Indiana Jones series

Indiana Jones is coming back to town.  In the 1980s and 1990s Harrison Ford became, due in large part to his work in the Star Wars and Indiana Jones series, one of the biggest movie stars of all time, though after 2000 his profile and star power dropped a little as his audiences grew up.  When Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released at the end of 2015 Ford's moving performance as Han Solo let audiences get excited about him again (and was a much more fitting farewell to the part than Return of the Jedi had been).  Within months Lucasfilm announced a new Indiana Jones film.  In the past few years then Ford has also worked on the Yellowstone show 1923, a Blade Runner sequel, a comedy series and gave an excellent performance as the grizzled John Thornton in The Call of the Wild.  Ford's weathered face mixed with his still strong physique and sometimes flat voice gives off the impression of a man who has been affected by his experiences but still has plenty to offer.  Like Sylvester Stallone, who came up around the same time, Ford is primarily known for one role but has played several characters multiple times.  Additionally Ford has done stellar work in one-off films like Presumed Innocent, The Fugitive, Witness, 42, Age of Adaline and many more.

George Lucas famously developed the Indiana Jones character based on 1930s serials (and set the film during those periods) and convinced Steven Spielberg, who had been lobbying unsuccessfully to direct a James Bond film, to direct the first film.  It is impressive that with the help of this series Lucas, Spielberg, and Ford were arguably cemented as the most successful producer, director and actor respectively.  Perhaps that is why Spielberg kept coming back to direct Indy films even as he started to focus on other largely more dramatic material.  Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will be the first Indy film directed by someone else and Lucas has retired as a producer since selling Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012.  James Mangold has an impressive resume so my expectations are high but it will be different.  

Ford famously was a second choice for Indiana Jones since producer George Lucas worried about overusing him and initially tested Tom Selleck for Raiders of the Lost Ark.  Selleck looks really good in the screentest I saw for Raiders and probably would have done a great job but he lost out on the role after his series Magnum P.I. was picked up.  As Magnum P.I. ran for eight seasons and turned Selleck into a big TV star I think things turned out fine for him.  Ford is perfect as the archaeologist who goes on adventures looking for hidden artifacts but has a double life as a college professor (which gives him a great knowledge of what the items he is looking for).  None of the films explain how Jones is able to disappear from work at a moment's notice but they presumably only last for a few days at a time.  Indiana is named after Lucas' childhood dog in real life and in the story after his own and wears his distinctive costume of a leather jacket, brown pants, a beige shirt and a fedora.  When on an adventure Indy is usually unshaven but never has a full beard (except in a couple of short scenes in a TV movie in which Ford appeared around the time he was shooting his bearded scenes in The Fugitive).  I have never seen the Indiana Jones TV shows, I have only seen the movies and read a couple of the novelizations so with that in mind here are my thoughts on the films in the lead up to the new one.  

One element that is key is each film has a different supporting cast (with a few overlaid characters like Sallah) which gives Indy new people to play off each time.  The few characters who return are much less impressive in the returns than in their debuts (ie Marion).  As the films are as much about the characters as the adventures themselves, the supporting cast is key (which excites me to see Phoebe Waller-Bridges and Antonio Banderas in the new one).   As with the Rambo pentalogy the first three films were made in the 80s, the fourth one was released in 2008 and the fifth one more than ten years after the fourth so it's an odd timeline.  

Spoilers abound:

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

I was too young to see this when it was released so I did not know much about it.  When Temple of Doom was released I saw that and thought it was a solo adventure film.  I then saw a trailer for a VHS of Raiders soon afterwards and when I heard the music and saw a clip of Indy saying to Marion "Trust me" I realized they were part of the same series.  I quickly saw Raiders and thought it was fantastic.  I recently showed it to my kids and realized what a lean well crafted film it is.  The film moves briskly but never feels rushed.  Michael Kahn won the first of three editing Academy Awards for his work on this film.   Lawrence Kasdan scripted Lucas' story of Indiana Jones racing the Nazis to find the Ark of the Covenant in 1936.  The film introduces ideas, the characters discuss or often act on them and then the film moves on.  John Williams provides an energetic and poignant score and the audience is enveloped.  Spielberg shot this film very fast, often only allowing a few takes and kept a high energy level throughout the production and it translated to the screen.  

The opening plays like a James Bond pre-title sequence.  The Paramount logo fades into one of the  Andes' mountains and over the credits we see Indy in the background making his way to a cave to find an old idol.  He is rough with his guides who both eventually betray him and pay for it with their lives.  Indy does not say much but is both good at avoiding traps and improvising when things go south.  John Williams' score uses a bassoon to sets the creepy tone and British actor Alfred Molina provides a brief comic performance as one of the guides who makes all the mistakes (despite being the one who lives there) so Indy can be cooler in contrast.  Once Indy has taken the idol director Spielberg springs a lot of dangers as Indy has to escape from the cave, then outrun a boulder (in one of the series' iconic images) and run from natives to a hired plane.  One of the nice touches is the pilot is fishing and is reluctant to let go of his catch just as Indy arrives.  

During this sequence we see how Indy operates, that he is smart but can be outfoxed, and that his Achilles heel is a fear of snakes (which is an issue for a man who spends so much time in jungles).  The sequence also introduces us to Belloq who is not a moustache twirling villain, but a more sophisticated archeologist who has abandoned his morals. 

