Which Indy film is the best?

Out of all the films, which one is definitively the best?


  • Total voters
    264

Temple Raider

Active member
TLC has great music in it as do all of the movies. The grail theme is easily one of the best pieces in the series.

Likewise, it's refreshing seeing KOTCS high on a ranking. I really don't think it's that bad, and while flawed it was still entertaining and it was very cool finally getting a new Indy adventure after so long.
 

Marshall2288

New member
I'm also a ToD #1 kind of guy. It was LC for years and years but as I grow older It's just not up to par.

It's interesting how said that KOTCS's first part was Raiders and the last part was the other movies. While I don't agree about the last part being the other movies (ToD fan remember?) I will say thats an interesting way of looking at the movie. Minus a few unneeded scenes I'd say that I agree with you.
 

Dr.Jonesy

Well-known member
Marshall2288 said:
I'm also a ToD #1 kind of guy. It was LC for years and years but as I grow older It's just not up to par.

It's interesting how said that KOTCS's first part was Raiders and the last part was the other movies. While I don't agree about the last part being the other movies (ToD fan remember?) I will say thats an interesting way of looking at the movie. Minus a few unneeded scenes I'd say that I agree with you.


I understand!
:hat:
I feel like going into detail so I will!

The first half of KOTCS is rather like ROTLA; free of humor and silliness yet has charm. It's rather straightforward grit and dirty. It's a very simple setup, intro, action, school scene, then the McGuffin pitch, fight scenes, globetrotting, tomb raiding and then captured by the villains. Not to mention the staring into the skull's eyes and the decoding of Oxley's pictographs. All that is very ROTLA.

Then the film changes tone and pacing after the attempted escape by Mutt, Marion, Indy and Oxley. It brings in the humorous part of LC in the snake pit scene and that is carried into the truck bickering scene, mirroring Indy/Henry Sr.'s exchange once they're held up in Henry's room. The TOD aspect comes at the over-the-top action and return of bugs as the main gross-out aspect. The waterfall sequence reminds me of the raft-river scene in TOD, and then we have natives which again harkens back to the natives in India in TOD where in both films, Indy is dealing with people of uncharted land.

First half - Quick and dirty ROTLA with charm and less hurmor.
Second half - Humor of LC and over-the-top aspect of TOD along with parallels of plot pieces (river/waterfalls, bugs, natives, etc...)

Then the film is ended with a ROTLA over-the-top ending with the flying saucer taking off. And on a lesser extent it's like LC in the sense that the temple collapses and there's a dialogue resolution afteward.

KOTCS kind of embodies everything about the series and that's what makes it great. Just wanted to explain my point!
:hat:
 
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Dr.Jonesy

Well-known member
Marshall2288 said:
Well you sold me. I'd say that about sums it up. I can see what you mean with the waterfalls and bugs.

Thanks for reading that, though. I think we've taken over the thread a little!
:p
I forgot to mention the Father/Son aspect in the second half of KOTCS is a parallel to LC as well.

Just things I've noticed. I'm gonna go watch a bit of TOD now.

:whip:
 

Toht's Arm

Active member
Dr.Jonesy said:
First half - Quick and dirty ROTLA with charm and less hurmor.
Second half - Humor of LC and over-the-top aspect of TOD along with parallels of plot pieces (river/waterfalls, bugs, natives, etc...)

This was my first reaction upon seeing KotCS and it hasn't changed all that much since. The first half goes for RotLA, keeping proceedings reasonably serious, whereas the climax is all about a rollercoaster ride of action, à la ToD.

I'm glad someone else made this point. Out of all the discussions surrounding KotCS, I haven't seen that perspective brought up very often...
 

Dr.Jonesy

Well-known member
Toht's Arm said:
I'm glad someone else made this point. Out of all the discussions surrounding KotCS, I haven't seen that perspective brought up very often...

That's surprising and it should be brought up more often, IMO.

Some people I know love it cause they said it combined all the good elements of the 3 originals, so I'm not the only one who noticed!
:p
 

Temple Raider

Active member
Dr.Jonesy said:


I understand!
:hat:
I feel like going into detail so I will!

The first half of KOTCS is rather like ROTLA; free of humor and silliness yet has charm. It's rather straightforward grit and dirty. It's a very simple setup, intro, action, school scene, then the McGuffin pitch, fight scenes, globetrotting, tomb raiding and then captured by the villains. Not to mention the staring into the skull's eyes and the decoding of Oxley's pictographs. All that is very ROTLA.

Then the film changes tone and pacing after the attempted escape by Mutt, Marion, Indy and Oxley. It brings in the humorous part of LC in the snake pit scene and that is carried into the truck bickering scene, mirroring Indy/Henry Sr.'s exchange once they're held up in Henry's room. The TOD aspect comes at the over-the-top action and return of bugs as the main gross-out aspect. The waterfall sequence reminds me of the raft-river scene in TOD, and then we have natives which again harkens back to the natives in India in TOD where in both films, Indy is dealing with people of uncharted land.

First half - Quick and dirty ROTLA with charm and less hurmor.
Second half - Humor of LC and over-the-top aspect of TOD along with parallels of plot pieces (river/waterfalls, bugs, natives, etc...)

Then the film is ended with a ROTLA over-the-top ending with the flying saucer taking off. And on a lesser extent it's like LC in the sense that the temple collapses and there's a dialogue resolution afteward.

KOTCS kind of embodies everything about the series and that's what makes it great. Just wanted to explain my point!
:hat:


All good points. I even noticed that all as well last time I watched KOTCS. It was like an amalgam of the first three.
 

Darth Vile

New member
Dr.Jonesy said:

The score is brilliant in LC. Some parts in 'Ah, Rats!' are some of John Williams' finest works. Amazing stuff. Not to impune his other works in the Indy franchise of course. But to me, LC has the most subtly amazing music in it.

Agreed - TLC is easily Williams' best Indy score (IMHO).
 

Temple Raider

Active member
Now I find myself inclined to bump up the rating of KOTCS to an 8/10. I find it really does improve a lot with repeat viewings, and now I find myself slightly preferring it to TLC, even though I still tremendously enjoy TLC.
 

Johnb02

New member
This used to be my order of favorite to least.

ToD

RotLA

LC

KotCS
Later i decided to change it a bit.
ToD

RotLA

KotCS

LC

ToD was awesome. Plain awesome. GO TOD!!!!
 

The Drifter

New member
Johnb02 said:
This used to be my order of favorite to least.

ToD

RotLA

LC

KotCS
Later i decided to change it a bit.
ToD

RotLA

KotCS

LC

ToD was awesome. Plain awesome. GO TOD!!!!

Amen, brother! Doom is by far the best of the four, followed by Crusade, Raider, then Kingdom. As a matter of fact, I'm watching ToD as I type this. Oh, look! Indy just laid out the cigarette girl! Bahahahaha!
 

Orellana

New member
For me they're all great (it's Indy for god's sakes!)
But RotLA, being the first made, holds the "gold medal"
as it were. But ToD, LC & KotCS all come in as classic
second placers.
 
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