In honor of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'
being re-released in IMAX theaters this week and the upcoming Blu-Ray
release of 'The Complete Adventures' on the 18th, it's
time we take a look at the Indiana Jones quadrilogy. What can you
say about these movies? They're some of the most classic movies of
their era and loving homages to the adventure films of the 30's and
40's. Conceived from the minds of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg
and starring Harrison Ford, who was fresh off of his role as Han Solo
in the original Star Wars trilogy, there were a 'trilogy' of films in
the 80's and then the series made a return in 2008. So now, here are
short reviews for all four of the four Indiana Jones movies.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): The one
that started it all. It's a brilliant mix of humor, action, and
adventure all rolled into one film. Really, there's not much to say
that has already been said about this film already, so really all I
can say now is that if you haven't seen this movie, I recommend you
get to watching it sooner or later. Maybe go see it in IMAX this
week, especially if you're someone like me who never saw the original
three movies in theaters. It's quite an experience.
Rating: 5/5!
Temple of Doom (1984): AKA one of the
most effed-up PG movies you will ever see. Yes, this movie was one of
the main contributors (along with two other Spielberg productions,
Gremlins and Poltergeist) to the creation of the PG-13 rating that we
have today and as you can see, there's good reason why this attracted
much controversy. This is a very dark movie, and it does go a little
bit off the deep end in a few areas. Where you ask? Well, let's just
say from experience that a scene where someone's heart is ripped out
of their chest is something that no kid should ever see. Ultimately,
Temple of Doom does come off as the weakest entry in the original
three films. Kate Capshaw's Willie Scott comes off as really annoying
compared to the other leading ladies in the franchise and overall
it's not really as fun as the other movies were.
Rating: 3.5/5
Last Crusade (1989): When it comes to
the best film in this series, usually it's debated between either
Raiders or Crusade. I'll admit, I prefer Crusade mainly because of
one man, and that is Sean Connery as Indiana Jones' father, Henry Sr.
This is inspired casting, mainly in part due to the fact that a lot
of Indiana Jones was inspired by the James Bond franchise and it fits
having the original Bond himself in this movie. Not only does it add
more humor to the movie, but it adds a solid father/son dynamic that
works incredibly well. Don't get me wrong, Raiders is just as great
but Crusade has to be my personal favorite.
Rating: 5/5!
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008):
This is quite a film to talk about because this was one that was in
development for a long time. Spielberg and Lucas never intended to
make a fourth film but years later they ultimately did and in the
end, most people liked it as much as they did the Star Wars prequels,
and by 'like' I mean they most likely hated it. But like with the
Star Wars prequels, I don't think this is bad as most people put it
off to be. The main problem with this movie was that it really didn't
pull any punches unlike the other movies. Also, aliens in a Indiana
Jones movie is going a little too far. For the record, that's not all
of the problems that a lot of people have with the film. True, that
scene where Indy survives a nuclear explosion just by hiding in a
fridge is really out there but for some odd reason, that never
bothers me. As for Shia LaBeouf as Mutt Williams' AKA Indy's son,
he's actually pretty good here. In the end, Indiana Jones and the
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is exactly what it is supposed to be.
It's a modern-day B-movie and in that sense, it did its job well. Was
it needed? No, but it's nice to see Indy one more time.
Rating: 4/5
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