Throughout the rest of the film as Indy travels the globe Spielberg superimposes a map on the screen over the flights with red  lines showing the movement.  When Indy gets to Nepal we see where he differs from a character like Bond.  He had a relationship with Marion (Karen Allen) when she was underage and only feels partially responsible.  Allen plays Marion as incredibly spunky and has learned to survive as a woman running a bar in a tough environment.  We see almost none of Nepal which was clearly all shot on a set, but the production design on the bar, the rough patrons and the sound design make it feel cold.  When Indy appears we see him in silhouette as Marion first addresses him signifying he left a big shadow on her life.  Their conversation exposes their difficult history although based on her solo scene afterwards it seems that while Marion will probably take the money and go with him, she enjoys having power over him for once.  

When the Gestapo agent Toht and the Nazis come in Marion is not initially concerned until they grab her.  Spielberg and cinematographer Douglas Slocombe ratchet up the tension by going in closer to Ronald Lacey's pasty face to hear his soft terrifying deliveries.  One of the few faults of this film is this is the only scene where Lacey gets to shine.  In all his other scenes he is in the background and only has a few lines.  Toht is much more terrifying than Belloq and should have been featured more.  Here is it clear he is going to torture Marion with the hot poker even though she has already agreed to talk.

It is never revealed in the film why Indy goes back since his return is a surprise.  If he had seen the Nazis go in the bar he would have come back sooner.   The novelization explained that when Marion kicked him out, Indy had decided to go back a little later.  In the film perhaps he heard someone mention the Nazis were there and went back to check it out.  The staging of the rescue (using the whip with Indy) to snatch a burning poker out of Toht's hand, which starts a fire, is inventive.  Indy is holding the whip in his right hand meaning he has to hold his revolver in his left and while there is some relief,  the music and the staging make clear Indy cannot cover that many men for long.

The fight is unscored and intense and the bullets have a lot of sparks which show up in the dark atmosphere.  Indy jumped into this situation without a plan and Marion (who has probably hosted more than a few bar fights) immediately shows how useful she is both in helping Indy with a bottle of whiskey and shooting one of the villains in the back when he has the drop on Indy.  Ford has Indy react, as the sound of the gun is fired, checking his own belly after hearing the sound, to reveal the leading lady having shot the villain from behind (used also in Thunderball and other films).    

When the film moves to Egypt we meet Sallah played by the charismatic John Rhys-Davies.  Sallah both helps Indy (somewhat openly, letting Indy stay in his house and using his kids to pull Indy out of a tough situation) but also is working with the Nazis on the dig.  In the marketplace Marion looks colorful in her fluffy shirt and red pants and is trying to get through to Indy though he keeps putting her down ("Not much, just you") as a way of burying his feelings.  The subsequent fight is choreographed like a dance (ie Indy drops the items he is holding basket and as Marion goes down to pick it up one of the assassins jumps over her to attack him). The scene is more farcical as the killers end up stabbing several of their own men and Williams score is more playful (using woodwins and staccato horns emphasizing the lightness).  When Indy is searching for Marion Ford shouts her name as if he is mad at her for getting caught even though his expression shows concern.  The much discussed moment where he shoots the swordsman instead of fighting him is set up by Indy casually wiping his brow as the swordsman is displaying his skills.  The sound design and Indy's immediate disregard of the man as soon as he is dead gives the scene a lot of humor.  I am glad I got to show my kids that famous scene as before they saw it on youtube.  

The end of the sequence is tragic as Indy believes Marion has been killed.  Karen Allen is out of the film long enough for it to sink in, especially as Indy discovers she is still alive completely by accident.  After her "death" Indy is bitter and carelessly disregards his own safety as he then goes to meet with Belloq which shows that he actually cared deeply for Marion.  The scene in the bar with Belloq is a little overwritten but has some interesting ideas (ie Belloq's comments about the watch).  Spielberg and Slocombe clearly shot the scene quickly as most of it is in one angle as Indy is tight in frame as Belloq is needling him which gives it a claustrophobic feeling.  Sallah's move to use his children to get Indy out of the room shows that kindness wins.

The scene with the monkey and the date is a perfect example of Spielberg's craft.  We know the dates have poisoned and hope Indy catches on but we also are paying attention to the exposition about the Ark location.  Sallah's quick thinking saves Indy but also reinforces that Indy needs luck to survive these adventures.  The sight of the dead monkey brings up mixed emotions.  It is sad to see a small animal die but we also do not love the monkey since it gave up Marion to the bad guys (and we think she is dead).  

The map room scene is powerful as Indy discovers the location of the Well of Souls.  Williams is able to play the Ark theme using both a chorus and orchestra as the sunlight shows where the Ark is buried and makes the escapade real.  When Indy leaves Marion it is cold yet we can understand both sides of the argument (and why it may never work out between them as his quests will usually take priority over her).  Marion's playful drinking game with Belloq lets us see her work the situation to her advantage though I enjoy how she is about to escape and then runs back to Belloq when she sees Toht.  Humorously even Belloq is relieved with Toht reveals what we think is a torture device is actually just a hanger.

The dig is well framed though it is uncomfortable to see Indy walking around while the locals do the heavy labor but when it is opened Indy and Sallah are the ones to go in to get the Ark and face the snakes.  A lesser movie might have stayed in the Well for longer but Spielberg and Kahn actually get Indy and Marion out within a couple of screen moments of their being trapped (after scaring Marion  with the skeletons).  

