What a beautiful movie!

An Exercise In Nonsense

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

RELEASED TO TV IN 1995 and directed by Carl Schultz, "The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Treasure of the Peacock's Eye" features 20 Year-old Indiana Jones (Sean Patrick Flanery) and his tubby pal, Remy (Ronny Coutteure), globetrotting from Belgium at the end of WWI to Egypt and, eventually, SE Asia and New Guinea, obsessed with finding a fabled lost diamond that belonged to Alexander the Great. The antagonists they face include a dubious man with an eye-patch, Asian pirates and (maybe) hostile islanders.This was the second of four such movies with Flanery as the title protagonist, released from 1994-1996; although, chronologically, it was the third movie. Remy only appears in the first two and, for me, Coutteure didn't work in the role. Why? Because he's SO overweight that it's impossible to buy him as a WWI trench soldier or a world-traveling adventurer. The movie scores pretty well on the female front with cutie Jayne Ashbourne as Lily and Alice Lau as an Asian pirate, but neither lasts overly long, which is one of the problems with this movie: Characters come-and-go (usually dying) with Jones & Remy the only two constants.Aside from the opening in the Belgium trenches, the first act is kind of tedious, but things perk up by midway with Lily and the Asian pirates; then the story bogs down again on an island in the South Pacific, although things get interesting when the real-life anthropologist of that period enters the proceedings, Bronislaw Malinowski (Tom Courtenay). Some people complain about the ending but I found the lesson that Malinowski teaches young Indiana compelling and inspiring.Being a TV movie, "Treasure of the Peacock's Eye" of course lacks the production quality of the theatrical blockbusters, but it's not bad all things considered. It's the segmented story where I have a problem: The plot is just an excuse to thrust the treasure-hunters from one short-lived adventure to another; all the peripheral characters are thin as notebook paper and quickly discarded. Nevertheless, the movie contains likable heroes and the misadventures & intrigue that go with a treasure quest.THE FILM RUNS 94 minutes and was shot in Bangkok & Phuket, Thailand (and, presumably, S. Cal., since there aren't any deserts in Thailand). WRITER: Jule Selbo.GRADE: C+

Considering that these Young Indy movies were made for TV, this one is exceptional. Much as we saw in "Raiders" young Indy traveled to exotic countries in search of antiquities, often putting his fighting skills to the test. Many of the Young Indy movies were two separate segments, different stories, about 45 minutes each. But this one is a single 90-minute movie.This one begins at the very end of the war, when a soldier is shot and a German is trying to get his boots off. Indy and his friend Remy chase the German away and find a map in the dead man's boot. They believe it is a treasure map, leading to the very large diamond, called the "peacock's eye", that had belonged to Alexander the Great. So the war ends and the two friends decide to search for the diamond.Sean Patrick Flanery is of course Young Indiana Jones and Belgiam actor Ronny Coutteure is his friend Remy.The real-life anthropologist for that period is Bronislaw Malinowski, and he is featured in the final scenes in New Guinea, where Indy and Remy end up in their search for the treasure. The DVD extras has a 25-minute segment on the real Malinowski, who is credited with the modern method of studying cultures, to actually become immersed in it, speaking their language and living with them, instead of just observing them. SPOILERS: Indy and Remy did find a small square locked strong box during their searches, presumed to contain the diamond. At New Guinea they were able to use tools to open it. Inside was a rock, but it had inscriptions. Remy wanted to continue the search, but Indy realized that he did not "need" that diamond, and they might search it for the rest of their lives and never find it. So he resolved to go back to Chicago and pursue his studies, something that he really did want.

The first half of this straight to video film (it's comprised of 2 episodes from the show) is filled with great humor, ancient treasures and all the swashbuckling action and adventure Indian Jones fans have come to love.The second half of the film slows down considerably. As mentioned above, the film is actually 2 episodes from the show, and like most t.v. shows, many episodes have distinctly different feels from one another (E.R. for example may have a more light hearted episode occasionally, or one that focuses primarily on one character). Unfortunately, the two shows, while making sense to put them together makes as they are in sequential order, they don't match up very well in tone on style. While the first half is a lot of Indy style action, the second slows to an almost crawl. The first half many will prefer, but the second has it's own merit as well. The two just do not flow together very well.Still a strong exciting and funny first half (Flanery really gets to do the Indiana Jones thing in this one!), and an interesting (if a bit too ponderous) second half still make up a strong if slightly disjointed finished product. A must see/own for Indy Jones fans, and worth if only to see the invaders fighting Indy on the Ocean liner! A sequence more than worthy in the Indiana Jones adventures!

This movie was loads of fun. It's obviously made-for-TV, but still has a higher production value than most of them.The story follows a 20-year-old Indy (Flannery) and his friend Remy from the battlefields of Belgium to the South Pacific in search of a precious gem.Along the way we get to peak inside young Indy as he must decide whether it's the prize or the chase that he loves.All-in-all fun family fare. If you're a big Indy fan, I recommend this flick to add to your collection.