“Fortune and glory, kid. Fortune and glory.” – Harrison Ford
After Raiders of the Lost Ark, Spielberg, Lucas, and the gang had a hard act to follow. They generally delivered with this prequel, taking Indy through a thrilling roller-coaster ride (or a mine-card ride as the case may be) of an adventure. There are still lots of great fights, great chases, and even more memorable setpieces and sequences, and even more comedy. Yep, this film is still a blast!
The story never really felt that strong to me, especially when compared to its predecessor and successor. It does have merits though; this is a figurative journey to Hell, and it gets pretty darn dark and wicked at times. The whole heart-ripping scene is what gave birth to the PG-13 rating in the first place. My only complaint about all this is that it contrasts way too much with the silly comedy scattered throughout, breaking up any sense of foreboding.
Otherwise, the story is serviceable, at the least. It has tight pacing and a consistent flow (even if the transition from the opening scenes to the main story is a little screwy). Some of the action scenes get pretty absurd and unrealistic, but I find most of these faults forgivable. In the end, it’s still a fun story that’s well-told and with a group of likable characters.
The film has fine photography, with plenty of good camera angles and quality lighting. Acting is great; Harrison Ford is still the man, Kate Capshaw (aside from being a bit annoying) plays her part perfectly, Jonathan Ke Quan is lovable as Short Round, Amrish Puri is perfect as the villain (probably the best villain in the series). Writing is great, production value is great, and the music is great.
Given the bizarre mix of comedy and dark subject matter, I'd probably recommend this one more as a rental.
4.5/5 (Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Good | Film: Very Good)
This film currently appears on my Top 100 Favorite Films list at #98.
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