Ridiculous/improbable scenes from the previous Indy movies

[Josh500 1,615]

Let's list them here.

RotLA

* It's never explained how Indy made it into the submarine/how he survived the submarine ride.

* How can thousands of snakes survive in utter darkness, without food?

ToD

* Indy was gone only for a few days. So how come the village looks totally different when he comes back? Everything is green...

* How can a million bugs survive in utter darkness, without food?

* How can Indy and his friends survive a fall from a plane in an inflatable raft of all things?

* How can an 11-year-old boy drive through the streets of Shanghai? (I think that's on the same level as, "How can Mutt swing on vines?")

* The Mine Cart chase: that whole scene strikes me as even more improbable than The Jungle Chase

LC

* How did Indy survive the fall from the cliff on the tanker?

Does anyone wanna add to the list?

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

* How did Indy survive the fall from the cliff on the tanker?

Come on, he jumped just in time to grab one of the roots on the ledge...

One more improblable thing from LC is:

How did indy got stuck his satchel on the tank cannon, be hung from it, and then climb up the tank, if the cannon was still touching the rocks?

[MSM 126]

Let's list them here.

RotLA

* It's never explained how Indy made it into the submarine/how he survived the submarine ride.

* How can thousands of snakes survive in utter darkness, without food?

ToD

* Indy was gone only for a few days. So how come the village looks totally different when he comes back? Everything is green...

* How can a million bugs survive in utter darkness, without food?

* How can Indy and his friends survive a fall from a plane in an inflatable raft of all things?

* How can an 11-year-old boy drive through the streets of Shanghai? (I think that's on the same level as, "How can Mutt swing on vines?")

* The Mine Cart chase: that whole scene strikes me as even more improbable than The Jungle Chase

LC

* How did Indy survive the fall from the cliff on the tanker?

Does anyone wanna add to the list?

Nice try, but no KotCS is much worse.

[Ollie 1,059]

Raiders:

Snakes had access to the room from another area.

TOD:

Well if you payed attention you would have realized it was the magic and power of the Shankara Stones that brought the village back to life.

An 11 year old can drive a car, he had blocks on his feet and could see over the dash.

As far as the bugs, you must not be around too many because they can live in the dark. They probably eat each other or feed off of the dirt and waste in the cave.

LC:

Indy didn't go over the cliff.

[Taikomochi 1,136]

* How can thousands of snakes survive in utter darkness, without food?

I think a better question was how after the torch went out or when it was dimming, that had so much light, but I guess it would suck if it was black.

[MrScratch 294]

The raft thing has been proven to be possible. The raft acts as a cushion, even without the raft it is still possible to survive a fall from such a great height.

Are you honestly saying Short Round driving is comparable to Mutt swinging on vines? Kids are physically able to drive automobiles, there is nothing far fetched about this.

The only thing truly unbelievable about the mine car chase is when it jumps off the track and miraculously lands back on it. I never liked that. Other than that the rest of the chase isn't unrealistic.

Indy did not actually fall off of the cliff in LC, were you paying attention? The satchel thing isn't unrealistic necessarily just inconsistent and more of a continuity error. I've watched the scene on freeze frame and there is no way for the satchel to have gotten hooked onto the gun barrel.

[Wojo 2,453]

Raiders

When Indy and Marion escape from the Well of the Souls, there is a passageway with a significant amount of light shining down, and a loose brick Indy pushes out of the way. Beside that is a sleeping German soldier. Why didn't anybody ever look down that way? Not just during the timespan of the German excavation, but in the thousands of years since losing the Ark?

LC

Can one bullet physically go through three people each standing about two feet apart?

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

Raiders:

Snakes had access to the room from another area.

And that area is filled with mice?

Try to explain how did they survive the 2000 odd years since the egyptians put them in there...

[bruckhorn 105]

LC

Can one bullet physically go through three people each standing about two feet apart?

I believe the Mythbusters had a bullet go through four pigs-- their "human analogues."

I wouldn't call it probable with the sternums and ribs that would have to be navigated around.

[indy4 155]

Raiders, Temple of Doom, Last Crusade, and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull all had tons of cheesiness, cheesiness that truly makes them Indiana Jones films. I love every second of it, from the submarine error to the waterfall sequence.

