Review by Matt Anderson

The War Years further proves The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles was a TV series unlike any other. During the course of this 9-disc set, the series offers up high drama from the front lines of Verdun and the Somme but also manages to switch gears with absurdist, screwball comedy from Barcelona and Prague.

Once again, George Lucas presents a tremendous mix of adventurous fiction and enlightening history, this time with documentaries covering major historical figures including Albert Schweitzer, Mata Hari, and Vladimir Lenin. Oh. And, back on the fictional side, Catherine Zeta Jones does a little belly dance.

Transferring from the front lines to the French Secret Service, Indy moves on to Russia in time to witness the early rumblings of the Russian Revolution under Lenin. After that, things lighten up considerably when Indy's spying mission requires his joining the Ballets Russes while in Barcelona for some goofy undercover work as a member of the tu-tu brigade (an episode, it must be noted, directed by Monty Python's Terry Jones).

There's something on the order of 13 ½ hours of new documentaries and those new hours are exceptional. The true stories -- supported by fantastic historical footage -- contained in this collection's documentaries rightly outshine the fictional adventures of young Indy.

reviews • videos • recommended • home