Director Report Card: Steven Spielberg (1989) - Part One

14. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

George Lucas is fond of trilogies, isn’t he? Indiana Jones was born in Hawaii, when Lucas and Spielberg where kicking around ideas for a new adventure hero. At the time, George told Steve that this new character would be the focus of a trilogy. Spielberg was skeptical, not wanting to commit himself to three films. Lucas assured him that he had already written the next two parts. That was a lie. Nevertheless, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" did spawn an enormously successful sequel. In 1989, Harrison Ford would don the fedora, leather jacket, and whip for a third time. It was also assumed to be the last time, at least for a while. This is why the third Indy adventure was clarified as the last crusade. Dr. Jones' retirement from adventuring ended up not sticking forever but Spielberg and team tried to create a crowd-pleasing climatic adventure nevertheless.

Two years after protecting the Ark of the Covenant from the Nazis, Indiana Jones finds himself in war torn Europe once again. A man named Walter Donovan informs Indy that his estranged father has gone missing. Indy’s dad was obsessed with locating the Holy Grail. It would appear that he was close to finding it. Jones’ adventure reunites him with his estranged father before he quickly discovers that Donovan is in cahoots with the Nazis. Now, a race is on to see who can discover the cup of Christ first. Another epic adventure ensues, taking the archeologist and his dad across Europe and into the heart of the holy land. 

Fans, audiences, and critics weren’t the only ones who complained that “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” was too dark. Spielberg and Lucas both feared they went too far last time. Both filmmakers sought to make up for that tonal shift. Considering I like “Temple of Doom” quite a lot, I always found this course correction too hasty. In fact, I've always felt “The Last Crusade” goes too far in the other direction. The third adventure tosses in more jokes than either previous film. “The Last Crusade” also revisits concepts better explored in prior parts of the trilogy. Indy revisits the Middle East, explores a booby trap-filled temple, battles Nazis, and clings to the outside of a military vehicle. Perhaps Spielberg was too eager to please audiences.

A climate that is focused on humor and pointing out things the audiences already knows is apparent from the first scene. “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” begins with a flashback to Indiana’s first adventure, when he was a teenager. The sequence painfully introduces many of the hero’s defining characteristics. He proclaims an item belongs in a museum. He picks up a bull whip for the first time. He stumbles into a barrel full of snakes, birthing his phobia of the slithery reptiles. He receives his iconic brown fedora. I’m not a big fan of these blatant references. However, that opening is a lot of fun, featuring an exciting run through a circus train that takes full advantage of the different animals aboard. It also shows that Indy’s quick thinking has been saving his life since he was a teenager. River Phoenix makes for a decent approximation of a young Harrison Ford.

I have my problems with “The Last Crusade” but few of them are with the first act. A fight on a boat in the rain works well and finishes with a big explosions. I’m not a fan of the “X marks the spot” line or the gag with the librarian. Yet the sequence devoted to Indy and Elsa exploring the Venice library is quite good. It’s the kind of sleuthing and spooky exploration you expect from the series. The boat chase that follows escalates nicely, with Indy barely navigating his way through a ship yard. Afterwards, the pursuers get crushed between two of those same boats. The final image of the chase, the speedboat slowly being clipped away by a large propeller as Indy dangles aboard, is another solid moment.

Truthfully, “The Last Crusade” is a good Indiana Jones movie… Until Sean Connery shows up. Casting Connery as Jones’ dad is itself something of an in-joke. Indiana is both a pop culture descendent of James Bond and was originally conceived as a potential successor to the character. Connery’s performance is fine, as he’s seems genuinely engaged with the material. My problem with Henry Jones Sr. is how the script handles him. In their first scene together, Connery whacks Ford on the head with a vase. From that point on, the movie rarely misses an opportunity to have Indy’s dad make him look like a fool. Indiana Jones is who we’re here to see. He’s the character we love. Why is the movie devoting so much energy to making fun of him? If the gags were cleverer, it might be different.

There’s a thematic through-line in these first three Indiana Jones movies. “Raiders of the Lost Ark” dealt with an artifact from Jewish theology. “The Temple of Doom” concerned itself with Hindu beliefs. “The Last Crusade” has the archeologist seeking a relic rooted in Christianity. Since the Holy Grail has been sought by many adventurers, it makes sense that Indiana Jones would try and find it. While the previous two movies chose their religion for a reason, “The Last Crusade” seems cagier about the chosen faith. There’s no contrast between Christianity and the Nazi bad guys, beyond a general idea of good against evil. Instead, the Holy Grail is wrapped up in the father/son story. Dr. Jones Sr.’s mania for the Grail is what drove father and son apart. Considering the Grail is representative of a relationship between another father and son, choosing that particular object takes on a new meaning.