The fight on the plane is violent and playful when Indy sees the big mechanic (played by Pat Roach who earlier played the big Sherpa in Nepal) and looks overwhelmed when Indy realizes he needs to fight him.  Spielberg has a lot of fun staging this scene with Indy trying to help Marion while having to continue to stop to fight this giant who is toying with him.  The first punch in which he just jabs Indy in a medium shot and Indy just staggers and falls down sets the tone.  The mechanic's death is gruesome but I like the touch that the mechanic's blood goes over the swastika.

When John Glen, the director of Licence to Kill (1989), was discussing the big truck chase climax of that film he mentioned he had wanted to do a scene like that for eight years.  Raiders was released in 1981 so it is not hard to question from where he got his inspiration.  This scene is the action highlight of the series.  In concept the scene is simple.  Indy rides up to the main truck full of Nazis in a big convoy on a white horse and takes it over and steals the Ark.  Spielberg, Ford and the production team make it as hard as possible by having Indy have to battle back and forth for control of the truck and wounded in the left arm in the midst of it (though it appears the bullet only skims as opposed to entering the arm).  When Indy is thrown out he is so determined to not lose that he uses his whip to hold onto the undercarriage of the truck.  If you look closely you can see a ditch between the wheels that the stuntman goes into.  The truck is old and dusty (as are the roads) and Belloq and Tocht are in the Mercedes ahead of him representing the threat but also the opportunity to finish them off since the truck is more powerful.  They are also in a way the audience surrogate since they mostly watch the action but do not participate much in it.  

The scenes on the boat have both warmth and suspense as Indy is realistically battered from all his activity of the day and true romance probably eludes this couple.  The pirates turn out to be much more noble than they initially appear but are helpless to protect Marion from being kidnapped again from the Nazis.  Spielberg keeps the momentum giving these scenes their due but quickly brings the film to the island (presumably the submarine never submerged which allowed Indy to not drown from being on the top) where Indy loses a standoff with Belloq and Belloq out of a professional respect lets him live to see the Ark opened. The bold idea that the Ark itself defeats the Nazis is accomplished with powerful visuals (the angels seem warm but are moving uncomfortably fast before turning violent) accompanied by Williams' reprise of the Ark theme which turns more menacing as the angels turn into demons.  Indy has the sense to respect the Ark and it allows him and Marion to survive.  

The finale feels like it is a missing a scene or two as it cuts to Indy having already lost the Ark and arguing haplessly with the government to respect it.  The closing shot of the Ark being moved into a giant warehouse with thousands of boxes indicates that it is as hidden as it was in the Well of Souls.  The government only cared about keeping it from Hitler but have no plans for it themselves.  The hero gets to win but only to a point.  ****

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Temple of Doom takes a lot of heat for its dark tone but it deserves credit for a number of things.  The film was also directed by Spielberg and produced by Lucas but screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan opted out, presumably not liking the dark material, and Lucas hired the married couple Gloria Katz and Williard Huyck, who had written American Graffiti.  To avoid copying the original, Lucas, like he did with Empire Strikes Back, goes to a different setting (Southeast Asia without a return trip to the U.S.) and tells a more disturbing story.  Although many elements are similar (opening sequence, small creatures in an unlit room, traps, Paramount logo gag), Temple of Doom has a distinct structure.  Most of the films have frequent action moments that come throughout the running time but close out the final action set-piece about 30 minutes from the end for a suspenseful supernatural finale.  Temple of Doom has a big opening sequence, then a plane escape, and goes into straight storytelling for about an hour (except for a brutal fight in his room with a Thuggee).  Then the last 30 minutes has some of the most intense action in the series as Indy and his friends escape one mousetrap after another. Ford's commitment to delivering on the action is never more evident than in this film especially during the scenes in which Indy fights several Thuggees before the mining car chase.

Lucas decided to make the film a prequel to avoid having Indy battle Nazis in consecutive films.  He wanted Indy to be an adventurer and not an American hero who always fights the same villains.  Lucas picked as his baddies the Thuggees which were a group of robbers and had been extinct since the late 19th century but added elements such as child slavery, ancient stones, and human sacrifice.  This was a little controversial since Lucas was accused of being racist.  I would note in Lucas' defense that there are not friendly German or Russian characters in the other Indy films and even the American government types are usually antagonistic.  Setting the film as a prequel allows Indy to have more history with Short Round, a orphaned Chinese character who is like a surrogate child to Indy (though we never hear what happened to him-I hope he is still alive somewhere).  It deepens Indy as a character to have such a strong relationship with a child and the chemistry between the two is strong, especially during the card game when they are trying to cheat each other.  Indy acts more like an uncle to some degree, constantly putting Short Round in danger but trusting he can get himself out of it, sold to a large degree by Ke Huy Quan's charismatic performance.  This relationship is far more successful than the forced father-son dynamic in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.  

Kate Capshaw gives an energetic performance as Willie Scott, a singer and dancer in the Shanghai club Obi Wan, whose performance of "Anything Goes" in Mandarin opens the film.  Willie provides a lot of the film's comic relief as she is constantly out of place especially in the jungle scenes but her whining is grating after awhile.  Capshaw has less chemistry than Karen Allen did with Ford but it is fun to watch them bicker with each other.  Spielberg stages a fun sequence where they argue and are too stubborn to admit they are dying to go to bed with each other.  Returning editor Michael Kahn and Williams use of see-sawing cellos in the score give the moment a playfulness as the characters talk to themselves about their frustrations with the other.  My favorite moment in the film is the ugly sneer Indy gives Willie as the door opens right after she saves Indy and Short Round from being crushed.  Instead of being grateful he is furious that she cut it so close.  Indy has a similar moment later where he snaps at Short Round to "stop playing around with that kid" unaware that Short Round just saved him by fighting the kid and then cured the kid of his curse.  

