The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: The Phantom Train of Doom (1999 Video) User Reviews

Before there was a Temple there was a Phantom Train

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 7/10 · 15 June 2009]

Indy and Remy accidentally board the wrong train on their way to their next assignment. Once they realize their mistake they board another wrong train when trying to make their way back. Now hopelessly lost and facing the firing squad as deserters they encounter a group of old soldiers out in the African desert. For the time being their new mission is to take out a mysterious vanishing train with a massive cannon attached to it.

Phantom Train is certainly the fastest moving Young Indy adventure so far and there's never a dull moment in it. The second half is especially good as Indy and Remy kidnap Colonel Lettow-Vorbeck and hoist him away in a hot air balloon. The action scenes in this adventure are, for a change, up to the standard of the movies.

Though I am not sure of Paul Freeman as Frederick Selous (the real life inspiration for H. Rider Haggard's Allan Quatermain character). Why they cast the man who so famously played Indy's sleazy rival in Raiders to play a different person is beyond me. How great would it have been for Beloq to challenge Young Indy? His role as Selous here is bigger than the brief appearance he made in Passion for Life.

I can only hope that the rest will be this entertaining.

Indiana Jones TV-Movie done right

[romkevdv17 · 7/10 · 16 November 2021]

This movie could probably be considered Indiana Jones 3.5. It is a far better film than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, although thats not much of a compliment. It is a bit uneven and suffers from a TV-movie budget and filmography, and the fact the quality of film is not up to par with a big budget film. We follow Indy and Remi from the rest of the series get lost in the midst of German territory, meeting up with a renegade group of elderly British commandos. I won't describe the plot but it is exciting to say the least, not so much concerned with historical figures or drama as the other episodes, but with action and excitement. The first half is the better and more well-paced one of the two, centred on the train in question and also setting up some good intrigue. It is straight out of an Indiana Jones film and the whole plot surrounding the train is something the Nazis would've thought up in any of the films. The latter half also delivers some action, but the filmography suffers a bit and its a bit static and fake-looking at times. Still, there is some interesting conflict between Indy and a captive he has a hold of, calling into question how far Indy will go and what kind of person he is. Indy is made out to be much more of an idiot than seems fit for his character, he's also not as confident and Remy seems to really just be screaming at him most of the time. Which is fine as a comedic aspect but sometimes they have Remy be a more capable than Indy.

At 1hr and 30 minutes (at least the version I watched) it can be a bit of a slog near the halfway mark when it suddenly shifts from one story to another, this might've been better as a two parter. But if you want an beautiful setting, with fun characters (the actor who played Belloq from Raiders plays a British commando) and with good action and intirgue, you should definitely check this out.

A really great adventure!

[patvagg · 4 April 2002]

I really love the Young Indiana Jones videos, and this one is one of the best! I never used to watch them when they were a series but its been great to go back and watch them as feature films. George Lucas has just built the shows on such a great foundation with amazing locations, great casting and fun stories which are actually very educational because they are close to the truth. In The Phantom Train of Doom, Sean Patrick Flannery plays Indy probably the best in the series. Paul Freeman who plays Selous is great and well i might be biased but i just loved most things about this video. The only con i have with this movie and the whole series in general in fact is the abrupt endings they all have. but hey, we cant have everything!

anyway go out and get The Phantom Train of Doom because its a great Indy adventure and loads of fun to watch.

Great fun

[alainenglish · 9/10 · 31 October 2009]

The series heads west to Africa for this next edition in the DVD instalments. Indiana Jones (Sean Patrick Flannery) and his companion Remy (Ronny Coutteure) get a transfer to the African plains, where Indy duly gets both of them lost after taking the wrong train. A stroke of luck sees them team up with Indy's old friend Frederick Selous (Paul Freeman), who helps Indy tackle the Germans in two daring missions...

There is a wonderful sense of fun running through this instalment. A returning Paul Freeman, with support from Ronald Fraser and Mac McDonald, brings a good sense of camaraderie to the story that comes off well on screen. Tom Bell, appearing in the second part, brings the right tone of sinisterness and animal cunning to the role of Col. Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, a military genius whom Indy attempts to capture.

The African scenery and wild-life are caught well on screen and there are some well-paced action scenes on a railtrack and a hot-air balloon.

Enjoyable stuff.

Splendid

[raiseduser · 9/10 · 18 October 2011]

Yound Indy in East Africa

Excellent film about one of the most forgotten and extraordinary parts of the Great War. Some of the special effects may look fake but otherwise everything's sound; good script, acting, filming, costumes and story.

I have only gave it nine instead of ten out of ten because of the few bad special effects moments in the film. Its well worth watching for the entertainment, humour, action and the interesting historical people involved

Worthy of an award.

The Best Of The Series

[Fields201 · 9/10 · 1 February 2020]

If you were to show someone one episode to get them into the Young Indiana Jones series, this would be it. I believe this episode was made to shut up the naysayers that this series is bad. Many had complained that it isn't like the films it spawned from. They listened.

In this one, Young Indy and his pal Remy take the wrong train in East Africa and get mixed up with a bunch of old geezers known as "The Old and The Bold." In order for them to help them back to their unit, Indy has to take a little side mission to stop a phantom train with one big glorious action scene on the plane. Then for the second half, they have to capture a German military mastermind Colonel Paul Von Lettow-Vorbeck. Many say the film slows down at this point, but I love the relationship they have with this guy.

It's not all perfect. There are still some of those George Lucas ridiculous moments like when one of them has to balance on a rope to get across one car of the train to the other while being shot at. However, the action scenes are magnificent and the score is just as good as any other Indiana Jones film.