Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) Reviews

• The third entry in the installment is one of the best Indiana Jones series.

  ivo-cobra82015-10-16

  Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) is an Action Classic adventure better film than Temple of Doom , is still the best follow up in the trilogy and clever. It is also the greatest sequel of all time. It is one of my personal favorite adventure movies of all time. I love this movie to death. I loved it as a child and I still love it. After the dark middle chapter it was time for Indy to return to form and more lighthearted fair. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was the answer. Not to mention that bringing in Bond aka Sean Connery as Indy's dad was perfect casting. Connery adds his own whit & charm along with Indy's usual counterparts who where missed in The Temple of Doom. Last Crusade also bookends the trilogy well since the artifact he is after is related to God. While "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" isn't by any means what I would consider a stellar film, it was still an enjoyable and memorable theatrical experience, and in my opinion, easily ranks as the best sequel in the series. For all its faults and shortcomings (perhaps most of all, River Phoenix' laughably terrible haircut as the young Indy), the film succeeds in hitting the key notes at the proper moments, thus drumming up enough of the right combination of story and thematic elements, action and humor to make it worthwhile. Nevertheless, the bottom line is that it still pales in comparison to the level of across-the-board excellence that was achieved in the original 1981 movie. Still though, fans of this one will definitely want to pick up this excellent release, of which, throughout the entire presentation, I only came across a handful of things I thought could possibly be improved upon technically. This is probably the best installment of the Indiana Jones series. Raiders is a spectacular introduction to Dr. Jones and his style, Temple of Doom is an awesome Action, Adventure flick! Last Crusade rights the ship again with a go-for-broke production. Everything about it is huge- Jones is saving the planet from the Nazis for the second time. The budget was in place and off went Spielberg to make an epic, successfully. The film is bookended by two of the best things to appear in any of Spielberg's output: A young Indiana "beginning" his archaeological career, losing his treasure- just like the opening of Raiders- and being told by the man in his trademark hat "You lost today kid, but that doesn't mean you have to like it." and at the end, riding off into the sunset, literally. Such a conclusion could be seen as contrived but it works so well here. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade has lots of hand-to-hand combat, action-filled chases, and gun fights. Main characters are in near-constant peril, and one is shot point blank and almost bleeds to death. Minor characters are killed in somewhat gruesome ways, including beheading; a bad guy meets his end in a fairly disturbing scene. There's a bit of kissing/banter, and it's implied that two men have slept with the same woman. Language is mild, and there's ultimately a strong message about the importance of the father-son relationship. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a 1989 American adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, from a story co-written by executive producer George Lucas. It is the third installment in the Indiana Jones franchise. A cult film, still one of my favorite films in the series and the last good Indiana Jones movie we didn't need another sequel after third release. There's nothing more exciting than trying to keep up with the Joneses in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Indy's Nazi enemies are back and have kidnapped his father, Professor Henry Jones Sr. (Sean Connery), in their effort to locate the sacred Holy Grail. Following a trail from America to Venice to the deserts of the Middle East, it's up to Indy (Harrison Ford) to save his father, save the Grail and save the day in this non-stop, action-packed adventure the whole family will treasure. The chemistry between Sean Connery and Harrison Ford makes this movie a stand out from the rest of the series. The story of their father and son relationship wrapped in the search for the holy grail is what makes this spectacular Indy movie, a more meaningful adventure. 10/10 Bad Ass Seal Of Approval

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• The Last Crusade is the best of the Indy trilogy.