The whole opening sequence in Shanghai from the "Anything Goes" song, to Indy in a white tuxedo, the suspense at the table, Indy fighting the gangsters while being weakened by the poison while willie looks for the diamond is wonderfully staged by Spielberg.  The plane escape is a little unbelievable but the fall from the cliff is a step too far.  

The scene where both Indy and Short Round are whipped is disturbing.  Indy's brief turn to the dark side is a bold move and Spielberg includes a well acted scene of Indy failing to fight off the effect of the blood on his personality.  Short Round's commitment to helping his friend is touching even though Indy has just slapped him and gives this film some much needed heart.  

The mine cart chase feels like an underground roller coaster.  There is a fun callback to a scene from Raiders as Indy tries to casually draw his gun on two swordsmen only to forget he does not have it.  Here we get the fight scene we were denied in Raiders although it is brief, and supplies Indy with the sword for the inventive bridge scene.

Tastefully Indy is as interested and knowledgeable about Eastern artifacts as he was about the Ark and that he knew to respect the local villagers, even if he did not quite believe their story initially.  Mola Ram as played by the late Indian actor Amrish Puri is vicious and bloodthirsty but a little one note.  The production design by Elliot Scott emphasizes the dark hellish location of the second half and the site of the children being enslaved and beaten is hard to take although it makes Indy more heroic for saving them.  

There is an interesting argument made by Chattar Lai clearly (and understandably) resenting the British occupation of India, to Captain Blumburtt.  Yet the argument is undercut by Lai's Thuggee affiliation and the fact that Blumburtt is investigating the saves the day at the end of the film by bringing his regiment to fire on the Thuggees.  Interestingly the regiment is comprised of Indian soldiers perhaps to avoid the site of white soldiers killing Indians who are overmatched.  

Temple of Doom is well named and has some challenging moments but it is fun ride.  ***

Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989)

Spielberg and Lucas went back to the Raiders template for the tone and MacGuffin of the third film but added a new wrinkle by casting Sean Connery as Indy's father Professor Henry Jones.  As in Raiders Indy races against the Nazis in a desert searching for an ancient religious artifact.  This time it is the Holy Grail, which Jesus drank from in The Last Supper.  Most of the action scenes are outdoors after the closed up atmosphere in Temple of Doom.  As before while Indy wins and loses several battles with the Nazis their greed causes their ultimate defeat.  

The film is scripted by Jeffrey Boam who also cowrote the second and third Lethal Weapon films and had an unique ability to build character and mine humor from within a larger than life scenario.  As in the Lethal Weapon films the laughs are frequent and sometimes huge but come from the characters.  The one false note in the film is the way Marcus Brody (played by a returning Denholm Elliott from Raiders) is portrayed.  In academia Brody is clearly a respected character but once he gets to Iskenderun he is played as a buffoon (though the cut from Indy's bluffing of the Nazis as to his abilities in the field to him in a crowd asking if anyone speaks English or Ancient Greek and Indy's comments about him getting lost in his own museum are two of the biggest laughs in the film).  To his credit though Elliott completely engages with this version of Brody, often using wild eyes and willingly playing the fool. 

Last Crusade is not as tightly constructed as the first two but the presence of Connery and all the emotional complications that comes from their relationship makes this a more fulfilling viewing experience.  Raiders is about the hunt for the Ark.  Last Crusade is about an estranged father and son coming to respect each other against the backdrop of the hunt for the Holy Grail.   Indy starts and ends Raiders and Temple of Doom much the same as how he started them but at the end of Last Crusade he has grown and matured a little.  

John Williams' Indiana Jones march is used much less presents a powerful Grail theme composed of strings and woodwinds that has a religious melody.  It is used in small motifs throughout the film but is played in full in the scene where Indy passes the obstacles.  

This was planned to be the final Indy film and Spielberg and Lucas expanded the scope, starting the film in 1912, which keeps Harrison Ford offscreen for the first 12 minutes of the film as a teenaged Indy (played by River Phoenix) finds a cross owned by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Coronado but tries to keep it from some robbers.  Spielberg deceptively shows one of the robbers in the Indy costume without revealing his face to make us believe it's Ford.  After we see it is someone else the time the camera cuts to Phoenix.  This robber, who has a sense of honor and even gives Indy his hat, clearly served as an influence to the man Indy becomes.  

Phoenix captures Indy's intensity when he is caught up in a quest (note his line delivery when he dismissively says "It's only a snake." or the way he glances back at the robbers with a smirk before climbing out of the cave) but he would have had practice, having played the Ford character's son in the film Mosquito Coast a couple of years earlier, which was well acted (Ford played a man obsessed with building a utopian civilization in the jungle) but not fun to watch.  Phoenix's Indy more clumsily navigates the circus train that he uses to escape the robbers than his later self would but proves resourceful.  The circus train is clear a metaphor for the film which will be fast moving and fun.  

When Indy arrives home we never see Henry's face but we hear him, refusing to stop working on his diary and listen to a frantic Indy even when the police and several men arrive at the house.  This keeps the character as a mysterious authority figure who is a little dismissive of others but also avoids putting Connery in makeup that might have been unconvincing. The sheriff's disregard for Indy's story probably sets the stage for Indy's rebelling against authority later in life.  

