Rank The Indiana Jones Movies

I wondered whether it was because the other three were more based in religion and the icons of the religions in question, and that the forces at work were unexplained. Obviously the Crystal Skulls start off as these mystical objects but when we find out what they are and the source of their power, and that the power derives from science rather than, for want of a better word, "magic", it becomes a bit of a let down.

I nearly did that myself! Only in my case it would have been Temple of Doom second and Last Crusade third.

Raiders, Temple and Last Crusade were great. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was just useless. They're making a 5th Indy film, I just don't know why.

Guilt?

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3
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Perhaps interest in it. If they make it better get on it now while Harrison is still capable.

I think that was it for me, just the jump from the mystical to more Sci-Fi territory was unexpected and thus didn't mesh with certain expectations I had. In hindsight though given the 1950s setting it makes sense.

Yeah, exactly. You expect a classic '50s take on aliens; and I've just had a look on indianajones.wikia.com as I remembered that the original title was Indiana Jones and the Saucermen from Mars. That plot seems much more what I would have expected but it's certainly blander than what we got.

I'd have liked Crystal Skull better if they'd toned down the CGI, had the aliens just be explorers in space (why overcomplicate it by talking about other dimensions?), and unfortunately had a better villain. I don't think Cate Blanchett, great as she is, could compare to any of the previous ones (and her demise was just Belloq all over again).

I actually liked Spalko a lot in Skull. I felt she was a better villain than the ones in Last Crusade which I felt were rather dull.

I loved Cate Blanchett in The Crystal Skull and thought she was adorable in her little grey jumpsuit, with her black, bobbed hair. The Russian accent she was using was pretty thick, but never managed to be overbearing and I welcomed her presence, everytime she was onscreen. Spalko, though, was mainly motivated to make everyone on the planet fall in line with her views. Not making everyone slaves, or anything, just making them communist, which she, herself, was ... and I found it very hard to find that to be "evil" about her, even though she wasn't above killing, or having people killed, when it was necessary (like the G.I.s on the base). It's not cool to be a Pinko Commie ... I'll still say it, "Better Dead Than Red," but her intentions weren't sufficient to wish death on her. So, when she had flames shooting out her eyeballs, like General Grievous at the end of STAR WARS, and turned into glitter, I kind of felt sorry for her. "I vant to no ... I vant to NO...!!!" She made me fall for her, really, instead of hating her and that's part of the problem, right there. As a second-in-command, you know what? she would've been perfect. But running the show ... I didn't buy it, really.

1. Temple Of Doom
2. Raiders Of The Lost Ark
3. The Last Crusade
4. Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

I thought she was a more effective female villain than Elsa in TLC was.

Raiders of the lost ark
The last crusade
Temple of doom
Crystal skull

I may have mentioned the Young Indy TV show some pages back. It's been so long since I last watched it, I've seen some rank it in with the films.

Seeing the news for the young Han Solo auditions reminds me how sad it is River Phoenix's passing is. He was casted very well as the young Indy at the beginning of Last Crusade and back in the 90s he would've been great for a teenaged/20-something Han.

Yeah, I think it was a similar intensity he had that made it believable. It was a good opening, that one.

Didn't Harrison and River even play a father and son in a film together back in the 80s?

The Mosquito Coast (1986)

That's right, of course. I'd forgotten that Helen Mirren was in it until a few years ago. Very odd film, that.

That's the one. Never seen it.