Which IJ is best?

I do apprectiate Temple of Doom more now that I'm older. It's sort of like The Empire Strikes Back in that it was a dark departure from the first film, daring because a simple remake of the original would have probably made more money.

Then Last Crusade was like Return of the Jedi in that it returned to the formula of the original and made it a little goofier. I mean I can't think of the 'Raiders Indy' tripping and making all the goofy faces that the 'Last Crusade Indy' did. I also think that the religious aspects of Last Crusade weren't treated as seriously as the others but that's another discussion.

 

Here is how I rank them:

1. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" by far. Superior acting, screenplay, villains, action sequences, artifact, and direction. Just the right amount of action, humour, romance, and suspense. Perhaps the best action-adventure movie ever made - a hard act for any sequel to follow.

2. "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" - not everyone's cup of monkey brains. Great opening, then slowly progresses to horrible middle before excellent finale. Too dark and violent for many, but filled with genuine thrills and great action. Has the real feel of a trashy 1930s pulp novel, and scores points for not being a complete "Raiders" clone. Short Round reminded me of those kid sidekicks that all the heroes had in those old comic strips and matinee serials. Kate Capshaw, however, was more annoying than Jar Jar Binks!

3. "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" is the lightest and least intense of the series, but is still an amiable adventure lark. Spielberg and Lucas almost overcompensate for "Temple's" excessive gloom and doom by leaning towards comedy and sentimentality with this one. My major gripe is that the action sequences, with the exception of the awesome tank chase, are inferior to those of the previous films. Movie also follows a little too closely to "Raiders" formula, with less success. Strong points are the establishment of a backstory for Indy and the inspired casting of Sean Connery as Indy's dad.

-Dubya Fett
Fettism of the Day: "I survived the Jedi purge and all I got was this lousy T-shirt."

 

Raiders,Raiders,and Raiders again

 

Two Words... KALIMA SHUKTIDAE!

 

Alot of you sound like wusses when you talk about TOD:

"Oh, it was so dark and intense!!"

"They pulled a human heart out....icky!!"

Oh, grow up!!! It's ridiculous to love the other two, then turn around and hate "Temple". They're all cut from the same cloth...

 

I was able to watch "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in its entirety as a child, while I couldn't stomach "Temple of Doom" until I was older. Sure, "Raiders" and "The Last Crusade" had their share of violence and scariness, but the melting Nazis and rapidly decaying Donovan from those films were divine punishments meted out to the villains in the end. TOD's infamous scene where a sacrificial victim has his beating heart ripped out while still alive and then is lowered screaming into a lava pit before bursting into flames seems cruel and sadistic, as the victim is a helpless innocent. A subtle distinction, but an important one nonetheless. The scene also happened in the middle of the film, and came about abruptly after the film's first hour, which up until that point was mainly a comedy with some bits of suspenseful foreshadowing. Who would have thought that a movie that begins with a tribute to old MGM musicals and features a kid sidekick would be about child slavery and human sacrifices? I just think the audience wasn't prepared for the horrors found in the Thuggee temple.

I also believe viewers were made uncomfortable by the treatment of the kidnapped children in TOD. Nobody likes to see harm come to children, and scenes of kids being enslaved and whipped in what some saw as a kid's film comes across as somewhat exploitative. There are also little bits that went too far for no reason, like when Indy is forced to drink the Blood of the Kali-Ma after being beaten with his own whip. The magical zombie potion is poured from a pitcher with a decomposing human head atop of it. The sight of Indy being forced to drink blood coming out of a human head is just gross. Why add the extra touch of horror when it is unnecessary? Didn't Lucas and Spielberg think the rest of the film was scary enough for the target audience? Most people watch Lucas and Spielberg films to escape from the harshness of reality, not wallow in nightmarish horrors (Spielberg must have been in one of his "Jaws/Poltergeist" moods, and perhaps Lucas was bitter after the break-up of his marriage. The heart-ripping scene as personal metaphor?).

Now that I am older, I have come to appreciate TOD for what it is, just like I like "The Empire Strikes Back" more as an adult than as a child. But a lot of people still view TOD as the black sheep of the "Indiana Jones" trilogy for the reasons I have described (not to mention Kate Capshaw's annoying performance as whiny "love interest/comic relief" Willie Scott).

-Dubya Fett
Fettism of the Day: "Relax, Admiral Akbar. The menu says kalamari, not Mon Calamari."

 

"Up" to stop the autolocker kicking back in, and to preserve some forum history...

 

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
3. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Raiders and Crusade are very close followed pretty far behind by Doom. I mean, what can you expect out of an Indy film if there are no Nazi's?

 

Raiders but I like them all for diffrent reasons for Raiders it would be the first in the series TOD is dark much like Empire was and TLC was funnier and the element with Indy and his dad was genius I mean I get along with my dad but there are times when I have felt like Indy does with his dad he cares and loves him but sometimes they get on each others nerves so I can relate to TLC's story more so then the other movies

 

1. Raiders
2. TOD
3. TLC

 

I like...

1)The Temple of Doom (nice follow up)

2)Raiders (good story)

3)The Last Crusade (not a big fan, it was well done, but not as well liked. The humor was corny.)

 

Temple of Doom is my favorite.

 

Like a lot of people, I think Raiders is the superior film on a technical level...

But, I enjoy watching The Last Crusade more.

Temple Of Doom is an odd one, I know it's not bad... but I can't seem to enjoy it.

 

What I dislike about "The Last Crusade" is that it looks like a "rush job." The Editing is jerky (at least a dozen jump cuts), the props/sets are hokey and look fake, the puns are corny, and the acting is, well let's just say that it is not the best performance.)

Temple of Doom is a way better movie.

 

Editing is my big problem with Last Crusade as well. If not for that, it would be a much more enjoyable viewing experience for me.

My favorite film of all time is Raiders, so it's probably rather obvious which Indy film is my favorite.

 

raiders

 

The Last Crusade all the way. Sean Connery steals the show, and IMO Elsa is better with Indy than Marion or Willie.

 

Raiders of the Lost Ark is my all time favorite.

 

I'd have to say that, in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indy is the most "Indy-like" so I'd have to say that's the best. I can't decide whether I like Temple of Doom or Last Crusade better, because there are pros and cons to both. TOD has a nice story, and it has Shortround in it, and some cool "Indy-fighting-someone-other-than-Nazis" action sequences, and a nice overall feel. Last Crusade goes back to Nazis and has Sean Connery, and is a lot like Raiders. However, the humor in LC DOES get kinda corny, and sometimes TOD is a little weird, not quite Indy-ish. BUT overall, both are great followups to ROLA.

 

The Last Crusade, easily.

 

Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the best films of all time. The other two are enjoyable movies, but don't quite live up to the high standard set by the original.

 

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. Temple of Doom
3. Last Crusade

For the reasons that Dubya_Fett mentioned, well, more than two years ago.

 

Raiders.

 

1. The Last Crusade
2. Temple of Doom
3. ROTLA

 

Raiders is probably apart from Empire my all time top film but I also love the whole dark voodooness of Temple......and the father/son aspect in Crusade always makes me smile my ass off!

I really can't decide....sorry!