[Ollie 1,059]

Raiders:

Snakes had access to the room from another area.

And that area is filled with mice?

Try to explain how did they survive the 2000 odd years since the egyptians put them in there...

The big snakes fed on the little snakes, jeez.

[Red 75]

It's true they all have over-the-top moments, but none are at the level of what is in KOTCS. With the original three you get honest suspension of disbelief (coupled with better direction), while in the fourth you get blatant annoyance. And this is coming from someone who liked Indy IV.

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

Raiders

When Indy and Marion escape from the Well of the Souls, there is a passageway with a significant amount of light shining down, and a loose brick Indy pushes out of the way. Beside that is a sleeping German soldier. Why didn't anybody ever look down that way? Not just during the timespan of the German excavation, but in the thousands of years since losing the Ark?

Well, he did create a giant hole in the wall between the two chambers with a pillar, which is how he got out of there in the first place.

I'd say it's not unreasonable to consider the are had only just been excavated by the Germans, and seeing as how they thought they knew where the Ark was buried they spent the time and resources in an entirely different place.

As for the bugs.... Bugs eat bugs. And live in total darkness.

The snakes.... Couldn't they have been "supernaturally" immortalised to protect the Ark?

[Incanus 5,714]

All Indy movies have elements that should not be pondered too much. Just suspend your disbelief and have fun watching these films.

In ROTLA there are several amazing feats of supernatural strength that Indy does. First he and Sallah lift the stone lid of the casket protecting the Ark all by themselves and that stone cover must weight a ton. Another comes when Indy pushes the huge block, again weighing a ton, from the passage leading out of the Well of the Souls and we see the block bouncing down like it was made out of cardboard (of which it must have been made).

And yes the amount of snakes is a bit of a mystery so their presence in the Well must be of some supernatural origin.

Then there is the trip on the German submarine that indeed goes underwater at some point. I guess Indy tags along somehow.

[indy4 155]

Then there is the trip on the German submarine that indeed goes underwater at some point. I guess Indy tags along somehow.

That was explained by a scene that was cut from the film in editing.

But people cannot blame KotCS for poor editing (thinking of the whole ripped pants scene) if they deny the major flaw created by the editing in Raiders. Big flaw, not just a joke that's easy to forget.

[Hitch 57]

Harrison Ford being able to walk, run, jump and swing in KotCS

[Delorean90 42]

The raft thing has been proven to be possible. The raft acts as a cushion, even without the raft it is still possible to survive a fall from such a great height.

In what condition? On the episode I saw, Buster was pretty doggone beatup when he made the trip down.

[MrScratch 294]

The raft thing has been proven to be possible. The raft acts as a cushion, even without the raft it is still possible to survive a fall from such a great height.

In what condition? On the episode I saw, Buster was pretty doggone beatup when he made the trip down.

It stretches believability, I'm not saying it doesn't. But the conditions for survival here are far greater than in KotCS. Temple of Doom, three people clinging to an inflated raft land first on a sloped embankment, then fall off of a cliff and land in a river. KotCS, five people in a boat go over three increasingly severe waterfalls, one of them smacking a branch on the way down. ToD is comfortably bordering on believability, KotcS catapults over the line of believability for a couple reasons. In these situations, the raft is much safer than the boat. The raft acts as a cushion, the boat itself would be very dangerous because it would likely break into big shards that could further maim or kill the passengers.* This is not so with the raft. Statistically, three people (two healthy middle age adults and one child) are more likely to survive than five people where four of them are 50 or older (Oxley being really old to survive such a stunt).

So, basically we are comparing three "young" people surviving two great falls on a much safer inflatable raft vs five "old" (on average) people surviving three great waterfalls on a not-so-safe boat. Also, the raft falls take place early in the movie and the plot does not hinge on it whatsoever. In KotCS, these waterfalls take place in a climactic chase scene toward the end of the movie. Yes, placement of stuff like this does matter when it comes to suspending belief. Same with humor, humor at the wrong time can be detrimental to the story, placed at the right time and it works wonderfully.