Aside from dad, “The Last Crusade” brings in allies both new and old. Elsa Schenider, played by the hilariously named Alison Doody, is the new love interest this time around. She lacks the tough personality of Marion Ravenwood and the humorous reactions of Willie Scott. However, she’s not without her charms, as Doody nicely inhabits the part of a femme fatale with ambiguous loyalties. Assuming this crusade very well might have been the last, the third adventure makes sure to bring back Sallah and Marcus Brody. John Rhys-Davis continues to be good as Sallah, sneakily telling someone to run and making comments about his brother-in-law. For some reason, the third movie makes Denholm Elliot’s Brody comic relief. Suddenly, the curator becomes a clown, getting lost in his own museum and missing obvious cues before him. I don’t know why the writers made this decision, though Elliot’s performance is still fine.

After taking a break from those wacky Nazis last time, Indy is back to attacking the Third Reich. Without the deliberate contrast of Hebrew history, the Nazis are reduced to action movie bad guys. Not that there’s too much wrong with that. The introduction of the Swastika is handled dramatically, with it slowly sliding on-screen inside a castle. A sequence set at a Nazi book burning has a raw power. Spielberg sets a brief sequence on a zeppelin, seemingly so he can get that iconic image in the movie. Aside from a mildly amusing and brief appearance from the Fuhrer, the main villain of “The Last Crusade” is Walter Donovan. Not as creepy as Toht and not as interesting as Mola Ram, Donovan is still an okay adversary. Julian Glover excels in conceited, evil snob parts. Col. Vogel, with his bright red Nazi armband, provides a solid physical threat to the heroes.

Humor has always been a part of the “Indiana Jones” formula. I believe that “The Last Crusade” piles it on a little thick. The potential intensity of action sequences are undermined by goofy sight gags. While the Joneses are tied to a chair in a burning room, they stumble through a secret passageway into a room, seemingly unaffected by the fire. A mildly ridiculous moment has a crate crashing open perfectly so Indy and his dad can escape on a motorcycle. The most ridiculous moments appeared during the airplane chase. After a Nazi plane smashes through a tunnel, the pilot pauses to share a glance with the Jones boys. Later, Indy’s dad defeats a airplane with a flock of birds. Even a solid fight scene on a tank concludes with a goofy moment, in the form of a screaming officer’s face as the tank sails off a cliff.

The humor is divisive but “The Last Crusade” still tosses in some impressive action sequences. There are chases of all kinds. Aside from the boat chase, there’s a motorcycle chase. With Henry Jones Sr. tucked in a sidecar, the two fight off advancing Nazi officers. A flagpole is utilized in an especially memorable gag, concluding with a bike bounding up into the air. The fight atop the tank has Indy rolling around on the moving tread, which is a neat image. A bullet ricochets around the interior of the tank, a visual gag that doesn’t go too far. The fist fights and shoot outs are up to snuff with the previous films. 

Even with the problems I have with “The Last Crusade,” a lot is forgiven once that awesome last act rolls around. After successfully reaching the temple of the Grail, Indy has to pass three test. Each one features some dynamic images and action. Such as the dust and spider webs of the ancient temple being disturbed by a sudden spinning saw blade. Indy diving out of the way just in time is an exciting sight. The leap across the letters begins with Indy nearly falling to his death, re-emphasizing his humanity and ability to make mistakes. The last test, a walk across a nearly invisible bridge, provides another unforgettable image. The proper climax is another great moment. The Grail’s protector being immortal but feeble is properly ironic, as is the reveal concerning the appearance of the Grail. “The Last Crusade” also honors the tradition of the main villain receiving a visceral send-off. Donovan ages fifty years in seconds, dissolving into a corpse before the audience’s eyes. It’s cool.