Spielberg uses a jump to (similar to Kubrick's in 2001) from the robber (played by Richard Young) giving Indy his hat to the older Indy raising his head and grinning to his own theme only to get socked in the face, keeping the audience off balance.  Indy has again been caught trying to steal the cross on a stormy night in a boat off the coast of Portugal.  Williams uses a darker theme for the beginning of this sequence.  The blood on Indy's mouth is on the right side in the first shot but then moves to the left for the rest of the sequence.  Indy is able to use the rough sea weather to his advantage as he steals the cross back and escape before the boat explodes (which interestingly Indy has nothing to do with).  Spielberg  and Michael Kahn keep the boat scene short to wrap up this story thread and a life preserver shows how Indy will survive the storm at sea though I suppose he did not have to kick too far to get to the coastline. 

Slocombe's framing of the scenes at Marshall College are almost identical to Raiders except this time Indy has successfully gotten the item from the opening.  Indy escapes his students when there are more than he feels like helping, which mirrors his father's treatment of him.

The next section several scenes set up Henry for the audience before we meet him properly.  One of the smartest approaches is instead of making Henry just an older Indy he is a bookish professor with a tweed suit, walking cap and bow tie who is out of his element in a fight.  Connery was only 12 years older than Ford but gave Henry an elderly demeanor and with his white beard he looks much older.  Boam and Spielberg wisely have Henry in a similar but not identical field to Indy and he lives far enough away to explain why they never see each other.    

It is easy to claim that Connery is perfect to play Indy's father because he was the original James Bond which in part inspired the Indy character.  Henry is so different than Bond that I feel it is more that the part called for an older star who could hold the screen as well as Ford, which Connery certainly can, and whom we would believe that Indy would respect. 

When Indy arrives in Venice his introduction to Elsa, played by Allison Doody, some of Boam's lines are memorable when Indy steals her a flower.  The use of an old library to find the catacomb is appropriate since Italy has many old libraries and churches.  I enjoyed the moment below when Indy quickly identifies the drawing of the Ark.  The Ark theme plays briefly but then the film and Indy keep moving on.

The boat chase is not quite as successful as the other action moments, mostly because it makes minimal use of the Venice canals.  They quickly move out of the city and into an open area which was filmed at the Tillbury Docks in Essex, United Kingdom and looks much different.  When Indy threatens the leader Kazim as the boat is being chopped up by the propeller of the bigger boat him I am not sure what the effect is supposed to be.  Is Indy supposed to not be aware that this threat exists or does he know and is using it to scare Kazim?  Either way it's lot of work for little result onscreen.  Kazim ultimately is underused as he is quickly killed by the Nazis as he and his brotherhood mount a suicidal attack on the Nazis later in the film.

Indy finally has a scene where he is allowed to bed his female lead in a funny moment where he and Elsa insult each other while kissing passionately.  The twist here is Elsa turns turns out to be a Nazi.  This development keeps Elsa away from Indy from much of the adventure since they are on opposite sites which allows Indy more time alone with his dad.  But it also gives the men a shared conquest though we never see Elsa having bedded Henry (thankfully).  Elsa is painted in shades of grey though because she does care for Indy and does not turn him in when he steals the diary back from her.  The suggestion is she may not be as ruthless because she is Austrian instead of German, though so was Hitler.  Doody skillfully plays this complex character, often quietly showing regret at some of the more heinous Nazi activities but also cleverly taunting Indy and Henry about having bedded them both.  

The castle sequence has some of the film's biggest laughs as Indy's rescue of Henry does not go well.  When the guards have them at gunpoint the dialogue is sharp as Henry scolds Indy so hard Indy has to blow off steam by grabbing one of the guard's guns and blowing all three of them away (left handed) and then gives the capper "Don't call me Junior!" which made the audience I saw the film with roar.   Spielberg expertly combines the familial with the larger than life.  Additionally Boam and Spielberg come up with several funny moments for the five minutes or so that the men are tied up back to back (from Elsa's kiss, Indy and Henry turning the wrong way to talk to each other, Henry's matter of fact delivery of the lines "The floor is on fire" and "Our situation has not improved".  I expect the success of this is what led Jon Turtletaub to give Nicholas Cage's character a father in Jon Voight in the National Treasure films.  

Spielberg decides to show us Hitler in this film, perhaps feeling that he has been kept offscreen long enough.  Hitler is used well, only briefly appearing at a book burning which appropriately horrifies Elsa, who is also an archeologist.  Indy's bump into him is funny as Hitler's overall ignorance of him  but does not though I have two quick thoughts.  One, Hitler's signature is different from how it appears in the film (see his actual signature below) versus his name is written clearly in the book.

Second, the only book the Germans were allowed to keep after those burnings was Mein Kampf.  Hitler should have noticed the grail diary was a different book, though Hitler moves so quickly you can believe he barely gave it the attention he should have.  Hitler was played by Michael Sheard who also worked for Lucas as Admiral Ozzel, the arrogant and somewhat incompetent Imperial officer in The Empire Strikes Back who is choked to death by Darth Vader via a video screen.  Sheard also played Hitler in a few other smaller productions.  

The main villain of the film is Walter Donovan, played by British actor Julian Glover.  Glover also played a duplicitous Greek Bond villain Kristatos in For Your Eyes Only (who also had a secret alliance with the Nazis) and a different Imperial officer in The Empire Strikes Back.  Here Donovan is presented more like Belloq, except he is an American who has teamed up with the Nazis.  Glover's American accent is a little monotone and I think Donovan would have been more menacing if he had used his own accent. Donovan is like a chess player, kidnapping Henry to draw Indy into the quest for the Grail when he realizes Henry does not have the diary and then shooting Henry to force Indy to overcome the final obstacles, but like Belloq leaves the most ruthless actions to a Gestapo officer.  In this film the officer is Vogel, played by Michael Byrne.  Vogel's role is small and he probably only has 20 lines or so but he has a nasty looking face and was used to great effect in Braveheart as the man who inadvertently sets off Wallace's revolution by going after Wallace's wife.  

The use of the zeppellin is fitting for the era and while the vehicle it is not much good for a chase sequence it is a nice setting for Indy and Henry to overcome their past resentments.  There must be a cut scene in which Elsa tells Vogel/Donovan that Indy has stolen the diary back from her (and not that she did not resist).  The moment when Vogel slowly lowers Henry's newspaper and Henry is so into his reading that he follows it newspaper down instead of looking up at Vogel is playful.  Indy's tossing of Vogel through the window and the ticket gag is funny but a little too convenient that Vogel came up alone, despite initially being accompanied by another officer (played by Pat Roach who does not have a huge fight with Indy this time).  The plane scene, despite the dated special effects, is creative and it is a kick to see Connery, who has played so many action heroes, bumbling his way through these scenes as Henry.  Spielberg had made many films about absentee fathers (most notably E.T.) based on his strained relationship with his own father.  In this film he seeks to mend those fences as he had recently done with his own father.

The tank sequence is Last Crusade's big setpiece.  I generally am ambivalent about tank scenes in general as they move too slowly to make a dynamic sequence but Spielberg's creativity and Ben Burtt's sound design makes this a real treat.  First Spielberg puts Indy on horseback which keeps Indy vulnerable but also with better mobility.  Also, by having Henry (and Marcus) inside the tank the sequence is more emotional as we do not want Indy to lose his father and we know it will keep Indy from trying to destroy the tank.  Interestingly Vogel who is commandeering the tank (Donovan is kept mostly out of this sequence to be alive for the Grail scenes later) never threatens Henry to get Indy to back off, but this sets up intense the dual moment where Indy is about to be crushed while Henry is being attacked from inside.  Spielberg also finds a lot of uses for the tank tread, most memorably when Indy has to use his whip to keep Henry from falling underneath it.  Sallah's welcome appearance (in which he delightfully takes his hat off to greet "Father of Indy" despite being in the midst of a huge action scene) saves Henry but Spielberg gives us a literal cliffhanger when it appears Indy might have been killed.   

The aftermath is one of the scenes that elevates the film.  Spielberg masterfully plays with the audience here.  When Henry, Sallah and Marcus look over the cliff, no one cries, but they are more in shock and there is no music.  As we see Indy climbing up a vine we breathe a sigh of relief but then laugh as a wider shot shows he is out of the others' sight.  The audience now has more information than each of the four characters and we are eager to see how this plays out.  Indy is exhausted and comes up behind the men to see what they're looking at but does not realize they thought he was dead, so this is comical but the scene suddenly turns sweet when Henry breaks down upon seeing Indy and embraces him for the first time.  Connery so rarely was vulnerable in his films that this is impactful.  The scene has a perfect closer with Indy just collapsing (after barely having the strength to hug his father) as everyone else starts to walk off.  

The closing scenes at the temple leave the action behind for mystique, fantasy and pure emotion.  Spielberg had felt the MacGuffin was not as strong for this film so he forces Indy to overcome the obstacles to get the Grail to save Henry.  It is shocking when Donovan wounds Henry in cold blood, which is a much better decision than if Henry had been wounded in action scene.  It also makes Donovan nastier, and gives Elsa a moment to show some concern.  Ford and Connery are excellent here too.  Indy is utterly distraught at what has happened to his father but has to pull himself together to focus on the obstacles.  Spielberg keeps the camera above Connery's head as Henry is weakening but still spiritually guiding Indy.  The passing of the obstacles has some questionable digital effects (notably the blade) but I enjoy any opportunity to see Indy use his brain to solve a problem.  Ford, Spielberg, and Williams sell the moment when Indy conjures the courage to step off the lion's head.  Indy has to find his faith and still has doubts but is willing to the chance.  When he steps at first I wondered if he somehow had not seen the bridge since we see him on it but after he crosses by throwing the stones to mark it we understand that it was actually invisible (which allows Donovan and Elsa to pass it without having to take the leap of faith).

The knight as played by Robert Eddision (an actor I had not seen before) gives some weight and humor to a character that could be seen as silly if played wrong.  The idea that a character could live that long even within the rules of the film (if you do not cross the seal then you remain immortal) is a little ridiculous but Eddison has enough gravitas (without taking the character too seriously) that he pulls it off.  Slocombe uses a more celestial light on him to keep the effect more subtle.  Donovan could have threatened the knight but even he had the sense to know it would be useless.  His death, after Elsa tricks him, probably because she wants to help save Henry and/or thinks with Donovan gone she has a better chance of keeping the Grail herself, is horrific and the makeup effects are astounding. 

