The 411 Top 5 05.23.08: Week 114

Posted by Trevor Snyder on 05.23.2008

Our Top 5 Favorite Indiana Jones Moments

OUR TOP 5 INDIANA JONES MOMENTS


Trevor Snyder

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Mola Ram pulls out the heart (Temple of Doom) – Amongst Indy fans, there is a small but devoted group, a strange breed…I'm talking, of course, of those who consider Temple of Doom to be the best film in the series, and I gladly include myself in this clan. I realize it's not as light and quirky as the other entries, and takes the series in a fairly dark direction. But hey, as a huge horror fan, that's pretty much why I like it. When I was a kid, few of the series' thrills could compete with this "holy shit" moment, where a poor slaves' heart is torn in and held in front of his eyes…and the dude doesn't even die until being lowered into a pit of lava! Ouch.

Melting Nazi faces (Raiders of the Lost Ark) – Then again, Temple of Doom doesn't completely hold the market of grossness. The very first film in the series did a nice job letting us know that Indy's adventures wouldn't always be pretty…in fact, sometimes they'd be downright horrifying. But hey, they're just Nazis…good riddance.

THE TOP 5

5. The "young Indy" sequence (Last Crusade)

Some franchises require an entire film to give you the hero's origin story. Last Crusade accomplishes it in just one thrilling sequence. It's all here: his fear of snakes, his fashion sense, the whip…ok, maybe you don't find out where the name "Indiana" comes from, but you get that later. Anyway, it's a nice bonus to see the events that made Indy who he is, and the sequence is also a nice reminder of the talent we lost when River Phoenix passed away.

4. Indy outruns the stone ball (Raiders of the Lost Ark)

Best character introduction ever, you say? Sure, why not. The whole opening sequence of Raiders pretty much sets the stage for the entire series to come, but the best moment is the capper, when Indy is forced to stay ahead of a giant stone ball nipping at his heels. This has become one of the most parodied moments in film history, and for good reason. You really only had to watch this moment to know a new film icon was being born, and that this flick was probably not the last we would be seeing of Indiana Jones.

3. The bridge face-off (Temple of Doom)

"Mola Ram, prepare to meet Kali…in Hell!!!" Whereas there is no doubting Indy's resourcefulness or sense of adventure, this is without a doubt his most bad-ass moment (with the possible exception of his brief time as "evil Indy" earlier in the flick – another great moment, but one that I wouldn't count for obvious reasons). If you were trapped on a bridge with villains on both sides of you, would you have the stones (ha!) to cut the bridge's support and send everyone hurtling down to alligator infested waters below? Well, maybe…but you would have got the idea from Indy.

2. Everyone mourns Indy (Last Crusade)

Last Crusade is certainly the funniest of the series, with a lot of great comedy mined from the complicated relationship between Indy and his father. I had a tough time choosing between this and the moment when Henry accidentally shoots out the back of their own plane ("they got us"), but I eventually deferred to this one solely because of the hilarious look on Harrison Ford's face as he walks up behind his father and friends and peers down over the cliff with them…the same cliff which they all believe Indy just fell to his death from. It's an excellent bit of humor, and it even culminates in the first truly touching moment between father and son. What more could you want?

1. Indy vs. the Swordsman (Raiders of the Lost Ark)

Question: When is dysentery a good thing? Answer: When it leads to the best moment in a film already full of great sequences. Steven Spielberg originally planned for Indy to have an epic whip vs. sword battle in the crowded marketplace, but an ill Ford was not exactly up to the rigorous physical demands of the scene. Proving that he already had a great handle on the character, Ford suggested the eventual change…why not just have Indy shoot the guy? If you ever want to see how to completely define a character in just a couple seconds, this is the scene to watch.



Jeremy Thomas

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Passing Through the Tests (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) - One of the great things about Indiana Jones is that he's a scholar just as much as he's an action hero. At no time were both highlighted as well as in this scene, where he has to use his quick reflexes, balance, and sharp mind to pass through the test at the Valley of the Crescent Moon to get to the Grail. And the nice symmetry between him and his father realizing the answers at the same time, while in different places, was a good touch to show how much Indy is his father's son.

