I love Indiana Jones, but there's always been some nagging thought that something wasn't right about them. Why did people reject Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? It wasn't a bad movie, and certainly no more over-the-top than any other Indiana Jones movie had been before. I think the reason why Crystal Skull annoyed audiences was because of that niggling doubt — the suspicion that we've seen this movie before.
What an enjoyable read. These films, Crystal Skull excluded, were such big parts of my childhood. George Lucas is a masterful marketer and he certainly knows the value of making kids feel like they're part of the film. In Temple of Doom, he uses the Short-Round character to do this. When you are a little kid and you see that another little kid can save Indiana Jone's life and can essentially be the hero (let's not forget it's Short-Round that burns the young-king back in to consciousness) of the entire movie, well that's pretty empowering stuff. I would agree that as an adult the Short-Round character is a bit annoying, but nowhere near as annoying as Willie. But every story needs a romantic interest, right? And while the vast majority of people agree that Willie was horrible, there's at least one guy that liked her.
Great observation regarding Jone's "saving the day," only in Temple of Doom, I'd never thought of it this way, but you're right. The other 3 all have essentially the same ending. Wonderful review of the franchise imo.
What are your thoughts on whether or not they should continue to make more? I have to say, I found the character of Marion Ravenwood to be as annoying as Willie and wish they'd not have resurrected her character. Also, did he have to name the future of the franchise Mutt?