As Indiana and his dad ride off into the sunset, the film gets one more jab at his expense. In the movie, as in real life, Indiana was named for a dog. For years, “The Last Crusade” was my least favorite of the series, back when it was still a trilogy. Yet even a subpar Indiana Jones movie is pretty good. Connery’s character may be awkwardly handled but it’s a decent performance. The sequels’ tone might be too light but it still delivers some impressive action set pieces. I have problems with the movie but I can’t hate it. [Grade: B]

Director Report Card: Steven Spielberg (1984)

11. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

A massive success like “Raiders of the Lost Ark” demanded a sequel. Indiana Jones was a character ready-made for a franchise, more adventures obviously awaiting him. It was planned that way. Like that other series he thought up, George Lucas envisioned Indiana Jones as a trilogy from the beginning. After occupying himself with the production nightmare that was the "Twilight Zone" movie, Spielberg would turn his attention fully towards the second adventure. Though still hugely successful and popular, “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” was, for a time, something like the red-headed stepchild of the franchise. It was the least well liked of the series, often criticized for its supporting cast and darker tone. Yet I’ve always loved “Temple of Doom” and, from time to time, consider it my favorite of Indy’s adventures.

In 1935, Indiana Jones hadn’t yet searched for the Ark of the Covenant. Instead, he’s in China, searching for the ashes of ancient kings on the behalf of Chinese gangsters. When that adventure goes pear-shape, he ends up stranded in the jungles of India. There, the adventurer/archeologist is tasked with retrieving the sacred stones for a desolate village. That journey leads him to an underground cult of Thugees. The cult, led by a terrifying sorcerer named Mola Ram, performs hideous ritual sacrifices, practices dark magic, and enslaves children. In order to retrieve the stones, and save the day, Indiana has to confront his own dark side.

“Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” is a prequel but not in the way the term is used today. It doesn’t explain every detail about the character’s origin. Instead, Lucas and Spielberg simply set this film a year before the previous one because they didn’t want the Nazis to be bad guys again. Instead, “Temple of Doom” devotes itself to another troupe of classic adventure serials largely overlooked in the original. “Temple of Doom” is steeped in jungle adventure clichés. It’s primarily set in the jungles of India. Instead of merely featuring one at the beginning, the movie is mostly set inside a moldy temple riddled with death traps. A Thugee death cult performing evil rituals wouldn’t be out-of-place in a Jungle Jim movie. 

The opinion that ‘Temple of Doom” is darker then “Raiders” has never washed with me. The film’s violence is only a smidgen more graphic then the previous movie’s. The macabre elements of the prequel are strictly of the comic book variety. Instead, the real reason I think the second adventure is less well liked has to do with tone. “Temple of Doom” is far more tonally inconsistent then “Raiders.” The second film does deal with some grim subjects. The bad guys in the first movie might have been Nazis but at least they didn’t work children to death in mines. Yet for these darker elements, the film also features more humor. When Short Round isn’t cracking jokes, Willie is stumbling into some comedic scenario. This tonal inconsistency is blatant from the opening sequence. “Temple of Doom” begins with a musical number of Bubsy Berkley, with women in Chinese gowns posing with fans and performing in kicklines. It’s a good scene, for what it is, but it doesn’t give the audience a good idea of what’s to come.

Let’s talk about Short Round. Shackling Indiana Jones with a little kid sidekick was not a move applauded by everyone. His constant jokes and snarky comments have been accused of being annoying. The character has even been called racist. None of these accusations are exactly wrong. However, I like Short Round. He’s a kid sidekick but rarely needs saving from Indy. More then once, Short Round is trading punches with the bad guys and helping our hero get out of jams. His quips are usually amusing and rarely seem out of place. Jonathan Ke Quan – who is, for the record, Vietnamese – has an entertaining energy that pairs well with Harrison Ford. I wouldn’t exactly call Short Round a racist caricature either, though he’s hardly a sensitive portrayal, that’s true. 

Indy’s love interest for this adventure hasn’t gone without critique either. Willie Scott is a very different woman then Marion Ravenwood. While Marion could scrap with the best of them, Willie is more stereotypically feminine. She shrieks at bats, snakes, elephants, and bugs. She has to be rescued by the heroes, nearly sacrificed by the villains. Even after being saved, Willie rarely helps Indy out. Kate Capshaw was also in a relationship with the director, furthering accusation of nepotism. Having said all that, I don’t entirely dislike Willie either. Capshaw and Ford have solid chemistry, as displayed in their romantic scene where a physical encounter quickly turns sour. Capshaw does spend a lot of screen time shrieking but at least she has some decent comedic beats of her own. And, if nothing else, she looks gorgeous in the belly dancer dress.

