I've always liked the Indy films and I'm glad you made this video because I never really knew why I liked him beyond me just thinking he was cool. I like that he isn't a good person and in every film, he has to see the value in the people around him. It goes back to Lucas creating a serial. It's the idea that each film feels like an episode where some of the same things happen but the setting and story change. Great analysis Jay! I hope this video does well because its very thought out!
While I enjoy watching Indiana Jones, and consider Raiders of the Lost Ark to be one of the greatest movies, one of the things that I think dissuades many people is that, while Indy's character arc is a great and relatable one, he has already forgotten it by the next movie - starting out in Temple of Doom and Last Crusade no different than how he started at the beginning of Raiders. It can seem pretty frustrating to see a character who learns to value people and believe in the supernatural go back to being a selfish skeptic by the beginning of the next chapter of their story, and then again at the start of the third part. While Crystal Skull did have its problems, at least it seems that Indy finally learned his lesson and values people at the beginning of the movie and is somewhat less of a skeptic than usual.
Excellent point. A lot of times, characters in serialized stories will go through similar arcs over-and-over. And I think that’s largely due to it being extremely difficult to take a character through more than 2-3 major arcs. I think it would be great in Indy 5 if he goes through a slightly different arc, but one related to the original films. We’ll see! Here’s to hoping it’ll be great! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
Temple of Doom is a prequel, set one year before Raiders. Chronologically, Indy has a pretty consistent and interesting character arc. I recommend this video: ua-cam.com/video/jSrU-mm3Wyk/v-deo.html
@@Lego_nerd Yep! In fact, the line where the government stooges call Indy an “expert in the Occult” may even be a nod to Indy’s experiences with the Thuggee Cult in Temple several years prior. Indy is the best!
I don't think it was Indy who blew up the ship in Last Crusade. Also I would say it was Elsa who was using Indy rather than the other way around, since she also slept with his father before him, knew where his father was, and was only pretending to be against the nazis in order to get the grail diary.
I don't think I entirely agree with the first point. Taking Short Round under his wing definitely demonstrates he cared about others. In Last Crusade, he didn't care about the Grail until halfway through the movie, when he saw what it meant to people, he embarked on the adventure to rescue his father first and foremost (Although, don't get me wrong, I get what you mean, as in the artifacts ultimately testing his priorities). If KOTCS doesn't have this point, it's mostly due to his character development by this point, IMO. That said, I do completely agree with your second point and Indy's spiritual journey. Great video.
Jay this was a delightful video, and the point you draw out of Indy caring about things vice persons, and the transition from the secular to the spiritual is well framed. We would offer regarding the action hero two characters types: 1: El Cid (1960s via Charleston Heston): man to hero to legend to myth, and 2: James Bond, as his character spares no expense for action, but does have (up to "No Time To Die") a full range of development over the last (wow) 60 years. We look forward to the next one. (and good news, the audiobook for Dor Vahdor was just approved, so we are finally closing the last front to have that released...(perhaps Lucifer will make your list some day, yet again, he may be too dramatic, lol...best!))
Great, video, I'd be interested to watch your review of Crystal Skull and its themes. I want to love that one, but it fell flat for me. I guess like it did with many other fans. I wonder if, after Dial of Destiny, Spielberg and Lucasfilm might revisit Crystal Skull, and release a re-edited version with some cringe moments cut and some of the effects updated to bring it more in line with Dial of Destiny? I do think there is a quality movie somewhere in there, and Blanchet is great fun to watch, but it needs a few adjustments that could probably be accomplished without shooting anything new. Just a thought.
There is some inaccuracy here. In the temple of doom, the nightclub brawl started because Indy realized that Lao Che had poisoned him, and Indy was after the antidote. Willy Scott was more concerned with the diamond. And in the Holy Grail, saying that he was more concerned with the Grail than his father couldn’t be further from the truth. Indy didn’t really care about the Grail, he went across the world when he found out the Nazis had captured his father. He went there looking for him. He was even annoyed by his Dads obsession with the Grail. A couple quotes, “this is an obsession, Dad. I never understood it.” Also, “I didn’t come to find the Grail. I came to find my father.” And one more, “I CAME HERE TO SAVE YOU.” Those may not be perfectly verbatim but pretty close
I love the idea of Indie as an academic who has adventures in the field. I moved him as a kid. But as an adult I find his arrogance annoying. But the most troubling aspects of the character are his overt sexism and the inherent racism in the films. He just doesn’t don’t hold up as character with values we can celebrate and the films just horribly racist. I think we can admire their craftsmanship but should be aware of their flaws.
