jhaggardjr

"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" was supposed to be the final movie in the "Indiana Jones" series. At least that's what director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas said at the time this film hit theaters. But now they've said there will be a fourth "Indiana Jones" film. I really don't know if that's a good idea, because the "Last Crusade" was a fitting end to a great movie series. Harrison Ford returns for his third go around as swashbuckling hero Indiana Jones, this time accompanied by Sean Connery as Indy's father, Dr. Henry Jones. These two actors work beautifully together as they fight off the Nazis in search for the Holy Grail. Two actors from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" reprise their roles to great effect in "Last Crusade": Denholm Elliott as Marcus Brody and John Rhys-Davies as Sallah. Alison Doody is the heroine (good or bad?); Julian Glover is the villain; River Phoenix portrays a young Indy at the beginning to see how this character really got his start. "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" not only has great characters, it also has a decent story (taking place in 1938), plus exciting action scenes and special effects. It's better than the second film "Temple of Doom" and comes very close to topping the first film "Raiders". The "Indiana Jones" series should stay right where it is with the "Last Crusade" as the finale. Unless Spielberg, Lucas, and Ford can prove us wrong and make a really good fourth film in the series, we shall see. I loved all three movies in the "Indiana Jones" series. If the fourth film does gets made, I hope it'll be equally as good as the first three.

**** (out of four)

It's funny to call "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" a followup to "Raiders of the Lost Ark". This film is a prequel to the 1981 smash hit, a movie where the events that take place actually took place before the events in "Raiders". Notice at the beginning of "Raiders" that the year is 1936. In "Temple of Doom", the year is 1935. See what I mean? "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" is another rollercoaster ride of a movie brought to life by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Harrison Ford is back as archaeologist Indiana Jones who this time searches for a sacred stone that was stolen from an Indian village. Along for the ride is American singer/entertainer Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw, aka Mrs. Steven Spielberg) and little Chinese sidekick Short Round (Ke Huy Quan). On their way to finding the stone they stumble across a palace that leads to the gateway of the Temple of Doom run by an evil Thugee cult. The action and special effects are first-rate as you would expect, though the story is a tad weaker than it was in "Raiders". Plus, Capshaw's performance leaves something to be desired. She goes so far over-the-top in some scenes that you'd wish Karen Allen would show up as Marion. Nevertheless, Capshaw isn't all that bad. She does make an impression during the times when she's not screaming. But Ke Huy Quan (now known as Jonathan Ke Quan) comes off better as Indy's young sidekick. The following year he starred in the Spielberg produced Richard Donner directed "The Goonies", but then didn't appear in much after that. "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" is great fun only if you can get by Kate Capshaw's simpering wimpering character or the over-the-top violence. I found it to be exciting from beginning to end.

***1/2 (out of four)

POINT OF INTEREST: this was the film that lead to the creation of the PG-13 rating in 1984 (along with Spielberg's other 1984 movie "Gremlins"). Both "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "Gremlins" feature violence that most people felt was too strong for a PG rating, though the MPAA felt that it wasn't strong enough to merit an R rating (other Spielberg movies that got PG ratings that were quite intense were "Jaws", "Poltergeist", and the original "Raiders of the Lost Ark"). So after "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "Gremlins" opened in theaters at the beginning of the summer movie season of 1984 and became two of that year's biggest hits, the MPAA realized a new rating had to be created. The PG-13 rating was born. In August 1984, the first movies were released with the new PG-13 rating ("Red Dawn" and "The Woman in Red"). It's not a new rating anymore. The PG-13 rating has held up very well these last 18 years and it'll still go strong in the years to come. But I'll always remember "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" as the leading factor to the creation of the PG-13 rating.

"Raiders of the Lost Ark" is what excitement is all about. Directed by Steven Spielberg, this film is a great adventure tale made in the tradition of those old Saturday matinee serials. Harrison Ford put on the fedora for the first of three appearances as Indiana Jones, the archaeologist who has taken us on three great adventures. Here, Dr. Jones goes after the mystical Ark of the Covenant. The action scenes and special effects are spectacular. The film plays like a rollercoaster ride and there's plenty of on-the-edge-of-your-seat excitement. Karen Allen, who plays Dr. Jones' love interest Marion, is a great heroine (easily the best of the series). The villains include a French archaelogist (Paul Freeman), who's kind of Dr. Jones' counterpart; and some really nasty Nazis. This movie is as good as it gets. Great direction by Spielberg, who collaborated with "Star Wars" creator (and good friend) George Lucas to create a brilliant movie series. The second movie "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" followed in 1984, and that was followed by the third movie "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" in 1989. All three movies are excellent, but "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is the best.

**** (out of four)