The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Treasure of the Peacock's Eye (1999)

Simply Perfect

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

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+

This episode sees the end of the First World War, with Indiana Jones (Sean Patrick Flanery) and his friend Remy (Ronny Coutteure) dispatched to the trenches one last time. As the whistle is blown and the fighting stops, they retrieve a map from a dying soldier that indicates the way to a prized diamond that once belonged to Alexander the Great. Indy and Remy set off to find the diamond, but find their quest has unexpected consequences for their friendship...After the delightful ghoulishness that pervaded the latter part of "Masks of Evil", it is good fun to see Indy on an old-fashioned adventure again, pursuing a mystical object. There is lovely foreshadowing of the movies here - the use of the red-line-on-the-map to indicate their journey, and even the score sounds similar in places to the films. Along the way they encounter a debonair antagonist, a treacherous damsel, pirates and some wild natives of New Guinea. All this is staged terrifically, although the pace drags a little bit sometimes.This was to be a curtain call of sorts for Ronny Coutteure's Remy, and it is a little sad to see his departure. In spite of the lumbering comic material forced on him at times, Coutteure was still a lively foil for Flanery and the ending where they go their separate ways is quite touching. The only other actor of note is Tom Courtenay, who gives a relaxed and considered interpretation of Bronislaw Malinowski, an anthropologist who lives among the natives.Another good adventure, but the last of it's kind in the series.

For a film that was low budget and lacking on adventure, it did get by, but just barely. This film was aimed at the truly hardcore Indiana Jones fan. Harrison Ford could not be brought on due to his cost, so this had to suffice.The acting was rather weak, although it was not painful, to watch. Filled with short conversations and glimpses into the Younger version of Jones, we watch Jones as he goes looking for the Peacock's Eye. After globe-trotting and finding different things, Jones ends his adventure.Jones fails to find the eye near the end, but instead gets another clue about its whereabouts. It comes off as a mini-series, where you have to watch the next film to find out what happens.Overall, its a sub-par film with run-of-the-mill acting. But, what did you expect? "C-"

Treasure of the Peacock's Eye, Chapter 17 of the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, is the type of adventure that made Raiders of the Lost Ark so popular. Even the titles are similar! The story follows young Indy, about twenty (and played rather well by Sean Patrick Flannery), in 1919. The war is over, but Indy and friend Remy discover a treasure map on the battlefield. The map will lead to the Eye of the Peacock - Alexander the Great's fabled diamond.Also after the diamond is an eye-patched villain, a seductive femme fatale who sees Indy as her prince, and a band of ruthless pirates. It boasts inventive action sequences - for a made-for-TV movie - including a battle with a pirate ship.The ending, however, is a minor letdown. The question on whether the Eye of the Peacock is discovered or not resolved, but many believe it was featured in the opening of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.A good time!