Hi Jay, fellow writer here. I kind of disagree with your main thesis. Yes, character arc is very important for a story to feel complete, but that in itself isn't enough to differentiate Indy from the myriad of characters that have been portrayed. I'll give you my take as to what separates Indiana Jones from other characters and why he belongs on Mount Rushmore... What makes people fall in love with the character of Indiana Jones so much is how unusual he was for an action hero. He experiences fear, unlike most stoic heroes. He doesn't keep the idol, it gets stolen from him. He doesn't out-punch his enemies, he out-thinks them. He throws sand at the eyes of the huge guy he fights. He shoots the swordsman instead of fighting him. He doesn't rescue the girl, he leaves her tied up. When she seemingly dies, he becomes depressed and halfway suicidal. The character brought so much new to the archetypal hero that it turned the genre on its head. So he simply isn't the typical cowboy, past and present; he is an iconic character that experienced all the emotions that normal people would feel in those situations. When we watch him on film we're not expecting him to die, we're waiting to see some clever humor and how he uses his intellect to get out of his predicaments. Most other action characters fall flat due to their one-note bravery and physical attributes. Indiana Jones was made different.
@@DrasticFox2004 I dig it! It’s very unique. I really like the choice of Woody. I have some on my Mount Rushmore that will make people give me side eye… 👀🤣🤣🤣
@@leebrandt8597 First off, thank you for watching and commenting! I appreciate it. Secondly, I think we’re in more agreement than your comment might indicate. The thesis isn’t that his “character arc” is why we love Indy. But rather, that we have a “shared human experience” with Indy. The character arc just proves the thesis. Your points, as listed, actually just (in my mind) back up the thesis. Because most of your points highlight the thesis: “Indy is like us.” We can see ourselves in Indy. So, rather than contradict my thesis, I think your additions just build on it! Thanks for commenting!
@@TheStoryGeeks To a degree that is true. His gradual change of thinking is like us. But I think that we can agree that Indy is very unconventional for an action hero. He throws dirt into his opponents eyes and even bites him in the arm. He doesn't have that hero code of honor when he shoots the swordsman. The fact that he leaves Marion tied up goes against everything we've seen in a heroic character (and something that most of us wouldn't do, but Indy does). The appeal is two-fold; yes, he is emotionally connected to the danger and tragedies he faces (fear, sense of loss for Marion). But equally important is that he is smarter than us, relying on quick thinking that we can admire rather than using physical feats of strength
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I've always liked the Indy films and I'm glad you made this video because I never really knew why I liked him beyond me just thinking he was cool. I like that he isn't a good person and in every film, he has to see the value in the people around him. It goes back to Lucas creating a serial. It's the idea that each film feels like an episode where some of the same things happen but the setting and story change. Great analysis Jay! I hope this video does well because its very thought out!
🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 Thanks for watching and helping me with the thumbnail, brother!
While I enjoy watching Indiana Jones, and consider Raiders of the Lost Ark to be one of the greatest movies, one of the things that I think dissuades many people is that, while Indy's character arc is a great and relatable one, he has already forgotten it by the next movie - starting out in Temple of Doom and Last Crusade no different than how he started at the beginning of Raiders. It can seem pretty frustrating to see a character who learns to value people and believe in the supernatural go back to being a selfish skeptic by the beginning of the next chapter of their story, and then again at the start of the third part. While Crystal Skull did have its problems, at least it seems that Indy finally learned his lesson and values people at the beginning of the movie and is somewhat less of a skeptic than usual.
Excellent point. A lot of times, characters in serialized stories will go through similar arcs over-and-over. And I think that’s largely due to it being extremely difficult to take a character through more than 2-3 major arcs. I think it would be great in Indy 5 if he goes through a slightly different arc, but one related to the original films. We’ll see! Here’s to hoping it’ll be great! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
Temple of Doom is a prequel, set one year before Raiders. Chronologically, Indy has a pretty consistent and interesting character arc. I recommend this video: ua-cam.com/video/jSrU-mm3Wyk/v-deo.html
@@Lego_nerd Yep! In fact, the line where the government stooges call Indy an “expert in the Occult” may even be a nod to Indy’s experiences with the Thuggee Cult in Temple several years prior. Indy is the best!
The Temple of Doom was and is one of my all time favorites.
Such a good film. Love it! Thanks for the comment!
Indeed! He has become an icon of Adventure, going to the OUTDOORS, which is even more missed than ever in these times
Absolutely. Not to mention travel, history, and artifacts that could unlock more understanding of the world. Such a great character!
I don't think it was Indy who blew up the ship in Last Crusade. Also I would say it was Elsa who was using Indy rather than the other way around, since she also slept with his father before him, knew where his father was, and was only pretending to be against the nazis in order to get the grail diary.
I don't think I entirely agree with the first point. Taking Short Round under his wing definitely demonstrates he cared about others. In Last Crusade, he didn't care about the Grail until halfway through the movie, when he saw what it meant to people, he embarked on the adventure to rescue his father first and foremost (Although, don't get me wrong, I get what you mean, as in the artifacts ultimately testing his priorities). If KOTCS doesn't have this point, it's mostly due to his character development by this point, IMO. That said, I do completely agree with your second point and Indy's spiritual journey. Great video.
