An in-depth look behind the scenes at the stunts of the Indiana Jones franchise, highlighting the stunt performers and coordinators that made some of the greatest moments in film history come to life and what makes them so special.
Minecart scene and the scene building up to it, with Indy grabing the rope and traveling to get in the minecart with the music of John Williams is an awesome scene. But I like all the others stunts in the original trilogy of Indy.
I love the fight with the mechanic in Raiders. There is a particular moment that i love, where Indy and the mechanic climb onto the plane, and the camera frames a beautiful wide shot of the two of them duking it out with the desert in the background, meanwhile John Williams is blasting the iconic theme. That moment is just pure movie magic for me.
Raiders of the Lost Ark in its entirety.. Except for Indy swimming out to the sub. C'mon fellas. We're going to eventually notice Dr Jones can't hold his breath that long 😮..Hahaha!
The fact that each film of the original trilogy has multiple scenes that can be argued as “greatest action scene ever” speaks volume to how good Lucas, Spielberg, Ford, and crew were at their peak.
I actually argue the trilogy as the greatest adventure films ever, 1st, 2nd and 3rd place (Raiders, Crusade and Temple in my rankings). Indy has a lock on the top 3 spots in the entire genre.
I always felt The Mummy remake with Brendan Frazer took over the spirit and feel of the Indiana Jones franchise. Unfortunately The Mummy sequels were just as bad as Crystal Skull but at least they tried.
The fact that temple has a “mixed reputation” is mind blowing to me… temple It’s sooo unique, bold, fun and beautiful There’s no film like it and along with crusade and raiders is just the best of the best.
Fun Fact: When Indy's hat was first made for Raiders of the Lost Ark, the brim was shaped to cover his eyes for protection, and to help hide faces when stunt doubles were being used.
That "hat trick" (hiding stuntmen) goes back to the Saturday morning Serials that Lucas was copying. I remember Ed McMahon watching one classic fight scene where NO ONE lost their hats and joking "I'll knock your hat off once and for all!"
Indiana Jones was a staple of my childhood, it captivated me in a way that few other films could. This series will always mean a lot to me and I love all 5 movies. Great video, it’s fascinating to learn about the stunt actors who helped make these movies happen.
I had no idea so many people loved Last Crusade! Glad to see my favorite Indy movie is getting the love I believe it deserves Also for the record, Dial of Destiny kicks major ass. It made me feel like a kid again, seeing it with my dad!
@@separate_entity001 Oooh I might watch it then. I kinda got disappointed with the previous Indy movie when I first watched.... I just didn't really vibe with it. (But I also didn't really vibe with Temple of Doom so Iguess that's normal.)
@@costelinha1867 I saw T.O.M at the cinema and-LOATHED-it. LOL. The trilogy is still: GREAT-tho,the 2nd film is not something I'd re-watch often. Or not at all. LOL.
I LOVE Last Crusade !!! And recommend it to friends and family who haven't seen it. GREAT movie and wild ride,you don't get that wild ride feeling with todays films.
This is what Indiana Jones 5 needed to make its action sequences thrilling to watch. They should've taken the 'Mission Impossible: Fallout' and 'No Time to Die' approach of shooting on-location with an actual stunt crew on 35mm to ensure the chase scenes looked real and therefore thrilling and memorable to watch, just like this original trilogy.
The Vic Armstrong horse to tank stunt is my favorite in any movie ever. Between the way it was shot and the stunt itself, idk how any movie can do better
The nuketown in Crystal Skull being a miniature that they actually destroyed will always make me smile. It's proof that we were so close to a great film. If only the second half lived up to the first.
I’m really glad this video showcases an severely under appreciated part of filmmaking: stunts. And with movies like Mission Impossible and John Wick really carrying on the importance of stunt work and set pieces, an appreciation for it in of course the granddaddy franchise that has popularized a lot of action storytelling. Great video once again. Btw are the Indy comics from Dark Horse worth reading?
For me the original 3 was my favorite movie trilogy, even more than Star Wars. I'll never forget watching Temple at the drive in and being horrendously freaked out as Willie grabs the lever with the bugs swarming her.