The use of the holy water to save Henry is moving and a nice detail is when Indy pours it on the wound itself.  Henry's moment to study it is a little shorter than I would have liked it but at this stage of a film things usually are kept moving.  Elsa shows her true greedy, but not evil, nature when she grabs it and is so caught up she ignores the warnings about the seal.  When she and then Indy fall into the crevice we see how easily Indy could become like her when he tries to grab it too, although he may be trying to get it for his dad.  One of the best moments of the film is when Henry calmly tells Indy to let it go.  There is a wisdom in Henry's tone and by calling him Indiana instead of Junior Henry recognizes Indy as his own man.  Henry also makes it clear that although he had focused on the Grail throughout his life it means nothing to him compared to his son's life.  When Henry trades looks with the knight the silence is more effective than any line would have been.

Outside the temple the final scene gives Henry and Indy a chance to process what has just happened.  The only sad thing is Sallah and Marcus are sadly not given the opportunity to react at all.  It's nice to see Sallah again but I wish they had given the excellent John Rhys Davies more to do, other than set up the line about the dog.  

In the final exchange Henry goes back to calling Indy "Junior" and Indy finally accepts his role as his father's son and his last line is "Yes sir!" following his father's instructions.  For the first time in the film we hear the whole Indiana Jones theme as the four men ride into the sunset, a perfect close to this near perfect film.  *****

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

 After Ford appeared in a cameo in a Young Indiana Jones TV movie in 1993 (with the full beard he had grown for the opening scenes of The Fugitive) talk started about a new Indiana Jones film, which went through many iterations (and was delayed in part by Lucas' focus on the Star Wars prequel trilogy) and finally was released in 2008.  Crystal Skull is seen as a dreadful film but I think more than anything it was hurt by inflated audience expectations.  I feel the first two acts are pretty good overall but right when five characters go over three waterfalls in a small vehicle and are not hurt, the film takes a similar dive.

Spielberg, Lucas, Williams and Ford all returned as well as Karen Allen as Marion and the new cast members that joined the film were Ray Winstone, Cate Blanchett, Jim Broadbent, Shia LaBeouf, and John Hurt.  Veteran screenwriter David Koepp, who scripted the first two Jurassic Park films for Spielberg, took material from several writers, such as M. Night Shyamalan, Frank Darabont, and Jeff Nathanson and crafted the story.  Screenwriter Spielberg had an interesting challenge here.  Harrison Ford turned 65 during production of this film.  Ford is still in great shape but plays the part as a man his age.  Spielberg had to give us a lot of the same thrills as other Indy films but some of the stunts are less endurance tests than in the other films.  For example the big chase through the jungle is full of action but there is no scene where Indy is dragged by a vehicle.  By pairing Indy with Winstone who is younger, but nowhere near as fit, Indy comes across as more capable (especially as Indy keeps slugging him as a repeated gag).  At the end of this adventure Indy looks a lot less exhausted and beat up than in the others.   

Crystal Skull has a similar structure to Raiders and Last Crusade.  Indy is looking for an ancient object against a competing European force.  Crystal Skull is set in 1957 which acknowledges the 19 years that had passed since since Last Crusade and sets Indy in a world where he instead of being a respected archeologist, he is suspected of being a Russian spy.  As science fiction stories were popular in the 1950s the MacGuffin is an ancient crystal skull that can unlock extraterrestrial knowledge.  Spielberg confronts the big red scare in the U.S. the film by having putting Indy up against a Russian squad led by Irina Spalko.

I like the concept of everyone chasing knowledge as the prize but the presentation is a little awkward and the interdimensional beings are never developed thoroughly so they seem silly.  

The opening sequence in and around Area 51 is successful.  Spielberg and now cinematographer Janus Kaminski introduce Indy first in shadow and with several soldiers pointing rifles at him while he puts on his hat before he steps into frame.  The Russians' nerves and the framing makes Indy still feel like a larger than life character even though he is captured, which is an unusual introduction for the hero.  We meet Spalko who Blanchett has a ball playing with a black bob and a Boris and Natasha accent.  I figured that Mac would be a typical Indy sidekick thought Winstone looked the part of a crusty fellow archeologist.

As an American it is unnerving to see armed Russian soldiers walking around a military base in the U.S., especially in that era.  The tete-a-tete between Indy and Spalko is fun and Indy's expertise for using gunpowder to discover the alien corpse shows that he is still pretty sharp, although the CGI is a little flimsy.   

Spielberg playfully frames Mac's betrayal with the Russians dropping their guns only to lift them again as we see Mac is pointing his gun at Indy.  The subsequent gunfight makes good use of the natural cover the boxes offer in the giant warehouse.  Indy uses a new technique with his whip and when he shoves Spalko out of the jeep late in the scene it is done in a long shot so we do not see our hero being rough physically with a woman in close up, even though it is established throughout the film that Spalko is an expert in hand to hand combat.

As Indy frantically comes into the house Kaminsky's framing reveals the people on the couch are not real and the siren is a good punctuation.  The moment right afterwards where he yells at the Russians he was just trying to get away from is comical.  The U.S. government was conducting these type of tests in the southwest at the time so it feels authentic.  

At the time I saw the film I thought Indy's escape in the fridge (using the lead lining to protect himself from the blast) was a stretch but probably the only way he could have survived.  The filmmakers try to make it plausible by having the blast push the fridge far away from the detonation site which is near the "neighborhood" but not at it.  The blast destroys the car the Russians are driving (good thing they did not come back for him) so the idea that the fridge could have remained intact when the car and house  (which the fridge was in) and everything else touched by the blast were destroyed kills that argument.  Indy coming out unhurt after being flung through the air in the fridge is also implausible.  If the house had a cellar that Indy had discovered at the last second it would have been more believable (had it been lined with lead).  I did hold off showing this scene to my kids until they were old enough to know better since I did not want to risk them locking themselves into fridges as a game.  