* Even if the boat stays intact, it is still dangerous because a boat and five people being thrusted under water is still extremely dangerous. The boat could easily impale one of the passengers or something. The raft itself could do no harm in such a fall, its inflatable and soft.

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

Raiders:

Snakes had access to the room from another area.

And that area is filled with mice?

Try to explain how did they survive the 2000 odd years since the egyptians put them in there...

The big snakes fed on the little snakes, jeez.

2000 years?

mm yeah.

If you 'want' to believe that i dont know why i cant believe a endurable fridge or amphibian vehicle...

[MrScratch 294]

The big snakes fed on the little snakes, jeez.

2000 years?

mm yeah.

The presence of creatures in underground ruins and caves is hardly on the same level as the nuclear fridge. The desert has its own ecosystem and snakes are burrowing animals. Snakes and maybe some other critters found their way into the underground ruins, nothing unbelievable here. Same with the cave in ToD.

[Josh500 1,615]

I realized now what the biggest fault of KotCS is: it lacks a hot babe!

Marion Ravenwood, Willie Scott, and of course Elsa were all pretty hot (yes, even Willie, in her own way) . . . but KotCS lacks a hot female companion! Marion certainly isn't what she was 27 years ago!

[MrScratch 294]

I realized now what the biggest fault of KotCS is: it lacks a hot babe!

Marion Ravenwood, Willie Scott, and of course Elsa were all pretty hot (yes, even Willie, in her own way) . . . but KotCS lacks a hot female! Marion certainly isn't what she was 27 years ago!

Cate Blanchett doesn't count?

[Josh500 1,615]

Irina is just too crazy and cold-blooded . . . she's certainly no Elsa.

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

It would have been callista, so i better get marion

[MrScratch 294]

Irina is just too crazy and cold-blooded . . . she's certainly no Elsa.

This reminds me of this poll I did years ago:

http://jwfan.com/forums/index.php?showtopi...mp;#entry150777

[JoeinAR 1,949]

OK Guys, some of you need to seriously quit being stupid about some of these things.

Snakes and bugs go places people never think about going.

Its stupid to think they have always been there thousands of years.

Snakes don't like to be caught out in the glaring desert sun anymore than any other living creature and it makes sense they would congregate in the nether regions of the desert, in this cause the buried city of Tanis.

As for bugs, they are everywhere, all the time, in places you'd never imagine.

if the arctic, and antarctic can have insects, and Great Britian have scorpions, then there shouldn't be any questions about bugs in india, or snakes in Africa.

[Josh500 1,615]

Irina is just too crazy and cold-blooded . . . she's certainly no Elsa.

This reminds me of this poll I did years ago:

http://jwfan.com/forums/index.php?showtopi...mp;#entry150777

I would definitely LOVE to be tied up by Elsa . . .

OK Guys, some of you need to seriously quit being stupid about some of these things.

Snakes and bugs go places people never think about going.

Its stupid to think they have always been there thousands of years.

Snakes don't like to be caught out in the glaring desert sun anymore than any other living creature and it makes sense they would congregate in the nether regions of the desert, in this cause the buried city of Tanis.

As for bugs, they are everywhere, all the time, in places you'd never imagine.

Seriously, you say quit being stupid, but why don't you?

Of course you are right about the snakes and bugs, but what "bugs" me is this, pun intended: Will there be thousands of snakes in one spot? Will there be a million bugs in one tunnel?

Certainly not.

Mind, I'm not complaining, it's just that these are improbabilities we have come to accept in the Indiana Jones movies!

[JoeinAR 1,949]

yes Josh there are often thousands of bugs together at one time. And if there is slime then there is something to eat.

And there were hundreds of snakes, possibly thousands, but not so many that Indy couldn't sort of keep them out of his space until the flames went out. I can take you to a bayou and let you see hundreds of snakes hanging from the branches right now.

[Josh500 1,615]

I can take you to a bayou and let you see hundreds of snakes hanging from the branches right now.

No, thank you. I've got a date!

[JoeinAR 1,949]

scared of snakes are you. A big fat water moccassin tried to bite me sunday while I was working in the yard, but he missed. I got just a bit to close for his comfort. He popped my ankle but the fangs never sank in.

