I have them all on VHS and/or DVD, but with today being the last day for the Indiana Jones franchise on Netflix, I figured there was a worse way I could possibly spend the day that marathoning the movies.
I'd guess that they're going to pop up on Disney+ some time next year, but why wait? At least get through the first one. It's different looking at them through a modern lens. A lot of this kind of "archaeology" isn't exactly kosher any more.
I'm still of the opinion that Karen Allen probably should have been an even bigger star and it was a shame that she didn't make a return until Crystal Skull. I get the idea of Indy leaving loves all along the way, it fits the whole adventurer mystique, but she's a damn good actress.
Also would have made an incredible Lois Lane.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) is genuinely a good movie. Even when it was made, because it was set in 1936 and paying homage to the old adventure serials, there's a certain timeless feeling to it. It makes some of the silly special effects more endearing.
It's just a good action adventure film. With great performances from Ford, Allen, Rhys-Davies, and Freeman.
I'm not sure Temple of Doom (1984) really holds up. It was my favourite when I was a kid, but it really seems to highlight many of the problems overall with colonialism, this kind of archaeological appropriation, a white saviour complex, a fundamental misunderstanding of the cultures being presented resulting in a kind of casual racism, and even really some yellow peril.
I get that it too is building on tropes from older pulp and adventure stories, but it doesn't make it less problematic.
I also really don't like Kate Capshaw's Willie Scott.
Her entitled, whiny attitude is kind of meant as comic relief, kind of meant to showcase that the other characters are more reasonable and respectful in their attitudes, but it ultimately feels like a distraction to me now. Something worse going on to cover up the problems with the core story.
Existential and moral question:
Would you sleep with a hot Nazi? A hotzi, if you will.
And how would you feel if you found out after the fact that they were a Nazi?
The Last Crusade (1989) is probably the sequel most like Raiders of the Lost Ark. Going back to biblical/extra-biblical source material, tossing in Nazis, and having large set pieces in the Middle East. It's also a pretty decent film in its own right.
There are some interesting Hitchcock homages that I surprisingly don't think I noticed before now.
And the family aspect of Indy and Henry are a nice touch. As are the puzzles. These movies need more puzzles.
d. emerson eddy
An Englishman In San Diego