Indiana Jones Trilogy Plot Formula

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The Indiana Jones trilogy is a series of films directed by Steven Spielberg dictating the life and adventures of legendary archeologist Indiana Jones famously played by actor Harrison Ford. The character was created by Star Wars director and Spielberg's friend George Lucas. A planned 2008 film again reteaming Spielberg, Lucas and Ford is in preproduction.

The infamous hoax site http://www.supershadow.com posted a series of points that make up a Indiana Jones film.

Contents 1 1) Start of Movie 2 2) Film opens in the middle of the search for a precious object 3 3) Indy retrieves the object then loses it to the villains 4 4) Takes a plane with and meets beautiful woman 5 5) After/during plane trip, they are sabotaged/attacked, get info on mission/clue, sidetrack to new destination with large old building(s) 6 6) Woman is captured at some point 7 7) Must have one showcase phobia-inducing animal. 8 8) Showcase action scene on special vehicle with Indy in jacket and hat 9 9) After artifact is found, it destroys the villain(s) 10 10) Film must have a scene involving a cave 11 11) Giving up McGuffin 12 See also 13 References

[edit] 1) Start of Movie

       * RLA (Raiders of the Lost Ark): Paramount logo fades into a similarly-shaped mountain

* TD (Temple of Doom): Paramount logo fades into a mountain on a gong

* LC (The Last Crusade): Paramount logo fades into a similarly-shaped rock

[edit] 2) Film opens in the middle of the search for a precious object

* RLA: South American Golden Idol

* TD: Lao She's Ashes

* LC: Cross of Coronado

[edit] 3) Indy retrieves the object then loses it to the villains

       * RLA: South American Golden Idol found, but lost to Belloq

* TD: Lao She's Ashes retrieved from villains, but eventually lost

* LC: Cross of Coronado stolen from villains, but lost back to villains, but eventually recovered from the villains many years later

[edit] 4) Takes a plane with and meets beautiful woman

       * RLA: Marion in Nepal

* TD: Willie in Shanghai

* LC: Elsa in Venice

[edit] 5) After/during plane trip, they are sabotaged/attacked, get info on mission/clue, sidetrack to new destination with large old building(s)

       * RLA: in Nepal attacked by Nazi henchman, get headpiece of Ra, then go to Cairo, Egypt to scope out buried city Tanis for the Ark

* TD: pilots leave them with a fuelless plane in the mountains, land in Village get info about stolen children and Shankara stones, go to Pankot Palace to check out story

* LC: attacked by members of the Cruciform Sword, get info abou Grail on shield and info about Henry's whereabouts, go to Castle Brunwald in Austria

[edit] 6) Woman is captured at some point

       * RLA: Marion captured in Cairo market square

* TD: Willie caught while watching Indy scope out the Stones

* LC: In Castle Brunwald, Elsa taken hostage by Nazi stooge

[edit] 7) Must have one showcase phobia-inducing animal.

(Ironically, Harrison Ford had had prior experience with these animals and had no fear of them at all)

       * RLA: Spiders in the Idol Temple; Snakes in the Well of the Souls

* TD: Insects in palace cave tunnel

* LC: Rats in knight's tomb

[edit] 8) Showcase action scene on special vehicle with Indy in jacket and hat

       * RLA: Truck containing the Ark scene where he goes under the truck

* TD: Minecar scene where they escape Thuggees and water

* LC: Tank scene where they fall over the cliff

[edit] 9) After artifact is found, it destroys the villain(s)

       * RLA: Nazis and Belloq die after opening the Ark

* TD: on the bridge hanging over the cliff, Indy recites some words ("You betrayed Siva") setting the stones on fire, Mola Ram dies trying to catch one of the flaming Shankara stones

* LC: Donovan dies after drinking from the wrong Grail

[edit] 10) Film must have a scene involving a cave

       * RLA: the island cave where the Nazi submarine docks

* TD: Thuggee temple under the palace

* LC: the Grail cave

[edit] 11) Giving up McGuffin

       * RLA: The Ark is opened, all the Nazi bodies/souls are sent in a whirlwind to heaven but rejected and encased forever in the Ark, sent back to America, taken and put into a crate inside secret warehouse among hundreds of thousands of other crates

       * TD: The three stones are returned to the tribe

       * LC: The Grail is left in a crevace under the ground of the Canyon of the Crescent Moon

[edit] See also

• Indiana Jones
• Steven Spielberg
• Harrison Ford
• George Lucas
• Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
• Indiana Jones IV

[edit] References

• SuperShadow's Plot Formula site