Unlike Indy I'm not afraid of snakes, but I don't like being startled.

[Josh500 1,615]

scared of snakes are you. A big fat water moccassin tried to bite me sunday while I was working in the yard, but he missed. I got just a bit to close for his comfort. He popped my ankle but the fangs never sank in.

Unlike Indy I'm not afraid of snakes, but I don't like being startled.

Hmmm, the only thing I'M scared of are spiders. Especially the big ones. I hate them!!!!

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

ROTLA: Door is closing as Indy hangs over chasm, would clearly have been shut by the time Indy reached it. Magically, it's risen to an earlier point of closure to allow him to escape at the last second.

TOD: Indy is held down by thug on conveyor belt, his head inches from being crushed. As he regains his strength, he is now suddenly at a ridiculously safe distance from the crusher.

TLC: Indy gains most of his major character traits on an afternoon hike with his Boy Scout troop.

Not that any of those are bad things, they're what make Indy Indy.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

scared of snakes are you. A big fat water moccassin tried to bite me sunday while I was working in the yard, but he missed. I got just a bit to close for his comfort. He popped my ankle but the fangs never sank in.

Unlike Indy I'm not afraid of snakes, but I don't like being startled.

Hmmm, the only thing I'M scared of are spiders. Especially the big ones. I hate them!!!!

I am too, last Sept you might remember me telling about the tarantula that ran across my bedroom floor.

I killed it, and the next day I went and bought a set of electronic emitters that keep tarantula's out of the house.

I've seen few spiders in the house, and almost none in the rooms where the emitters are.

The only good spider is a dead spider.

[Goldsmithfan 6]

Raiders, Temple of Doom, Last Crusade, and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull all had tons of cheesiness, cheesiness that truly makes them Indiana Jones films. I love every second of it, from the submarine error to the waterfall sequence.

Thank you! The Indy films are all intentionally cheesy. That's the point! They're filled with one outrageous cliffhanger after another. This isn't Schindler's List we're talking about. They're all popcorn flicks.

In my opinion, if you can watch the rollercoaster ride that is Temple of Doom, you should be able to enjoy Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Sure, it cranked the insanity up to eleven, but that's fine. If you're going to spoof adventure films, you might as well be as eclectic with the humor as possible. And they were. And it was good.

[Henry B 50]

So basically, you can do absolutely anything you want in an Indiana Jones film, and it will be good.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

they are not all intentionally cheesy like goldsmith fan erroneously states.

[indy4 155]

That is the most ridiculous comment I've heard in this thread (or maybe in the entire sub forum). Indiana Jones Films are intentionally cheesy.

[Henry B 50]

There's more (or used to be more) to these films than gleeful, light hearted, happy go lucky adventure, even if you can't see it.

[indy4 155]

Yes, I am aware of that. That doesn't mean that there isn't gleeful, light hearted adventure.

[Josh500 1,615]

It's obvious the cheesiness is intentional.

After all, these movies are made by the same guy who did Saving Private Ryan and Munich. I don't see anything cheesy there!

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Huh?

- Marc, who thought this thread was borderline ludicrous for a while. Then it crossed the border...

[Josh500 1,615]

Huh?

- Marc, who thought this thread was borderline ludicrous for a while. Then it crossed the border...

You're having a difficult time, aren't you?

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

Raiders:

Snakes had access to the room from another area.

Which was just another room....with a polystyrene brick.

[MrScratch 294]

You guys are confusing edge-of-your-seat fun with cheesiness. No one ever considered Raiders cheesy, then or now. You guys are making a desperate attempt to validate the new film by simply saying, "They were always cheesy." No, they were not!

[Ollie 1,059]

Mr. Scratch is correct.

But like I said, maybe if KOTCS was actually a good film the "cheesiness" would be easier to handle.

[Goldsmithfan 6]

they are not all intentionally cheesy like goldsmith fan erroneously states.

Hmmm... Listen to what Mr. Williams said about those over-the-top brass chords in Raiders of the Lost Ark. "We put those there for the camp fun of it!"

