What Should Indiana Jones Go After Next

And, you also get Temple of Doom, which some consider one of the best, which doesn't feature either of those. Besides, Raiders started off with Indy going after a non-Judeo-Christian artifact.

(1) Temple of Doom is considered the best of the trilogy by about 2% of the fans (okay, not an exact number, but it's BY FAR not a majority). Most people's reaction to Temple is "It's not great, but at least it's not Crystal Skull."

(2) The "other" artifacts Indy goes after in Raiders and Crusade aren't the main storyline. The MAIN story involves Judeo-Christian artifacts.

I'm not saying it would be impossible to create a good Indy around other artifacts (I would hope a good writer could do it), I'm just saying there seems to be a pattern (or maybe it's just the "odd number" Indy films are good...).

While I don't disagree with the decision to not use Nazis in the last film (given Ford's age and the progression of time), I don't agree with the reasoning and I don't think "The Russians" were a good idea either.

Indy needs a good antagonist and the Nazis served that purpose well. The Russians and Terrorist organizations just don't have the same effect. Without resorting to Space Aliens or Secret Organizations, we need to give Indy a foil - and I think a rival would fit that mold better (like in Raiders).
 
(1) Temple of Doom is considered the best of the trilogy by about 2% of the fans (okay, not an exact number, but it's BY FAR not a majority). Most people's reaction to Temple is "It's not great, but at least it's not Crystal Skull."

I didn't say, "the best." I said, "one of the best."

(2) The "other" artifacts Indy goes after in Raiders and Crusade aren't the main storyline. The MAIN story involves Judeo-Christian artifacts.

I'm not saying it would be impossible to create a good Indy around other artifacts (I would hope a good writer could do it), I'm just saying there seems to be a pattern (or maybe it's just the "odd number" Indy films are good...).

You may be true about the pattern, but Temple of Doom proved the exception before Crystal Skull came out. Also, most of the non-film Indiana Jones adventures had him going after a lot of other non-Judeo-Christian artifacts as well. Granted, you can argue that those adventures are non-canon, but they are still rather decent and prove the exception is possible.

While I don't disagree with the decision to not use Nazis in the last film (given Ford's age and the progression of time), I don't agree with the reasoning and I don't think "The Russians" were a good idea either.

Well, in the 1950s, it's either the Russians (which were active) or the Japanese (which at the time were still suspect and slightly hated because of what happened at Pearl Harbor), unless you're going with an individual or a secret group that Indy is facing.

Indy needs a good antagonist and the Nazis served that purpose well. The Russians and Terrorist organizations just don't have the same effect. Without resorting to Space Aliens or Secret Organizations, we need to give Indy a foil - and I think a rival would fit that mold better (like in Raiders).

What you're saying is true. Indy needs a good antagonist. But the problem with what you are saying is that you are confusing the antagonist with the henchmen. The Nazis were not the antagonists of Raiders. They were the henchmen, the expendable Stormtroopers of the Indiana Jones films. René Belloq was the antagonist. Yes, there was Arnold Ernst Toht, the Gestapo who was working with the Nazis, but he is still, basically, a second in command. In Last Crusade, Walter Donovan and the Nazis were the henchmen again with Vogel being the second in command. The same is true with Temple of Doom and Crystal Skull (in which the Thungees and the Russians are the henchmen, being lead by a leader who is the real antagonist of the films they are featured in).
 
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I didn't say, "the best." I said, "one of the best." If you're going to respond to a quote by me, I ask that you please make sure you and I are on the same page.

I'm pretty sure I did quote you accurately... you're talking about a pool of four films... unless you're talking about "One of the Best" in that "as an Indiana Jones film, it's better than other movies... even Lucas movies" - in which case I could agree. Anywhoo, the point is that most people consider Temple to be "passible, but the cart chase was pretty cool".


You may be true about the pattern, but Temple of Doom proved the exception before Crystal Skull came out. Also, most of the non-film Indiana Jones adventures had him going after a lot of other non-Judeo-Christian artifacts as well. Granted, you can argue that those adventures are non-canon, but they are still rather decent and prove the exception is possible.

Only if you think it is an exception - I don't. Also, I only remember 4 adventures - the ones on the big screen. Sure there have been video games, books, and tons of other non-cinema adventures but compared to the number of people that have seen the films, very few experienced those.

Well, in the 1950s, it's either the Russians (which were active) or the Japanese (which at the time were still suspect and slightly hated because of what happened at Pearl Harbor), unless you're going with an individual or a secret group that Indy is facing.


