- Title: The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones Vol. 2
- tv.com: link
Volume Two takes young Indiana Jones (Sean Patrick Flanery) into the ranks of the Belgium Army. He enlists under the name Henri Defense (because he is underage at the time of his enlistment), and joins the war effort to do his part.
The adventures this time around begin with Indy’s role on the front lines in the trenches with his friend Remy (Ronny Coutteure). Over the course of this volume he will fight on the front lines both on the Western Front and in Africa, work as a runner for the French, escape from a German P.O.W. camp with the help of Charles De Gaulle (Herve Pauchon), be drafted into a suicide mission by a company of old soldiers, and spend a stint as a photographer with the famous flyboys of the Lafayette Escadrille which will bring him face-to-face with the Red Baron (Marc Warren).
The second half of the volume centers on Indy’s new job as a spy for Belgian, and later both French and British, Intllgence including working in Russia after the overthrow of the Czar, sneaking Austrian royalty behind enemy lines, and his attempt to lure one of Germany’s best plane designers Anthony Fokkker (Craig Kelly) to change sides. Flanery feels a little more at home in these adventures which offer him the opportunity to do more with character.
The most fun, and over-the-top, of the chapters “Espionage Escapades” involves Indy’s attempt to discredit the Germans and bring the Spanish into the war on the side of the Allies. Although quite silly, it’s also quite fun. The second half of the chapter involves Indiana’s inability to get a phone replaced in Prague; it goes even further with the humor and slapstick, feeling more like a Three Stooges episode at times, (it even has a character named Clouseau!), though it does provide Indy the opportunity to deliver one of the most memorable lines of the series to Franz Kafka (Tim McInnerny).
The second volume goes out with a bang with the return of T.E. Lawrence (Douglas Henshall), and appearances by both Catherine Zeta-Jones and Daniel Craig in “Daredevils of the Desert,” which incorporates many of the best elements of the series, plus we get to see Indy punch it out with James Bond (and, did I mention, Zeta-Jones shows up as a belly dancer!).
Boy, that Indiana Jones sure got around! Once again the production values are quite high and the writing, a mix of serious and comedic gives you a little bit of everything. Although the war theme gets a bit heavy at times, there are a few lighter moments along the way. At times it gets itself in trouble for being a little too cute (are we really supposed to accept that Indiana Jones is responsible for the Red Baron’s famous moniker?), there’s still much to enjoy. Fans of Indiana Jones should consider adding this one to their collection.