Sounds like they were trying to be goofy to me. The only one of them which seemed to have been taken semi-seriously was the first one... Then again, look at the way certain action sequences were dealt with: the escape from Peru and the Basket Game each seem laced with humor.

In my opinion, the idea behind the films was to revisit a fun genre and kind of poke fun at it simultaneously. Of course, each one got a bit more facetious, but it's still a good concept.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

your opinion and what actually happened are two separate things. The idea was to make a film in that vein(movie serials), and have fun with it, but not to poke fun at it. They weren't doing a spoof like you're insinuating.

[MrScratch 294]

Hmmm... Listen to what Mr. Williams said about those over-the-top brass chords in Raiders of the Lost Ark. "We put those there for the camp fun of it!"

That's a musical nuance, not a straight gag designed to induce laughter. It sounds to me like it was a subtle acknowledgement of the B-movie roots of the film.

Sounds like they were trying to be goofy to me. The only one of them which seemed to have been taken semi-seriously was the first one... Then again, look at the way certain action sequences were dealt with: the escape from Peru and the Basket Game each seem laced with humor.

Being humorous and being goofy are just not the same thing. There is humor in Schindler's List, but would you call that "goofy"? No, humor is a tool of storytelling that if used properly will enhance a story.

[Delorean90 42]

The raft thing has been proven to be possible. The raft acts as a cushion, even without the raft it is still possible to survive a fall from such a great height.

In what condition? On the episode I saw, Buster was pretty doggone beatup when he made the trip down.

It stretches believability, I'm not saying it doesn't. But the conditions for survival here are far greater than in KotCS. Temple of Doom, three people clinging to an inflated raft land first on a sloped embankment, then fall off of a cliff and land in a river. KotCS, five people in a boat go over three increasingly severe waterfalls, one of them smacking a branch on the way down. ToD is comfortably bordering on believability, KotcS catapults over the line of believability for a couple reasons. In these situations, the raft is much safer than the boat. The raft acts as a cushion, the boat itself would be very dangerous because it would likely break into big shards that could further maim or kill the passengers.* This is not so with the raft. Statistically, three people (two healthy middle age adults and one child) are more likely to survive than five people where four of them are 50 or older (Oxley being really old to survive such a stunt).

So, basically we are comparing three "young" people surviving two great falls on a much safer inflatable raft vs five "old" (on average) people surviving three great waterfalls on a not-so-safe boat. Also, the raft falls take place early in the movie and the plot does not hinge on it whatsoever. In KotCS, these waterfalls take place in a climactic chase scene toward the end of the movie. Yes, placement of stuff like this does matter when it comes to suspending belief. Same with humor, humor at the wrong time can be detrimental to the story, placed at the right time and it works wonderfully.

* Even if the boat stays intact, it is still dangerous because a boat and five people being thrusted under water is still extremely dangerous. The boat could easily impale one of the passengers or something. The raft itself could do no harm in such a fall, its inflatable and soft.

You keep going into all these out-there details. It could have impaled somebody (when did someone smack a branch???), the conditions for survival are greater, its placement affected it. You're telling me if it happened earlier, you wouldn't still be getting your shorts in a knot over it? C'mon. And the only film where the climax has revolved around an action scene was TOD, the others have all been in an isolated setting. If the waterfall scene had taken place as they were escaping the temple, I might see your point there, but I don't. It's not that climactic. There's a decent stretch of film afterwards, and the climax takes place at the chamber.

Yes, the bit in TOD does stretch believability. A lot. And you know something, I didn't really think about it. In KOTCS, you know what happened? I laughed the first couple of times, and then on the third waterfall, my jaw dropped. And then you know what else happened? I moved on. Whoopie.

You know, once you get to a certain level of beauty, comparing women doesn't matter. This feels kind of like comparing two ridiculously gorgeous women. Only not.

There's more (or used to be more) to these films than gleeful, light hearted, happy go lucky adventure, even if you can't see it.

Yeah. That's the real thing that knocks down KOTCS a notch for me. I don't really care about any of the humor or gags, it's just the lack of the depth to complement them. But even then, I thoroughly enjoy the film.

[Ollie 1,059]

Now there are times when KOTCS feels like a spoof.