What you're saying is true. Indy needs a good antagonist. But the problem with what you are saying is that you are confusing the antagonist with the henchmen. The Nazis were not the antagonists of Raiders. They were the henchmen, the expendable Stormtroopers of the Indiana Jones films. René Belloq was the antagonist. Yes, there was Arnold Ernst Toht, the Gestapo who was working with the Nazis, but he is still, basically, a second in command. In Last Crusade, Walter Donovan and the Nazis were the henchmen again with Vogel being the second in command. The same is true with Temple of Doom and Crystal Skull (in which the Thungees and the Russians are the henchmen, being lead by a leader who is the real antagonist of the films they are featured in).

I wasn't talking about the Nazis when I said Indy needed a good antagonist - I was talking about Belloq (which, of course, was working for the Nazis - as was Elsa). Belloq would have been much more interesting as a recurring character and not just a Nazi stooge. Even in Crystal Skull, a Belloq-like character would have made the film more interesting (instead of a psychic russian).

The point about the Nazis is that you don't have to waste any time talking about why they're the bad guys - they're pretty much recognized the world-over as evil-incarnate. It's also a point because Hitler was really into the occult - looking for Judeo-Christian artifacts (among others). This is where the Russians fail - the Russians, during the Cold War, weren't "evil" (for the most part), they just had different ideas.

In the end, we agree that Indy needs an interesting foil, maybe even one who isn't tied to an ideology, but has the knowledge, depth, and experience Indy has - but doesn't agree with Indy's methods or morals - someone who will challenge Indy and even beat him to the punch, but, in the end, always looses to Indy. Someone who is recurring (another pulp tradition).
 
What about Belloq's son. seeking revenge on Indy because he blames him for his fathers death? He could be collecting all the artifacts that his father "found" and he needs an especially tricky/dangerous/mystic one so he forces Indy to get for him. Send Mutt to college for about...forever and have Indy call upon one of his grad students to help him find it. If you get the right actor for Indy's helper you can, in a sense, reboot it with a new actor and NAME. Indiana Smith perhaps??
 
What about Belloq's son. seeking revenge on Indy because he blames him for his fathers death? He could be collecting all the artifacts that his father "found" and he needs an especially tricky/dangerous/mystic one so he forces Indy to get for him. Send Mutt to college for about...forever and have Indy call upon one of his grad students to help him find it. If you get the right actor for Indy's helper you can, in a sense, reboot it with a new actor and NAME. Indiana Smith perhaps??

Guys like Indiana and Belloq are not the fathering type (especially around the time of Raiders. I mean, we find out that Indiana left Marion while she was pregnant (granted he didn't know, but do you honestly think Indiana would have been a good father?). Belloq would have more than likely done the same thing (he comes off as a "love them and leave them" type). If Belloq had a son, his son wouldn't know anything about his father, let alone seek out revenge for a man he never knew. Besides, hasn't that "I'll kill you because you killed my father" thing been done to death?
 
How about if he goes after the Aztec Bloodstone, which exhibits the ability to control individuals whose blood comes in contact with it. The Russians have it and have procurred a blood sample from the front runner to the US Presidency. Their idea is to wait untill he is elected and then use the stone to control him to their ends.
Indy finds out what is happening.....insert story here.....and thwarts their plans. When finished he has the stone and is met by a mysterious woman named Mrs. Fredricks who enlists him to work at an unusual Warehouse. Upon arrival he finds out they already have possesion of some of the other items he has 'snagged'...
 
Indiana Jones and the bean stalk, Indiana Jones and the mysterious wardrobe (Narnia)? Just wouldn't seem right now would it, Indiana Jones going after a mythical hen that pooped out golden eggs.
 
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I think that they should go with more of a archeological detective type of story where he digs into things, maybe he's working at the Smithsonian now and he finds a piece of something that leads him to a actual dig somewhere and then take it from there. . Not sure what the main "artifact" would be but that's just the general idea I have.
 
How about if he goes after the Aztec Bloodstone, which exhibits the ability to control individuals whose blood comes in contact with it. The Russians have it and have procurred a blood sample from the front runner to the US Presidency.

I like this idea, and I didn't mind the Russians as villains, it's just Cate Blanchett didn't really sell her part too well. She just didn't have much of a menacing presence. I get where they were going, but it didn't work that well in my opinion.
 
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