If adventure has a name, it must be Indiana Jones.

Starring: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan, Amrish Puri, Roshan Seth, Philip Stone, Dan Aykroyd, Roy Chiao, David Yip

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"The biggest trouble with her is the noise." – Indiana Jones regarding Willie's constant screaming

Why watch this? It's packed with action, mostly set in the scenic Indian forest near Mayapore.

Plot Summary: Dr. Indiana Jones, after barely escaping a dangerous encounter in Shanghai, finds himself in a desperate Indian village whose children have vanished along with a sacred artifact. Accompanying him are his resourceful sidekick Short Round and the glamorous nightclub singer Willie Scott. Together, they uncover a sinister cult beneath a nearby palace, delving into a world of ancient rituals and menacing forces, all while seeking to recover the lost stone and rescue the kidnapped children.

Dad's Preview: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) would have been impossible to outdo. This second entry certainly has more: more action, more narrow escapes, more, more more. The result is a film that feels contrived at almost every turn. Let's put Indy and his traveling companions on a plane, just so we can drop them out of it. Let's fill a narrow castle passage with the creepiest bugs on earth, just to have them them crunch their way through it. I mean, it's all entertainment, but does it make a good film? I guess, but it doesn't hold a candle to Raiders. Spielberg simply over-reached. I found Indy's ten-year-old side-kick, Short Round, to be annoying. Many of the stunts were too unbelievable. Perhaps I am nit-picking. All that said, there are some great Indy moments, but as a whole, it falls a little short by comparison.

Lucasfilm Ltd.; Paramount Pictures