Book Burning (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) - While it could well have been a throwaway moment, they added an amazing touch to this scene, to remind people that, while the Nazis were "goose-stepping morons," as Henry says, they were the symbol of oppression in the series. And one of the great moments of humor from the movies comes when Indy comes face to face with Hitler...and gets an autograph.

Young Indy gets the Cross of Coronado (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) - River Phoenix did an incredible job in this, the opening scene of the third movie. It does a great job of telling the audience where Indy's whip, his fear of snakes, and his complex relationship with his father comes from. The chase across the circus train is a hell of a lot of fun, too.

THE TOP 5

5. Mola Ram yanks a guy's heart out (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom)

Okay, so Temple of Doom may be the bastard middle child of the series. It's certainly not as good as Raiders or Last Crusade. But this scene, with Thuggee high priest Mola Ram, is still creepy and nasty, even today. At the time, it scarred many a young kid's minds, and in such a good way. It's an iconic image in cinema, no doubt.

4. Indy trades the idol for the bag of sand (Raiders of the Lost Ark)

Speaking of iconic images, this is one that's been often-parodied and tributed. The traps leading up to the golden idol were great in and of themselves, but the tension as Indy weighs the bag, and then dumps some out to make it weigh right, then makes the sudden switch...absolutely palpable. Best yet was, when everything seems fine, and the audience has a chance to breath, the trap is sprung and Inda and Satipo have to run for it. It was a single scene which, very quickly, laid out many aspects of Indy's character right off the bat, and it deserves all the accolades it gets.

3. Picking Out the Grail (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)

"He chose...poorly." Oh, you gotta love it. The betrayal of the bad guy by master betrayer Ilsa, the poor choice and disintegration of Donovan, and the final choice by Indy that was a wise one, is all just greatly done. It was done so well, in fact, that a major soft drink commercial was based on it the same year. All of the Indiana Jones movies have had great discovery scenes of their MacGuffins, and of all of them, this was the best.

2. The Ark is opened (Raiders of the Lost Ark)

I'll say it now, and I'm not afraid to. The image of Toht's face melting off is one of the most disturbing images I ever saw as a young boy. Well, that and the evil, EVIL clown in Poltergeist. But you just have to enjoy the climactic scene in Raiders, whether it scarred you for life or not. The special effects were top-notch for the time, and it's immensely satisfying to watch the Nazis get their final judgment for opening Pandora's Box, so to speak. Ingeniously scripted, amazingly filmed, and it taught me the most important lesson of my young life at the time: When I find the Ark of the Covenant, as I was certain I was going to...DO. NOT. OPEN IT.

1. Indy outruns the giant stone ball (Raiders of the Lost Ark)

Seriously, how could anyone possibly NOT love this moment? It is, easily, the most recognizable scene in Indiana Jones history. When the stone ball, which was twenty-two feet in diameter and made of fiberglass, was shown to Spielberg, he liked it so much he added fifty feet to the run itself. The scene is the brilliant capper of the brilliant first scene, and it's awesome to watch Indy frantically outrun certain death--like he would many a time after--only to lose his idol to Belloq. Great, great moment in film-making.



Owain J. Brimfield

HONORABLE MENTIONS

The Ark is stashed in the warehouse (Raiders) - the revelation that "top men" are dealing with the ancient treasure of the Ark is capped with a glorious pay-off.

Melting faces (Raiders) - a genuinely terrifying scene when the Ark of the Covenant is opened is capped off by Nazis' faces gruesomely melting in an image that'll stay with you through some long nights.

The feast, (Temple of Doom) - snake babies and monkey brains are some of the gastronomic highlights of the feast prepared for our intrepid adventurers at the Indian table in a scene that's as beguiling as it is unnerving.