People were so annoyed with the escape that they may have overlooked the positives in the scene.  The set design with suburban house, mannequins and TV playing the Howdy Doody show contrasts the impending horror.  The blast is horrific as the neighborhood is ripped apart and recalls the nuclear blast in Terminator 2: Judgment Day.  Kaminsky then frames a beautiful shot of Indy standing behind the mushroom cloud.  

In the following scene Indy is interrogated after a radiation bath, and is reminiscent of a key scene in The Fugitive.  Neil Flynn, who played a transit cop shot trying to arrest Harrison Ford's character Richard in The Fugitive, plays an FBI agent.  Sadly he only appears in this scene as I always find Flynn interesting to watch and the suspicions he has of Indy (which were typical during the Red Scare even though this takes place after the McCarthy era) are never dispelled onscreen. 

Jim Broadbent plays Dean Charles Stanforth, essentially replacing the Marcus Brody character due to the passing of Denholm Elliott.  Marcus had been a curator of a museum who approached Indy at his school but never really worked there.  The film tells us via his statue that Marcus eventually became dean and presumably Stanforth took his place.  Broadbent has little screen time but is so charming we instantly believe he has known Indy a long time even though the audience had never met him.

Spielberg and Kaminski introduce Mutt riding onto a platform out of the fog looking like Marlon Brandon in the The Wild One.  The first conversation between him and Indy is visually interesting as they are both in moving vehicles.

Overall the character of Mutt works due to LaBeouf's commitment to a greaser who thinks he is a lot tougher than he actually is which leads to Indy using his teacher's skills to talk him down.  I also liked when Mutt combs his hair before being thinking he is going to be executed.  But the film puts too much pressure on the duo by revealing Mutt to be the son Indy never knew he had  halfway through when the plot is in full motion.  I got a nice partnership vibe from them but never anything as intimate as a family connection.  Also it is unlikely that Marion named Mutt after Indy but never reached out to Indy to tell him.  Spielberg is trying to recreate the father-son dynamic from Last Crusade but that was bringing together a father and son who had grown apart.  These two have never met. 

The film could have handled this delicate situation in two different ways:  

1) Indy knew about Mutt but stayed away out of respect to avoid complicating Marion's life again.  Maybe Mutt knows about him, maybe not.  It could be similar to the Kirk-Carol-David relationship in The Wrath of Khan.

2)  Mutt's father is actually Marion's late husband and Indy becomes a kind of stepfather to him.

The chase with the Russians starts creatively and has some good stunt work (especially Indy going in one window and out the other) but is a little too comical and the close with Indy teaching a student while riding a motorcycle in the library plays awkwardly.  Indy's comment about getting out of the library is at odds with the lesson he gave in Last Crusade.  The scene back at Indy's house has a fun character moment as Indy gets excited once he deciphers Oxley's code.

Once Indy and Mutt get into the field Indy's experience contrasts Mutt's bravado but before long they are once again captured by the Russians.  Indy is caught by them no less than four times and even though he kills a few soldiers usually during his escapes they never hurt him.  The film clearly needs Indy and Spalko to meet a few times but this device (along with Mac's shifting loyalties) becomes tiresome.  

One of the best scenes is when Indy looks into the skull with the threat that he could lose his senses as Harold Oxley did but while it seems to disturb him, Mac stops the process in a rare moment of humanity and Indy recovers quickly.  

Marion gets a big introduction repeating a line she yelled to Toht in Raiders "Keep your hands off me" and then smiling and saying "Indiana Jones" in much the ways she does when she first sees Indy in the older film.

Most audiences would agree Marion is by far Indy's most memorable leading lady and it is a smart move to bring her back as opposed to introducing Indy to yet another love interest.  Koepp gives her a couple of good beats like the scene in which she and Indy are in the dry sand pit (Indy's immediate reaction when learning Mutt is his son is to bark at Marion about his education).  But after they reconnect (with Marion's theme playing) her character has little to do except look at Indy with loving eyes.

John Hurt's commitment to the possessed Harold Oxley is impressive but the character ends up being a little hard to believe, especially as he is sharp enough to avoid several obstacles late in the film.  

I enjoy the idea that in this case the goal is not to keep the Crystal Skull but instead take it to an ancient city to release its knowledge.  But the climax, in which the group find a temple in a lost city is utterly unmemorable and I also saw Mac's second betrayal coming from a mile away.  I ultimately did not care if he was good or bad, though it was a nice gesture of Indy to try to save him.  Blanchett's Spalko like other villains in the series, is destroyed by her quest, in this case an enormous amount of knowledge. 

 The finale, in which Indy and Marion get married in a white church feels a little too upbeat for this couple that have been through so many ups and downs.  Hurt does have a pensive line about lost time that feels appropriate for the situation and the closing moment when Indy takes his hat from Mutt to the as the Raiders march plays (throwing out the suggestion that Mutt may take over the series) is a little forced but cute.

Crystal Skull has enough good moments that I will give it a narrow recommendation but I hope Dial of Destiny is a more fitting conclusion to the series.  ***

My ranking this far

1) Last Crusade

2) Raiders

3) Temple of Doom

4) Crystal Skull