If you listen to some fans, “Temple of Doom” is a pitch black dive into the human psyche. It’s not and the film’s darker elements are often overstated. Yet before the action movie escapism of the last act, the prequel does stick its hero in a nastier situation. The Thugee cult tortures people. Mola Ram yanks a still beating heart from a victim’s chest before slowly lowering the man into a pit of lava, where the heat immolates him. Hundreds of children are enslaved by the bad guys, forced to work to death inside a diamond mine. Most pressingly, Indiana Jones goes through some stuff this time. He’s tortured too, tied up and whipped. This leads to him being brainwashed with the cult’s magical blood. For several minutes, the hero turns against his friends, attacking Short Round and nearly dropping Willie into red hot magma. Naturally, Indy is saved. How the curse is undone – flashing a torch in his face? – has always struck me as slightly random. Yet, more then last time, Jones earns his happy ending.

As much as I love “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” I admitted that its villains lacked a certain something. “Temple of Doom” features a far more memorable threat. It takes an especially evil man to tear hearts from chest, enslave little kids, and turn the hero to the dark side. Mola Ram is that man. Mola Ram is not complexly written. He gets a few lines about wanting his Thugee cult to overtake all other religions, especially western ones. Other then that, his motivations are kept vague. Instead, Ram stares insanely and fumes at the mouth. It’s enough. Amrish Puri – who is also famous in India for playing another villain in spy parody “Mr. India” – creates a fabulously intimidating villain. The Thugees prove to be worthy opponents to Jones, as organized and devious as the Nazis but somehow more frightening.

“Raiders of the Lost Ark” deliberately contrasted the evils of the Nazi regime with the Jewish artifacts they sought. “Temple of Doom” doesn’t feature Nazis. The MacGuffin the hero is after is the Sivalinga stone, which is entirely the invention of the screenwriters. (Though the concept of the linga has legitimate roots in Hindu beliefs.) There’s no deliberate point being made with these ideas. Instead, “Temple of Doom” has another goal in mind: All religions are true. Shiva is as real as Yahweh. Just as the Ark of the Covenant brought holy hell down on the Nazis, the Hindu gods are invoke to perform miracles. It’s an interesting statement, even if it makes Indy’s skepticism in “Raiders” harder to justify.

For whatever flaws “Temple of Doom” may have, it’s action sequences are as fantastic as those in the first. The opening shoot-out in a Chinese casino features tommy gun bullets reflected off a giant, rolling gong. This leads into an exciting car chase through the street of Shanghai. The dive from the falling helicopter in an inflatable raft, as impossible as it might be, certainly makes for one hell of an image. Even the smaller action beats, like Indy fighting off a Thugee in his room which cumulates in some ceiling fan assisted strangulation, work fantastically. It all leads to that phenomenal adventure in the temple. There’s some great moments there, like a murderous Thugee yanked into a rock crusher. It all climaxes with the mine cart chase. Some of the optical effects haven’t aged the best but its still a hugely surprising sequence. The carts skid nearly off the rails, bad guys are tossed through the air, brakes sparks and wheels turn as red hot as the lave below them. Awesome.

That’s a hard act to top but ‘Temple of Doom” isn’t done piling on the awesomeness. After escaping the titular temple, Indy and friends find themselves faced with another classic image: The rickety wooden rope bridge suspended over a perilous drop. There’s was no way the movie was ending without covering that chest nut. Like every else, the film puts its own spin on it. Unlike the serials that inspired Indiana, “Temple of Doom” actually shows us what happens when the rope is cut. Better yet, Indiana does it himself, as a last ditch effort to stop the bad guys. Continuing the trend of giving the bad guy’s spectacular deaths, Mola Ram has his hand scorched by a flaming stone, falls down a gorge, slams his head into the rocky wall, and is eaten by crocodiles. It’s a send-off worthy of his villainy.

So what about Harrison Ford? How does he do on his second adventure as Indiana? Jones is only a year younger so he’s not too different, personality wise. He’s a little tougher and equally disbelieving of some of the crazy things he’ll soon see. Despite that, he still shows a considerable empathy. Once the villagers inform him that the Thugees have stolen their children, he’s moved to help him. He flies by the seat of his pants as much as before, improvising and outwitting his way out of crazy situation. About my only complaint concerning the prequel’s treatment of its hero is how it doubles down a little too heavily on the snake phobia.