You can't go wrong with Indiana Jones. I saw the fifth film recently, and it shows that you can't go wrong with Indy's adventures. EDIT: I personally think Dial of Destiny is great but I will always love Last Crusade as my favorite. I always love watching that one with my dad.
I’ve learned about the unmade sequels many times, but I love hearing about them time and time again because each time I learn something new! So yes, please make that video!
I love the tank fight from Last Crusade as well. Probably my fave of the series. I watched that movie more times than any other in my childhood. It was my #1 goto as a kid, with Return of the Jedi at #2 and Ghostbusters at #3.
Great video as always! Huge Indy fan here….spent a goos chunk of my childhood running around dressed like him and playing with a real bullwhip (and tying it to tree branches to try and swing from 😂)! Loved the new movie! My ranking: Temple of Doom Raiders Last Crusade Dial of Destiny King of the Crystal Skull
Me too on the bullwhips (went through a dozen cheapies '81-'85, still prune my trees with my Morgan) but had to ditch the gas mask case when everyone called it a "purse"...
Such a great video, Matt. I would love to see more about this franchise from you. I can tell you love it and have a lot to say on it. The Raiders stunts will always be my favorite of the franchise for memories I have at the stunt show in Disney world and how much fun that was to see. Fingers crossed for more Indy videos!
Great video on the stunts and why they matter. Honestly, it’s an indictment of how Spielberg and Lucas changed over time and why, in this Hollywood climate, it’s unlikely we will ever recapture that grit and special effects prowess that made the trilogy so greats
After rewatching raiders of the lost ark the practical effects still hold up wonderfully it really adds to the physical stunts that Harrison Ford had to do and it made them absolutely thrilling and gripping to watch.
I've been reading and watching all things Raiders and Indy this weekend, so naturally, it only makes sense that Draper drops this perfect bookend to cap things off.
Very good cover here. So love the 1st 3 films. I was asked to work on Dial of Destiny but couldn't due to being on another Disney series. Gutted, as so wanted to have a Indy on the resume.
Great vid. Just seen Dial of Destiny, and while I'm very mixed on that film, I can't stop thinking about it and Indy in general. Nice to see a spotlight on the action of these movies. And yeah, Last Crusade is best. And one of the best movies ever made. Close call with Raiders but Last Crusade has more emotional resonance. For me anyway.
The Epic Stunt Spectacular! was actually my introduction to Indy back in 2006! I remember sitting in the audience waiting for it to start thinking "What's an 'Indiana Jones' and why are we waiting for it when we could be riding Star Tours again?" By the end of the show my tune had changed to "HOLY COW INDIANA JONES IS INCREDIBLE I NEED TO WATCH THIS MOVIE NOW!" I was gifted a dvd box set of the first three movies for my birthday a few months later, and by the time Crystal Skull rolled around I was completely hooked (and to this day combined with other reasons I have an extremely huge soft spot for these movies) (It's only fitting then that I get to reminisce about this in the comments of a video essay about the stunts of the series)
Great video! The Indiana Jones trilogy is my favourite movie trilogy, and I thought Dial of Destiny was pretty good! Please, make more Indiana Jones videos!
6:42 this might be a copyright limitation but one unsolicited suggestion I was picturing on screen if I had edited was to split horizontally 2/3 on top showing the series on events from the movie with the script below highlighting the beats in real time as it goes. It’s a very effective way I’ve noticed to show execution of the script often is so much more than what the writer started with.
What you've said about the practical stunts getting lost in the CGI in the recent films holds true for Dial of Destiny, which I think actually has a fair amount of practical elements but they're lost in CGI and post-production colour grading.
I'd just like to say, and I'm not trying to be weird or aggressive, that I like Kingdom, I don't find the CGI distracting, and it was very memorable for me.
This was such a treat to watch after Dial of Destiny. Indiana Jones movies are pure magic. I didn’t know Ford went through so many injuries. Jeez! I felt second hand pain just hearing about them.
