water and drinks (he succeeds and cheats death which was sure to follow a wrong selection) He then rushes back to his father’s side as the roof starts to fall (well it’s actually a cave of sorts somewhere deep) as the grail is taken beyond the seal of eternity which protects it from the sins of the outside world.

The name was fitted as appropriate for the third installment on the chart busting adventure film phenomenon that was Indiana Jones. The movies were initially envisioned to be a 5-movie series but after 18 years of waiting for the fourth installment, aficionados and avid movie-goers alike agree with the title of the last film.

Then story has Professor Henry Walton Jones Jr. (Indiana Jones for short), again going into a mission this time with his father (played by Sean Connery) and his archaeological sidekick. His father having discovered and collated many a notes and facts from his many missions has been kidnapped again by the Nazi’s and is being held captive so Jones could get hold of the Holy Grail (the cup Jesus supposedly used at the last supper) which has been deemed to have mystical powers (one of which is eternal life and youth).