As a kid, I loved “Temple of Doom,” the second Indiana Jones adventure clearly emerging as my favorite. Maybe the budding horror fan in me appreciated the edgier content. Maybe I just loved those mine cart chases. As an adult, I’m more aware of the film’s flaws. Yes, it truly doesn’t have as tight of a screenplay or as clear of a tone as its predecessor. Yet I still kind of love “Temple of Doom.” The second film does its best to match the heights of the original. In many ways, it succeeds, producing another exciting adventure with several unforgettable set pieces of its own. [Grade: A-]

Director Report Card: Steven Spielberg (1981)

9. Raiders of the Lost Ark

When it comes to George Lucas’ most famous creations, I’ve never be quiet about which one I preferred. I enjoy most of the “Star Wars” and hold no ill will towards the franchise. For me, however, it’s always been Indiana Jones. From the moment I first saw “Raiders of the Lost Ark” on VHS as a very young child, I loved it. I loved the hero, the sense of adventure, and the effortless way the film mixed World War II history with ancient religious beliefs. While it didn’t quite match Lucas’ previous massive franchise, the Indiana Jones series has become widely beloved. And rightfully so because “Raiders of the Lost Ark” is awesome.

The year is 1936. Adolf Hitler and his Nazi forces have took an interest in occult artifacts, in the hopes of turning the tide of the war in Europe. U.S. Army Intelligence now believes that the Nazis are frighteningly close to discovering the Ark of the Covenant, the ancient Hebrew artifact said to contain the Ten Commandments and the power of God. The government drafts one man to retrieve the Ark before the Nazis can: Indiana Jones, the archaeology teacher at Marshall University. After meeting up with Marion Ravenwood, the daughter of an ally of Indy’s and an old flame, he finds that staying one step ahead of the Nazis is more difficult then imagined.

The popular conception has it that, if “Star Wars” was George Lucas’ extended homage to the sci-fi serials of the thirties and forties, “Indiana Jones” is the filmmaker giving the same treatment to the adventure serials of the same era. Of course, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” does draw extensively from those older stories. Indiana was directly inspired by Charlton Heston’s character from “Secret of the Incas” while other inspirations where drawn from “Treasure of the Sierra Madre” and Carl Banks’ Uncle Scrooge comics. “Raiders,” however, doesn’t merely pay homage to classic cinema. It updates it, using the money and technology unavailable in the thirties and forties to create a film that lives up to its awesome poster art. “Raiders” is more accurately described as a distillation of vintage adventure serials.

This is perfectly illustrated in the film’s opening sequence, which is rightly regarded as one of the best of all time. The misty jungle setting emphasizes a sense of mystery, as does holding off on revealing the hero’s face for as long as possible. Before Indy steps into the light, he unarms an opponent with his whip, establishing him as a man of action. Yet the way he quickly deduces each trap in the temple also shows his intellectual side. Moreover, the opening is an amazing series of set pieces: The darts, the swing over the pit, the immediately iconic giant rolling boulder. Each is hugely famous for a reason. That boulder is especially brilliant because, after setting up how dangerous the temple is, Indy is forced to run back through the danger or be crushed.

Steven Spielberg originally envisioned Indiana Jones as a James Bond style figure, a cold-blooded, womanizing man of action who drinks too much. Lucas suggested that, as an archaeologist, Jones should be more of an intellectual. Aspects of the two concepts were combined in the final character. Indiana is both an adventurer and a professor. Though more then willing to charge into action and fight bad guys, Indy is perhaps better suited to the classroom. One of my favorite moments has the hero admitting he’s making things up as he goes along. Indy isn’t afraid to run into danger, especially when the lives of his friends are at stake, but he rarely does so with a plan. That attitude has him tossed through the windshield of Jeeps, badly beating by a German mechanic, or dragged across a desert road. Jones may be an action hero but he’s deeply human. Harrison Ford’s boundless movie star charm matches this humanity with humor and dashing charisma. (His phobia of snakes does this too.)

“Raiders of the Lost Ark” may be inspired by the adventure serials of the thirties but the film doesn’t take place inside some meta-fictional version of the decade. Nazis often appeared as the bad guys in serials. Yet, by making the MacGuffin an artifact of Abrahamic beliefs, the context is changed. Yes, the Ark of the Covenant figures in Christian beliefs too. But we can’t forget that Steven Spielberg is Jewish. When the Nazi Swastika spontaneously burns off the crate containing the Ark, it’s not just a cool visual. A high ranking Nazi officer expresses disgust at the Jewish rituals used around the Ark. During the famous climax, an act of God strikes down an entire Nazi squadron. It’s not just “God,” as a vague religious concept, but specifically the Jewish God. As a scientist, Indy is motivated by a quest for knowledge and is initially skeptical of the supernatural. By the end, he's seen concrete evidence for the existence of God. While a popcorn adventure flick, “Raiders” has some clear ideas about good, evil, and where faith stands on these issues.

