Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Indiana Jones & The Sanctuary of the Black Order (2021)

Italy 1939: Indy, Short Round, and Marcus Brody are spelunking through caves in search of the Holy Shroud that covered Jesus when he arose from the dead.  They find a one-eyed woman who claims it has already been stolen.  Then, a trio of Crusader knights attack the heretics who came to steal it.  Indy and crew flee.

Barnet College: Government agents report that some American archeologists have gone missing in Germany; they were looking for the Holy Shroud.  Among the archeologist was Anais Watson, who accompanied Indy on his quest for the Crown of Thorns.  In flashback, Indy and Anais lived together, she got pregnant, he was iffy about the parenthood thing, she miscarried, and they broke up.  Yikes!  Brody declares the situation hopeless and counsels against a rescue mission into Germany.

Prague: Ignoring Brody's advice, Indy arrives in Prague to meet with Sallah and Sallah's brother-in-law, Husani.  Yes, Husani will serve as guide as they ride through Germany on their way to Hamburg.  Okay.  The trio arrive and learn that all relics have been moved to Wewelsberg Castle.  Let's get back on the horses!  Husani complains that it isn't a camel.  At Wewelsberg, Indy encounters a resurrected Colonel Krakauer - he had beheaded him in Crown of Thorns - who proves to be virtually invulnerable.  Uh oh!  The Nazis have created a super soldier.

This is the third Indy fan film with Lluis Ortega and the longest.  The length does it no favors.  Much of the movie drags and the action scenes are often just characters firing from cover and not achieving anything.  Many of the gunfights should have been shortened.  Some action scenes are stolen from other movies, notably Indy chasing down a truck on a horse and then kicking the driver out of the cab.  Why is Sallah in Germany?  Indy should have different contacts for different regions.  Sallah is Indy's Middle East contact and should remain there.  By that same reasoning, what is Short Round doing in Italy?  The love affair between Indy and Anais didn't work.  Another funny thing was that the travel map was modern, showing Prague to be in the Czech Republic.

Resurrection/divine healing features prominently in each of Lluis Ortega's outings as Indy.  There was the Crown of Thorns that brought Anais back to life, the Holy Grail which healed Indy from a gunshot wound in the back, and now the Holy Shroud that created the invulnerable Colonel Krakauer.  If another episode is made, I fully expect them to seek the Holy Rood and discover it has divine healing properties.

Though the weakest of the trilogy, it was still entertaining.

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