Sean Patrick Flannery, Anthony Daniels, Christopher Lee, Timothy Spall, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Daniel Craig, Friedrich von Thun, Julian Firth, Cameron Daddo

When it comes to the ‘’Indiana Jones’’ movie series – I’m there. When it comes to the ‘’Young Indiana Jones’’ TV series – I’m as bored as Paris Hilton in an economics class.

You can’t argue that George Lucas & Steven Spielberg’s successful spin-off series of the popular ‘’Indiana Jones’’ (1982-1989) trilogy – well, now Quadrilogy (“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is due out in March) – is a technical achievement, it most certainly is. The cinematography is breathtaking, the production design is outstanding and the extents that they go to to recreate historical and important moments in history are very admirable. The series really does transport you back in time.

Unlike say, “Deadwood” or “Mad Men”, two other series set in a time long ago, the gang between the “Indiana Jones” film series forgot what made the movies successful and effective in the first place when they decided to bring ‘The Man in the Hat’ to Television – that workable combination of awesome stunts, gut-busting humour and fearless heroics. Instead, the series seems much more concerned with giving audiences a ‘lavish backdrop’ to look at, and making sure it stays so historically accurate in its re-telling of the real-life stories that inspire each episode that what should be a light and fun series becomes an out-and-out bore – an educational bore, sure, but still a bore.

Volume 2 of “The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones” is set between 1917 and 1918 and fixes on Indy’s (future “Powder” star Sean Patrick Flannery) days as a soldier. Watch as Indy learns first-hand the savagery of warfare while participating in the Battle of the Somme, then witness as our hero comes across a disease-ravaged African village and is able to rescue one small child from certain death, and then go along with Indy as he’s ordered to assist the British – one of whom looks suspiciously like ‘our very own’ Cameron Daddo - in an attack on the ancient Middle Eastern desert town of Beersheba.

To be fair, some episodes are more entertaining than others, but by-and-large, they’re all pretty much standard fare. Even the extras on the disc aren’t that entertaining (interactive timeline, a Historical Lecture: War and Revolution by H.W. Brands, and a game for the PC).

Here’s hoping the ‘New’ Young Indy – Shia LaBeouf plays Indiana’s son in the fourth film – has a little more life in him than this chap did.

Rating :
Reviewer : Clint Morris