Jay this was a delightful video, and the point you draw out of Indy caring about things vice persons, and the transition from the secular to the spiritual is well framed. We would offer regarding the action hero two characters types: 1: El Cid (1960s via Charleston Heston): man to hero to legend to myth, and 2: James Bond, as his character spares no expense for action, but does have (up to "No Time To Die") a full range of development over the last (wow) 60 years. We look forward to the next one. (and good news, the audiobook for Dor Vahdor was just approved, so we are finally closing the last front to have that released...(perhaps Lucifer will make your list some day, yet again, he may be too dramatic, lol...best!))
Thank you so much! I appreciate you watching. And CONGRATS on the audiobook! That’s a huge accomplishment!!! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
Great, video, I'd be interested to watch your review of Crystal Skull and its themes. I want to love that one, but it fell flat for me. I guess like it did with many other fans. I wonder if, after Dial of Destiny, Spielberg and Lucasfilm might revisit Crystal Skull, and release a re-edited version with some cringe moments cut and some of the effects updated to bring it more in line with Dial of Destiny? I do think there is a quality movie somewhere in there, and Blanchet is great fun to watch, but it needs a few adjustments that could probably be accomplished without shooting anything new. Just a thought.
First video I've seen that makes sense. Wonderful analysis.
There is some inaccuracy here. In the temple of doom, the nightclub brawl started because Indy realized that Lao Che had poisoned him, and Indy was after the antidote. Willy Scott was more concerned with the diamond.
And in the Holy Grail, saying that he was more concerned with the Grail than his father couldn’t be further from the truth. Indy didn’t really care about the Grail, he went across the world when he found out the Nazis had captured his father. He went there looking for him. He was even annoyed by his Dads obsession with the Grail. A couple quotes, “this is an obsession, Dad. I never understood it.” Also, “I didn’t come to find the Grail. I came to find my father.” And one more, “I CAME HERE TO SAVE YOU.” Those may not be perfectly verbatim but pretty close
I love the idea of Indie as an academic who has adventures in the field. I moved him as a kid. But as an adult I find his arrogance annoying. But the most troubling aspects of the character are his overt sexism and the inherent racism in the films. He just doesn’t don’t hold up as character with values we can celebrate and the films just horribly racist. I think we can admire their craftsmanship but should be aware of their flaws.
Who's on YOUR Mount Rushmore of great film characters? Let me know in the comments!
Hi Jay, fellow writer here. I kind of disagree with your main thesis. Yes, character arc is very important for a story to feel complete, but that in itself isn't enough to differentiate Indy from the myriad of characters that have been portrayed. I'll give you my take as to what separates Indiana Jones from other characters and why he belongs on Mount Rushmore...
What makes people fall in love with the character of Indiana Jones so much is how unusual he was for an action hero. He experiences fear, unlike most stoic heroes. He doesn't keep the idol, it gets stolen from him. He doesn't out-punch his enemies, he out-thinks them. He throws sand at the eyes of the huge guy he fights. He shoots the swordsman instead of fighting him. He doesn't rescue the girl, he leaves her tied up. When she seemingly dies, he becomes depressed and halfway suicidal. The character brought so much new to the archetypal hero that it turned the genre on its head. So he simply isn't the typical cowboy, past and present; he is an iconic character that experienced all the emotions that normal people would feel in those situations. When we watch him on film we're not expecting him to die, we're waiting to see some clever humor and how he uses his intellect to get out of his predicaments. Most other action characters fall flat due to their one-note bravery and physical attributes. Indiana Jones was made different.
Hmmm on my mountain, it sounds weird but:
1. Indiana Jones
2. Kenai (Brother Bear)
3. Chase *(IN* Paw Patrol: The Movie)
4. Woody (Toy Story)
Whoops 😂😂😂
@@DrasticFox2004 I dig it! It’s very unique. I really like the choice of Woody. I have some on my Mount Rushmore that will make people give me side eye… 👀🤣🤣🤣
@@leebrandt8597 First off, thank you for watching and commenting! I appreciate it. Secondly, I think we’re in more agreement than your comment might indicate. The thesis isn’t that his “character arc” is why we love Indy. But rather, that we have a “shared human experience” with Indy. The character arc just proves the thesis. Your points, as listed, actually just (in my mind) back up the thesis. Because most of your points highlight the thesis: “Indy is like us.” We can see ourselves in Indy.
So, rather than contradict my thesis, I think your additions just build on it! Thanks for commenting!
@@TheStoryGeeks To a degree that is true. His gradual change of thinking is like us. But I think that we can agree that Indy is very unconventional for an action hero. He throws dirt into his opponents eyes and even bites him in the arm. He doesn't have that hero code of honor when he shoots the swordsman. The fact that he leaves Marion tied up goes against everything we've seen in a heroic character (and something that most of us wouldn't do, but Indy does). The appeal is two-fold; yes, he is emotionally connected to the danger and tragedies he faces (fear, sense of loss for Marion). But equally important is that he is smarter than us, relying on quick thinking that we can admire rather than using physical feats of strength
Agree
Indiana Jones and James Bond 007 are the cream of the crop
Go watch the movies again and check your facts
Pᵣₒmₒˢᵐ