George Lucas loves the prequel. Because his stories aren’t enough he has this habit of jumping back in time and giving us more, whether we want it or not. Then, somewhere in the future, he decides what he originally did wasn’t good enough so he tinkers with it. And I’m not talking Star Wars here. I’m talking the relatively short-lived Indiana Jones television prequel, The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones and the DVD release of the show’s first (of three) volumes.
The show whisks Indiana Jones back to his childhood days when he was called Junior. Taken around the world by his parents, the young adventurer encounters an obscene amount of would-be historic figures and gets caught in the middle of some of the past century’s biggest moments. How convenient.
One of the greatest strengths of the Indiana Jones films was their sense of adventure. Whether it was rolling boulders, pits of snakes or deranged psychos ripping out hearts over boiling lava, you were assured something exciting. Even meals of chilled monkey brains got my adrenaline running. Unfortunately, this adventurous spirit doesn’t transfer over into Young Indiana Jones. Although there are moments of thrills, they are limited and often hindered by dated effects.
Young Indiana Jones represents an ambitious effort in which authentic backdrops were held in the highest regard. It appears to have meant to have been an inroad into history for reluctant learners and in that regard it is a success. The show goes to the ends of the earth – literally – to explore some of the early 20th century’s greatest minds, artists, leaders and figures through the eyes of a young adventurer.
But when you brand it as being Indiana Jones it sets up certain expectations. The vast majority of the audience will have seen and likely loved the original trilogy before giving the program a chance so they’ll expect much of the same approach – action, adventure and wit. Young Indiana Jones does present many adventures but it is not adventurous. The act of going to a foreign land is in itself a journey.
George Lucas really does have a thing for revisiting the old favourites that made him famous in the first place and giving too much of a back story. Look at what happened to Star Wars. The original trilogy is still a raging part of popular culture. Then you have the prequels. Although not as dreadful as some may make you think, the magic is nothing close to what you’ll find in the first three films. The same goes for Indiana Jones. The films have one of the greatest leads in cinema history. Lucas goes and makes him a kid and the magic is lost, just like it was when the kid from Jingle All the Way proved to be Darth Vader. So maybe Indiana Jones had to grow into be a wisecracking smart ass, but the Indiana Jones I know and love would likely never say, “Jeepers creepers!” like he does in Young Indiana Jones.
Lucas also brings forth his tinkering self with this DVD release. When the series originally aired, it was broadcast in standalone hour-long episodes (closer to 45 minutes without the commercial breaks). However this DVD collection pairs similarly themed episodes together into single feature-length episodes. While I don’t remember much about watching the original broadcast versions, there’s something not quite right with these combined works. On many occasions plots are only loosely resolved in the first half and the transition into the second halves is awkward and forced. Why episodes were combined, I do not know. It does nothing to make the shows stronger. The show was made with natural breaks in mind so that’s the way I wish it would’ve remained. But I guess what Lucas produced wasn’t his real vision after all.
Year: 1992
Running Time: 649 minutes
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Volume One DVD Review
Although the show might be meh, to say that this DVD set is loaded would be an understatement There’s only seven feature-length shows (14 episodes at their original length) spread over 12 – yes, 12 – discs. Building off the idea that the show was meant to be both educational and fun, each show is given a multitude of informational featurettes. In all honesty, I haven’t had a chance to go through them all as of yet as it will likely take me a day without sleeping or eating just to go through the nearly 40 featurettes. The handful that I have caught not only offer a nice mix of biographical and historical concepts, but they present bigger ideas beyond the memorizing of facts. Guess what? It doesn’t take a teacher jumping through fiery hoops to make learning at least a little bit fun. Besides the multitude of featurettes, there’s also an interactive timeline and a video game called “Revolution” for DVD-ROM users. The game is a fun combination of video, problem solving and storytelling all in a comic-feeling style.
This is just the first of three planned volumes that will encompass the entire series. While I’m not a huge fan of the show (although it does have its merits), and I sure don’t like the messing with the original programs, the sheer magnitude of the entire package is amazing. There’s tremendous details captured in the bonus features that would make the purchase worthwhile even without the show.
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Volume One Gallery