THE TOP 5

5. The end of the tank chase (The Last Crusade)

The relationship between Indy and his father Henry is a complex one, but one that has been played more for laughs than anything else up to this point in the movie. However, when a renegade tank plows off a cliff dragging Indy along for the rider, Henry comes to the realization that he may have lost his only son. As Indy climbs back up the cliff and Henry embraces him with a tearful "I thought I'd lost you, boy", it's one of the finest emotional moments in the trilogy.

4. "No ticket" (The Last Crusade)

Indy and his father escape the Nazis by hitching a ride in a zeppelin, and a curious German is bundled out of the window by Indy for his interest in the fleeing duo. This naturally creates a rather puzzled audience of passengers, to which Indy explains his motive - "no ticket" - and creates a rapid flurry of ticket-bearing airline passengers. It's a brilliant joke that works a lot better on screen than when you're trying to explain it, and also went on to form the basis of the best joke in Kevin Smith's Dogma.

3. Escaping with the idol (Raiders)

Or essentially, the whole of THAT opening sequence from Raiders. You know exactly what I mean, and even if for some bizarre reason you've never seen an Indy film you still probably know exactly how this scene goes due to the fact that it's been parodied constantly in the realm of popular culture. It's a wonderful introduction to the adventuring archaeologist, and sets an indelible scene for one of the finest adventure movies ever made.

2. Indy shoots the sword-wielding guy (Raiders)

Probably the funniest moment in the whole of a trilogy shot through with humor - Indy is accosted by an Arabian with a giant scimitar while attempting to escape through a crowded marketplace. The Arabian chap puts on an impressive display of sword mastery, to which Indy responds with a weary look and a blast from his revolver. The fact that the scene was originally intended to include a whip/sword duel and was altered at the last minute, for some reason makes this even more amusing to watch.

1. Riding off into the sunset (The Last Crusade)

The perfect end to the trilogy, with our heroes riding off in a textbook adventure story conclusion that, for once, feels entirely justified. Here's hoping that Kingdom of the Crystal Skull doesn't spoil our memories of such a fitting end to the franchise!



Bryan Kristopowitz

HONORABLE MENTIONS

The Rolling Ball of Doom (Raiders of the Lost Ark): This is a brilliant set piece that's also a great way to start off the series. It's our intrepid treasure hunter, priceless doodad in hand, running for his life because a gigantic rolling ball is going to crush him if he slows down. It's tremendous foreshadowing for the rest of the series. Indy can't stop.

The Pit of Snakes and Bugs (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom): Temple of Doom is certainly the grossest of the flicks so far because there's always something nasty and gooey and just downright horrible going on (I'm not complaining, mind you. I'm just saying it's got a lot of gross things in it. It's all great stuff). Being trapped in a, well, trap, a room filled with bugs and snakes that's slowly getting smaller and smaller, the ceiling moving down, and the only way to get out is to have someone reach into a bug infested hole to pull a lever and shut the "machine" down. I'm getting the damn willies just thinking about it.

The End of the Boat Chase (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade): When that boat chasing Indy doesn't get through that tight passage and then explodes, it's just a great way to end a scene (it's one of the "iconic moments" in Last Crusade).

THE TOP 5

5. The Bridge Scene (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom)

Bad guys on both sides of a long, droopy bridge, with our hero smack dab in the middle, deciding the only way to get out of it all is to cut the bridge ropes and hope that all of the bad guys fall to their deaths. Which is pretty much what happens. And then the alligators/crocodiles in the water below, spinning around, happy that they're about to get an easy meal. It's completely freaking insane.

4. The "Marcus will blend in, disappear" speech (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)

This is one of the funniest scenes in the series, mostly because of Harrison Ford's earnest speech about how well versed Marcus Brody (the great Denholm "Coleman" Elliott) is in native languages, how he knows every custom for 1,000 miles, etc, and then the scene shifts to Marcus wandering around in a crowded bazaar asking random people if they know how to speak ancient Greek. One of Elliott's best scenes.