  Li-12003-11-02

  Rating: **** out of **** My opinion of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade could be deemed slightly biased. It is the first film I ever saw in theaters and it's also the first movie I purchased on video. I even own the same, worn-down, beat-up copy (and look upon it even more fondly than the widescreen edition, for sentimental reasons, of course) (but nothing beats the pristine quality DVD). I think it's fair to say it's this movie that cemented my love of cinema, the high regard I hold for great escapism, which is sorely lacking from today's cinema; movies that should be fun now drag or bludgeon themselves with relentlessly awful scripts or MTV-style direction that turns relatively simple scenes into chaotic blurs. The Last Crusade may only be thirteen years old, but I think I can safely say they don't make them like they used to. The film stars, of course, Harrison Ford as Indy Jones, the archaeologist/adventurer who's on yet another quest, this time to find his father, who'd been searching for the Holy Grail. Said Dad is played by none other than Sean Connery, whose highly charismatic performance is quick to place this film, acting-wise, above the others in the trilogy by giving Ford a genuine acting equal (let me put it this way, he's only half a notch below Harrison Ford/Indy in charisma and appeal if that tells you anything). The rest of the film focuses on this ongoing journey between father and son (eventually joined along by Sallah and Marcus Brody), complete with amazing action and stunt sequences, clever humor, and nasty (but fun) surprises. The script, by Jeffrey Boam, takes a few cues from Raiders of the Lost Ark, but actually improves upon that story by paying more attention to characterization. The delightful opening scene (all three movies really open with a bang, don't they?); which details how young Indy got his scar, whip, hat, and fear of snakes; makes for a better prequel than Temple of Doom (and any of The Adventure of Young Indiana Jones, for that matter). The story is engrossing because there's a lot of fun clues offered towards the location of the Grail and, thus, there's a lot of engaging little discoveries (love the "X marks the spot" scene). I'm quite certain, like with Raiders of the Lost Ark, the plot has a few holes, but they're fairly hard to notice, and I've seen this movie quite a few times, but maybe it's just my enjoyment of the film clouding that up. Either way, it speaks volumes in favor of Spielberg's direction and the performances. Given that action and adventure is the series' selling point, you can expect the thrills and wondrous delight of discovery delivered in spades. The action scenes are terrific (and matched well with John Williams' rousing, memorable score, also the best of the trilogy), the best being a fantastic ten-minute chase sequence on board (and in) a tank, possibly the best action sequence of Spielberg's career. I also loved the motorcycle chase and the Zeppelin setpiece, where the heroes go about dispatching of two enemy fighters in unexpected, but quite hilarious, fashion. The climax, complete with frightening booby traps, is a suspenseful venture into the unknown. The Last Crusade is far more humor-oriented than its predecessors, but part of the movie's effectiveness is that it's able to deliver belly laughs without defusing the tension during the action sequences. Some of the jokes are just brilliant, including one with Indy armed with a Luger in confrontation with a trio of Nazis on board a tank that's even funnier than the swordsman scene in Raiders (well, to me, at least). The supporting cast is all-around superb; John Rhys-Davies is back as Sallah, wonderful as ever and displaying a bit more enthusiasm searching for the Grail than he did digging up the Ark of the Covenant. The late Denholm Elliot also returns as Marcus Brody, the most lovable goof of a museum curator. Alison Doody is interesting as Elsa, the blonde historian whom Indy falls for; a twist involving her character and her actions towards the climax make her not as one-dimensional as she may initially appear. Julian Glover is the best of the main Indy villains, he's far more menacing than Paul Freeman's Belloq and less over-the-top but equally enjoyable as Amrish Pruri's Mola Ram. I also enjoyed Michael Byrne's performance as the Jones hating Colonel Vogel, who relishes in torturing Indy and his father. When it comes to pure delightfully nasty villainy, Byrne is even more fun to watch than Glover. Harrison Ford delivers his best Indy performance (maybe even his best performance, period) in this particular adventure. With the addition of Connery as his father, it reveals a personal side to Indy we haven't seen before. It's his rapport with Connery that separates this film from the rest of the genre. They craft an uncannily touching, funny, and genuine bond. That, coupled with the superb action and thrills, solidifies The Last Crusade as the pinnacle of high adventure summer entertainment.

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• A classic

  ED122304_TGG2018-11-04

  This was an amazing movie, my personal favorite in the Indy series. Has good plot, a lot of humor, and some emotion too. not to mention plot twists

• You call this archaeology? Sure do!

  Mister-61999-08-19

  One thing you gotta say for this series: it isn't boring. And "Last Crusade" has enough thrills, chills and spills to fill up a few dozen old Saturday afternoon serials. Right down the line, everything about this film is superb. Ford and Connery do the father and son routine superbly. Rhys-Davies returns as Sallah, as does Elliott who plays Brody with as much befuddlement as Connery does his role. And who can blame him? And the FX: there's so many you lose count. But don't bother, just sit back, relax and get swept up in the moment. You can't help yourself but to get into this "Crusade". Ten stars. A classic Ford with a bright Sean.

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• Top-Notch Entertainment

  ReelCheese2006-05-11

  Everything clicks in this action-packed cliffhanger. In his third (and what for years what thought to be his last) adventure, Indy is on the hunt for that ultimate treasure, the Holy Grail. Along the way he must contend with Nazis, a secret brotherhood and, of course, snakes. Sean Connery is a wonderful addition as Indy's father, and the chemistry between he and star Harrison Ford may just be one of the best in film history. The movie is a true rarity in that its attempts to outdo each preceding chase sequence succeed. Though children might have trouble interpreting the plot, this crusade is one people of all ages will enjoy.

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