While Indiana Jones is an excellent hero, and Ford is a natural in the part, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” wouldn’t be as great as it is without its fantastic supporting cast. Indy’s allies are as fully formed and personable as he is. Marion Ravenwood might be captured by the bad guys but she’s not a helpless damsel. Karen Allen is immediately likable in the part, exuding a spunky determination. She’s introduced drinking a grown man under the table, a skill which becomes important later. She’s tough, freely trading fisticuffs with the villains. As a romantic pairing, Karen Allen and Harrison Ford have powerful chemistry, which is easily displayed in their quasi-love scene on the boat. 

Also helping the hero out is John Rhys-Davis as Sallah. Rhys-Davis’ booming voice and barrel-chested physique makes him a memorable presence. The personality he gifts Sallah with is surprisingly vivid, given how small his role actually is. He stands by his friend on his adventure while remaining more cautious. That cautious quality saves Indy’s life at least once while Rhys-Davis reading of the line “Bad dates” has become oddly iconic. Rhys-Davis has an easy charm well suited to the part. I also like Denholm Elliot as Marcus Brody, the museum curator who doesn’t share Indy’s thrust for adventure. Also notable is Alfred Molina, as the cowardly and treacherous assistant in the first, long before he would become well known as a character actor.

If there’s any criticism one could level against “Raiders” – aside from the literal deus ex machine ending, I suppose – it’s that the film doesn’t have a villain equal to its hero. Rene Belloq is a rival archaeologist working with the Nazis, representative of what the search for knowledge can do without guiding ethics. Paul Freeman is well utilized in the part, a glad handing bad guy hiding his villainous intentions behind a big grin. Yet Belloq is not hugely threatening. Better filling that part is Ronald Lacey as Major Toht. The wire glasses, black trench coat, and wide-brimmed fedora makes him visually unforgettable. Lacey’s slow speech and creepy accent go a long way. Yet Toht is not developed enough to be a proper villain. Wolf Kahler as Colonel Dietrich lacks even more definition. Together, the film’s central trio of bad guys form a functioning whole. Yet it’s slightly disappointing that Lucas, Spielberg, and Lawrence Kasden didn’t think up an adversary that could match their hero in every way.

The visual design of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” has been hugely influential. Aside from that opening run from the huge boulder, the map shots are the most parodied element from the film. Aside from smartly condensing traveling scenes (and sometimes covering continuity errors), the map shots help characterize Indy’s world as one of adventure. Moreover, “Raiders” is a great looking film. Spielberg heavily utilizes shadows during the shoot-out in Marion’s bar or the exploration of the ancient temples. The Egyptian desert has rarely look more beautiful on film then it does here. The obviously excellent set design doesn’t need any additional praise. The Well of Souls is a fabulous creation.

Of course, all of these points are reasons why “Raiders of the Lost Ark” became such a huge box office hit. However, I suspect audiences in 1981 were most impressed by the film’s massive action sequences. The shoot-out in Marion’s bar features some impressive close quarters firing and punching. The constantly growing flames emphasize how much danger the heroes are in. The chase through the Cairo marketplace deftly combines action and humor. That moment of Indy casually shooting a flailing swordsman best illustrates this. The biggest sequence in the film might be the vehicle chase across the desert. Indy swings around a moving vehicle, punching his way in and out of danger. It’s all beautifully orchestrated stuff, hugely exciting while maintaining a brilliant balance of fun and violence.

That balance is especially important, as “Raiders of the Lost Ark” gleefully pushes the PG rating as far as it could’ve gone in 1981. Bad guys are shot in the head, blood dripping from their faces. In an especially brutal moment, a vicious fist fight between Indy and a hulking German mechanic is bluntly ending with the Nazi collides with a plane propeller. The most infamous moment of gore in “Raiders” comes at the very ending. Behold the power of God: It melts people’s face. I’m pretty sure “Raiders of the Lost Ark” is the only PG-rated movie to feature an exploding head. I’m surprised the invention of a new rating wasn’t suggested until the next film in the franchise. Maybe Spielberg’s ability to balance humor with heavier content should be even more praised.

