Tuesday, July 4, 2023

Indiana Jones: Return of Elsa Schneider (2019)

Berlin 1940: Indy (Lluis Ortega) and Sallah (Eduardo Castro) have been captured by Nazis who plan to interrogate them regarding a map.  When the interrogator arrives, both Indy and Sallah are stunned to see it is Elsa Schneider!  Immediately, Indy asks how she survived.  She brushes aside the question and begins her interrogation.  When the Nazi guards are out of the way, she lets Indy & Sallah escape, but requests a meeting later.  On the way out of the Nazi compound, Indy again asks why she's not dead and she ignores him.  Indy arrives at the meeting site and Elsa finally explains that she was seriously injured in the fall but not killed.  The Crusader Knight healed her with the Holy Grail.  She was able to escape thereafter but left the Grail behind.  She would like Indy to help her retrieve it.  He agrees.

This fan film is less than 20 minutes but quite entertaining.  Filmed in Spain, the dialogue is all in Spanish.  The sets, costumes, and cinematography are all low-budget, but workable.  The comical elements are great.  Perhaps the funniest line was when Indy returns home to see his father (Manel Gonzalez), who is dating a new woman.  He is eager to introduce Junior to her: Willie Scott (i.e., Indy's love interest from Temple of Doom).

This is one of three fan films with Ortega as Indy.  Of those, he wrote and directed two of them.  I can hardly wait to see the other films.  Good popcorn fun!  Recommended.

No comments: