The original Indiana Jones movie is goofy and adolescent in a good way – the sort of rollicking adventure a gaggle of innocent kids might dream up in their backyard on a summer afternoon. Director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas aimed to make an homage to the movie serials of their youth and they did a masterful job of modernizing the genre without lampooning it. Of course, that’s the exact same spirit Harrison Ford brings to the role of Indiana Jones, which suggests the series wouldn’t work without him (sorry Tom Selleck). At once sardonic and heroic, he’s the movie’s perfect guide. He lets us indulge in childish thrills without feeling silly about it.