For “Star Wars” and “Jaws,” John Williams created probably the most famous cinematic scores of all time. Somehow, the composer kept thinking up new scores that were immediately recognizable, unforgettable from the moment they’re heard. The “Raiders of the Lost Ark” score invokes adventure from its first note. The memorable main reframe, that perfectly hummable dun-da-dun-DUN, is so ingrained with the character that you can’t imagine one without the other. Wiliams’ other work, such as the mysterious theme for the Ark, is also excellent. 

In my eyes, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” is the pinnacle of blockbuster filmmaking: Often imitated, rarely surpassed. The perfect mixture of action, adventure, humor, heart, and thematic substance piles up to create a staggering cinematic achievement. Indiana Jones would have more adventures, some of them nearly matching the original. Yet “Raiders of the Lost Ark” stands as a masterpiece of popcorn filmmaking, a breathlessly pleasurable film that thrills and entertains audiences as much now as when it was new. [Grade: A]

Director Report Card: Joe Johnston (1999) Part 2

6. The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Spring Break Adventure

Following the release of “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” the Indiana Jones franchise went on a lengthy break. In order to keep interest in the character and his adventures going in-between films, George Lucas had an idea for a television series. Lucas decided to spin the show out of the opening sequence of “Last Crusade,” which focused on a teenage Indy's first adventure.  “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles” would find its television home on ABC, starting in 1992. Lucas envisioned the show not just as entertainment but as education, so action-oriented episodes focused on teenage Indiana were followed by more informative episodes centered on a ten year old Indy. In both time periods, the future archaeologist would encounter many well-known figures and participate in historical events. Perhaps because of that educational focus, the series didn't attract the expected viewership. Combined with abnormally high production values, this would result in “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles” being canceled after two short seasons.

This, however, was not the end of the series. Four television films would air on the Family Channel in-between 1994 and 1996. In 1999, the series would be released on home video. Because George Lucas just has to do everything his own odd way, the series would not receive a standard, episode-to-episode VHS release. Instead, the show would be edited into a set of twenty-two feature films. Each movie would be made up of material from two separate episodes. The framing sequences featuring a 93-year old Indiana in the modern day (Along with his now non-canon daughter and grandchildren) would be excised from these releases. A small amount of new footage would be shot to link the different segments. This format would be maintained with the eventual DVD release, which also added extensive historical documentaries to further nail home the show's status as edu-tainment.

Considering Joe Johnston got his start working on the special effects for “Star Wars” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” it's not surprising that he would also work on “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.” In-between making “The Rocketeer” and “The Pagemaster,” he would direct the sixth episode of the second season, “Princeton, February 1916.” This episode would comprise the first half of the sixth “Adventures of Young Indiana Jones” movie, “Spring Break Adventure.” So when that compilation film hit VHS in 1999, it would technically become Johnston's sixth feature film.

As the title indicates, the first segment takes place in 1916 in Princeton, New Jersey, when Henry "Indiana" Jones Jr. was sixteen years old. He is less preoccupied with adventuring and more interested in his girlfriend Nancy, daughter of novelist Edward Stratemeyer. Indy hopes to take Nancy to prom in her dad's car, a fancy Bugatti. This plan is cut short when the car's generator dies and, with Europe locked in World War I, it's impossible to get parts. That's when Indy decides to seek help from Thomas Edison's laboratory. This too goes awry where there's a break-in and an experimental electric motor is stolen. German spies are suspected to have snatched the motor. As Indy and Nancy investigated, they discover the perpetrator is far closer to home.

The second half of the film, “Mexico, March 1916,” has Indiana and his dad heading to Albuquerque, New Mexico, a state that was only a few years old at the time. Henry Jones Jr. and his cousin Frank take a weekend trip across the border in hopes of visiting a bordello. Instead, Indiana gets abducted by Pancho Villa's army when they raid the town. After befriending a Belgian member of the revolution, Indy's life is sparred. He even joins up with Villa's cause but quickly becomes disillusioned with it. Along the way, he meets an old enemy that he last encountered as just a boy in Egypt six years earlier.

As a longtime Indiana Jones fan, “Spring Break Adventure” is most interesting for the insight it gives us into Indy's mind before he became the two-fisted hero we all know. Amusingly enough, he wasn't too dissimilar to most teenagers. He was largely interested in girls, fast cars, and adrenaline. While sneaking around in a barn with Nancy, he attempts to get closer to her. Later, he heads into Mexico for the express purpose of getting laid. When we are used to seeing the character fight Nazis and chase after magical artifacts, there is a certain degree of novelty in seeing an Indiana Jones most concerned with driving his girlfriend to prom in a fancy car. Of course, Indy's adventure in Mexico molds him into more of the hero we know, as he learns the cost of war. He even picks up a whip, a fedora, and says something belongs in a museum, which puts far too fine a point on his transformation.

However, as has often been reported over the years,“Young Indiana Jones'” determination to be both educational and entertaining is frequently at odds with each other. The show goes to great lengths to insert historical figures into its narrative. During “Princeton, February 1916,” young Mr. Jones just happens to be dating the daughter of Edward Stratemeyer, whose “Tom Swift” novels inspire part of the plot. (In case you missed the reference, Edward's daughter is also named Nancy and she sleuths around.) Thomas Edison, his tendency to steal credit, the invention of an electric car, and the rivalry with the oil industry are also integrated into the story. Pancho Villa directly motivates the second episode, which also shoehorns in a cameo from a young General Patton. Indiana Jones sure did bump into a lot of historical figures. And it's a bit distracting.

So how does “Princeton, February 1916” stack up as a Joe Johnston movie? The period setting and all the trappings certainly fit in with his boys' adventure style, which also lines up with the “Tom Swift” references. Despite mostly dealing with Indy's relationship with his girlfriend, the episode does feature some unexpectedly fun action beats. Such as Indiana sneaking into an oil factory and being chased while riding a bicycle, which concludes with a surprisingly graceful dive into a lake. The episode wraps up with fist fights, accusation of espionage, and an old-timey car chase. These are fun, decently assembled sequences. The break-in scene also features some of the effectively shadowy imagery we'd see Johnston also use in “The Pagemaster” and “Jumanji.”

The first half of  “Spring Break Adventure” stands alone just fine as its own story. The “Mexico, March 1916” half, directed by Michael Schultz, is less isolated. In fact, this part of the film was originally the second half of “Young Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Jackal,” the two hour pilot of the entire show. So it includes explicit references and connections to some other story that is otherwise not featured in this film. Apparently, the bad guy Indy runs into in Mexico killed a friend of his back in Egypt six years ago, while also stealing an ancient jackal-headed crown. Even more unusual, this VHS installment was apparently released before that part of the series, which would've made this even more difficult to follow. I don't know who made this decision but it sure feels like the kind of weird shit George Lucas would insist on.

However, “Mexico, March 1916” does make up for its narrative hiccups by being the more action-packed of the two episodes. While riding with Pancho Villa, Jones gets involved in a full-on military conflict. There's lots of shooting, machine gun fire, a daring train heist. It ends with a train crashing into a military encampment and exploding in a massive fireball. The climatic fight with the murderer has an entire building going up in flames. These are big stunts for a TV show from 1992! No wonder the series was too expensive for ABC. It's definitely entertaining to watch though. Schultz proves to be a decent action director, even if Indy himself seems to play a fairly small part in many of these sequences.

“The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles” would be an early starring role for Sean Patrick Flannery. Flannery has a very loose resemblance to Harrison Ford, explaining why he was probably chosen for the part. Flannery makes for a decent lead. He has a likable, laid-back presence that makes him easy to watch while going on these adventures. Is he believable as a young version of the same character Ford made famous? Not exactly, as this hormonal and inexperienced person seems very different from the Indy we know.  But he probably did a lot of growing up before fighting the Nazis.

Flannery does resemble Indy as we know him more than Lloyd Owen resembles Sean Connery's Dr. Henry Jones Sr. Though Owen definitely nails the uptight part of his personality. The supporting cast includes a few other notable performers. Robyn Lively is cute and displays her own adventurous side as Nancy. Ronny Coutteure is colorful as Remy, the Belgian soldier Indy encounters while in Mexico. Mike Moroff plays Pancho Villa, putting a lot of spirit into Villa's various rousing speeches. I also couldn't help but notice a young Clark Gregg, better known as Agent Coulson, as an engineer working for Thomas Edison.

”Spring Break Adventure” ends with Indiana Jones getting ready to leave for Europe, where he'll become involved in World War I. It sure seems like Mr. Jones' 16th year was non-stop adventure. Watching as a “Indiana Jones” fan, “Spring Break Adventure” is mildly entertaining. Supposedly, it's one of the better installments in the series and is certainly less slow paced than some of the other episodes I've seen. The decision to cut up the series' episodes and edited them together is undoubtedly a distracting one. The film is of limited interest to Joe Johnston's fans, though you can see his trademarks in his episode. [Grade: B-]