3. Melting Faces (Raiders of the Lost Ark)

One of the great face melting scenes in movie history. The Nazis shouldn't have opened the Ark. But then again, they're Nazis. They had it coming. I remember seeing it as a young child and not understanding why exactly the bad guy's face was gooing up. And while I understand it now, I can't shake that first impression out of my memory.

2. The Dinner Scene (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom)

"Chewed monkey brains." Eyeball soup. Eating live snakes. See what I mean by this entry being the nastiest in the series? Remember when the servant opened the top of the monkey head and placed the spoon inside? You still want that strawberry ice cream with the chunks of strawberries in it?

1. Indy Shooting the Swordsman (Raiders of the Lost Ark)

This is the funniest scene in the series. Bad guy shows up, flailing his sword about, trying to intimidate our intrepid hero. And, without missing a beat, out hero pulls out his gun and shoots the guy. And then Indy goes about his business. Great stuff.



Shawn S. Lealos

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Indiana in a fist fight with the muscle man by the plane (Raiders of the Lost Ark), The Mine Car Chase (Temple of Doom), and The scene with Junior and Senior in the rotating doorway with two choices – Nazis or Fire? (Last Crusade)

THE TOP 5

5. Young Indy foreshadows things to come (Spring Break Adventure)

While I loved practically all of Volume 1 of the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, the moment in the set that sticks out in my mind is when Indy went to Mexico and joined Pancho Villa's resistance forces. Indy finds the man who killed a friend from childhood (from the episode "Curse of the Jackal") and takes the initiative to attempt to gain vengeance on the man. He already had his clothing ruined and found a jacket and fedora to wear. He is beaten and forced into a basement where he is left unarmed, with the bad guy moving in. He looks around and only finds a whip to use as a weapon. He grabs the whip, and standing there wearing the hat and jacket, with the whip in hand, the show finally felt like a true Indiana Jones adventure. Iconic and a great wink to the man he would become.

4. Senior and Junior Tied to a Chair (Last Crusade)

What makes this scene stand out to be is the fact that as the father and son are tied together to a chair, dad makes the comment that Elsa "talks in her sleep" revealing that father and son slept the same woman. Just a classic moment and the look on Indy's face is great. Like father, like son.

3. Ripping the heart out of the chest (Temple of Doom)

Between this and the mine car chase scene, we have the two redeeming moments of the lesser of the three movies in the trilogy. The heart being ripped out by the evil priest is the scene that helped usher in a new rating system by the MPAA. Thanks to this, and to a lesser extent monkey brains, the ratings board created the PG-13 rating. Plus, the expression on the guy's face as he looks at his heart beating in the priest's hands is priceless.

2. The Stolen Idle / Boulder Chase Scene (Raiders of the Lost Ark)

This is the scene that kicked off the adventures of Indiana Jones. Without an introduction or any narration, we kick start the movie with an almost perfect adventure that includes deadly spiders, booby traps and a giant rolling boulder. To finish it off, Indy loses! We meet the nemesis and villain of the picture and Indy has to race through the jungles to escape the restless natives. What a way to kick off the movie and what a perfect way to introduce one of the greatest action heroes to ever exist.

1. Indy shoots the Swordsman (Raiders of the Lost Ark)

It is a scene that was not even in the script. When Jones is trying to save Marion as the villains attempt to kidnap her, he comes face to face with a huge Arab swordsman. The two face off and are supposed to have a classic fight, sword versus whip. Unfortunately, Harrison Ford (as well as many members of the crew) had food poisoning and they were unable to get this scene done right. Ford finally turned to Spielberg and asked why Indy doesn't just shoot the guy. He agrees this is a great idea and the scene gets the biggest laugh of the entire movie. This scene is a carbon copy of a scene in the 1979 exploitation flick Sevano's Seven, so I don't know if that is all there is to this story. I would almost guarantee Spielberg or Ford had seen that movie, as it is too close in resemblance to be a simple coincidence. Regardless of its origins, it is the best single moment of entertainment I can think of in the three movies.

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