How you doing Matt I'm a big fan of your channel I was wondering since the 30th anniversary of Power rangers has started do you think about reviewing the movie special once and always and do something Power rangers related thank you for being awesome
No films had better stunt work. I think the pre CGI trilogy stands as a case study in how good stunt work can be, and how well it can enhance a film. I always assumed that after it was released, Raiders was the only thing anyone on the stunt team had to list on their resume to get a gig for the rest of their lives. Pretty much every aspect of these films are great. Any detail of production shows outstanding work. But it's good to see the amazing stunt work get the spotlight for a change.
The car spin? That's from the Man with the Golden Gun, and so awesome they had to use a computer to get the ramp angles right. Almost like they thought it was TOO awesome and just HAD to water it down with that slide flute sound. (Live and let Die did have the incredible "croc walk".)
@ahhamartin yeah you're correct it was the Man with the Golden gun, I knew Sheriff J.W. Pepper was in the car so my brain just went to Live and Let Die.
@@ahhamartin It also had that fantastic speedboat jump, which I think still holds the Guinness World Record for highest boat jump or something like that
You guys inspired me to switch gears from Indy and read up about the Moore era of Bond, and I found where Roger is quoted saying the the guy who did that "croc walk" pointed to one and said "There! That one ate my father." Moore waited for the man to reveal he was joking, but he wasn't....
Best stunts is the tank for me. But the boat chase is a close second. I use to work in the shipping industry. Being caught between two ships was my worst fear.
Great video as always, its a shame that Kingdom of the Crystal Skull have its potentially great stunts being water down by the misuse of CGI and even if I'm not the greatest Indy fan out there, i still think the original trilogy were, for the most part, great blockbuster action films, yes, Temple of Doom could be bit better but is still it was a good action movie, with that being said, i really hope that the Gamera Heisei Trilogy (+Gamera the Brave, because I don't see why to dedicate a separate video for that movie) review is next, please Matt, the waiting is killing me.
Unmade sequels would be good. Also fun fact: the GPO doesn’t face the Shannon as shown in young Indians Jones. It’s in O’Connell street not as the show portrays. That’s all I know of the show and they fucked up
13:12, the Indiana Jones movies are full of racial stereotypes and weird stuff, not just Temple of Doom. Indiana Jones' Egyptian friend Salah is played by a white guy! I still love the first three.
The most negative stereotype being the white "conquerer". As far as Sallah, even John Rhys Davies agrees with you and says he actually brought that up ("short Egyptian" in script) as he was being cast and was told they'd change the nationality to British. Note he keeps his Brit accent.
I always felt The Mummy remake with Brendan Frazer took over the spirit and feel of the Indiana Jones franchise. Unfortunately The Mummy sequels were just as bad as Crystal Skull but at least they tried.
Masterful deconstruction. Now wouldn't it be something special if a NEXT classic like Indiana Jones is Born ? Who will be the first studio to usher in Cinemas next multi-decade iconic film ? Who will return to 30mm Panovision - REAL analogue film ? Everything here WORKS. Extremely well.
One of yhe best action adventure gilm trilogies of all time. I ignore Kingdom of the crystal skull and the dial of destiny. ALIENS AND TIME TRAVEL SHOULD NEVER BE IN AN INDY MOVIE AGAIN
People say perfefct nearly every time indiana jones comes up, and it rings hollow to me. To speak to the actions and stunts specifically, while I do admire the work and risk of these. To seem them actually in the film, there's far too many cuts for me to really take it in and think what I'm looking at is good, everything seems so slow too
I just cant stand when youtubers and "reviewers" throw around words like perfect or masterpiece just so they can get clicks. its so irritating because half the time they dont kno what theyre talking abt. at least this guy seems to have a deeper knowledge base / is just better at researching than most other youtubers who talk abt movies
Feel like this is the nicest possible way to trash just how bad the action in the latest movie is. The franchise that set the bar for movie action did not get anywhere near that bar this time around. I wish they would just let the great older movies exist on their own and start taking risks again in making brand new stories
Can you imagine how awful these movies would look visually if modern film makers were tasked with recreating them exactly shot for shot? It'd be all CGI. Even if they did attempt practical effects- where are all the practical effect and stunt craftsmen, the cinematographers, the stunt doubles? Compared to the 1980s, they're all gone. Replaced by computer nerds.