Amazon of the Week: Marion Ravenwood

There are several reasons why Raiders of the Lost Ark is the best of the Indiana Jones films and Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) is at the top of the list. Although she plays the damsel in distress for a significant part of the movie, she never feels like she's filling that role. She's strong, she's capable, and if you're a guy in her way, she'll either seduce you, punch you, or drink you under the table depending on what the situation calls for.

Of the many problems Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom has, the biggest is that it didn't continue the story of Indy and Marion. Kate Capshaw's whiny, spoiled Willie Scott is no substitute. And though Alison Doody's Elsa Schneider was pretty tough in The Last Crusade, she lost points by being a villain (though I should probably watch that again with fresh eyes; I just remember being disappointed at the time).

It was smart of them to bring Marion back for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but a shame that they didn't give her a lot to do. She wasn't nearly as tough and cool as she'd been in Raiders. But then again, neither was Indy.