Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade
(A or 4/4 stars)
1982's Raiders of the Lost Ark was a fantastic action/adventure film. 1984's Temple of Doom was an okay sequel. And now, this 3rd installment of this widely beloved Indiana Jones' series, 'Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade' (directed again by the great Steven Spielberg) is back on the same glorious level as the 1st film. As with Raiders ..., the plot of this film deals with the quest for a long-lost biblical artifact ... and famed adventurer & archaeologist Indiana Jones has to overtake the Nazis to claim it. Action starts, however, with a fast-paced prologue set in 1912 that features River Phoenix as Young Indiana. An origin story, of sorts, it shows an early adventure that he gets himself into; how he got the scar on his chin, & how it came to be that he fears snakes {haha}.
The brunt of the movie transpires, though, in 1938 & follows adult 'Indy' (Harrison Ford) on the hunt for his missing father, Prof. Henry Jones (Sean Connery); who's believed to have discovered clues to the exact locale of ... the Holy Grail. As it turns out, the clues & map are inside Henry's own diary. Indy's globe-trotting trip is funded by yet another man who wants the Holy Grail - wealthy private art collector, Walter Donovan (Julian Glover). Indy is accompanied to his 1st stop, beautiful Venice, by old pal Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliot). It is there where Indy meets this film's love interest, Dr. Elsa Schneider (a comely Alison Doody). Much romping ensues (including rats(!), flames, gunmen, boat chases, & a ship's propeller).
Later in the film, as this group (Indy, his dad, Elsa, Marcus) gets closer to their ultimate goal, they are joined by Indy's stalwart sidekick from the 1st film, Sallah (John Rhys-Davies). Plot machinations allow our protaganists to enter right into a castle in Nazi territory - in a race to get the Grail before they do (hence, using it for world domination for their super-race). Double identities abound. And action then shifts to the dangerous Canyon of the Crescent Moon in the Middle East. Can Indy obtain the Grail & gain eternal life, save those whom he loves, defeat his foes, & overcome another exciting, but death defying adventure?
I don't know if this will be the last Indiana Jones film. But if it is, it goes out with a bang; capturing the same entertainment factor that the initial film had. Plus adding Sean Connery into the equation brought in a fun father/son dynamic. I loved seeing the return of the creature/action set piece combo from the other films. Raiders had snakes & a truck chase. Temple ... had insects & the mine roller coaster. And in 'Last Crusade', we get rats & the German tank chase (which was awesome). The rat scene, in particular, was horrifying & wow-worthy (complete with fire). I also loved the entire Venice, Italy sequence {Gosh, I want to visit that city}. And there's a funny/scary segment in a huge German airship.
I have to talk more about the father/son dynamic btwn. Henry & Indy. It's a prickly one. That brought the humor. But it's also a potent pairing. And there's a depth of feeling that is really brought about towards the end of the film when something near-tragic occurs. You know, I liked Alison Doody as Fraulein Elsa. But she didn't make for an amazing love interest. And so, the emotional heft of the film lies with Henry & Indy. And we see Indy as more than some handsome, determined, angsty adventurer. He's a son; and a caring one, at that. On the acting front, I was ecstatic to see Sean Connery in a polar opposite portrayal than his usually suave, debonair 007 fare. Here, is a bit of a bumbling dork, really {haha}. I also like spending time with John Rhys-Davies & Denholm Elliot again; after they went missing from the plot of the 2nd film. And Julian Glover makes for a sneaky, sniveling, unlikeable villain; as one should be.
Steven Spielberg's direction is as on-point, as ever. Sure, some of his execution is emotionally manipulative. Some of the plot points are a little too hokey/jokey. But, as always, Spielberg brings the mega thrills & the mega wows. The man knows how to make a fun, involving blockbuster. Visually, 'Last Crusade' looks great; with beautiful 1930's locales, sets, & costumes. The editing of the many incredible action sequences is stellar. The sound design (cars, circus animals, motorbikes, rats, fire, yelling, tanks, gunfire, etc.) is amazing. And John Williams' musical score impresses {I can hear the theme}. And so, with its deft mixture of action, adventure, perfectly-timed humor, romance, & thrills ... 'The Last Crusade' proves to be one of the best Summer blockbusters in recent memory, if not the entire year! I love, love, LOVED this movie; and plan on seeing it many times.
The brunt of the movie transpires, though, in 1938 & follows adult 'Indy' (Harrison Ford) on the hunt for his missing father, Prof. Henry Jones (Sean Connery); who's believed to have discovered clues to the exact locale of ... the Holy Grail. As it turns out, the clues & map are inside Henry's own diary. Indy's globe-trotting trip is funded by yet another man who wants the Holy Grail - wealthy private art collector, Walter Donovan (Julian Glover). Indy is accompanied to his 1st stop, beautiful Venice, by old pal Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliot). It is there where Indy meets this film's love interest, Dr. Elsa Schneider (a comely Alison Doody). Much romping ensues (including rats(!), flames, gunmen, boat chases, & a ship's propeller).
Later in the film, as this group (Indy, his dad, Elsa, Marcus) gets closer to their ultimate goal, they are joined by Indy's stalwart sidekick from the 1st film, Sallah (John Rhys-Davies). Plot machinations allow our protaganists to enter right into a castle in Nazi territory - in a race to get the Grail before they do (hence, using it for world domination for their super-race). Double identities abound. And action then shifts to the dangerous Canyon of the Crescent Moon in the Middle East. Can Indy obtain the Grail & gain eternal life, save those whom he loves, defeat his foes, & overcome another exciting, but death defying adventure?
I don't know if this will be the last Indiana Jones film. But if it is, it goes out with a bang; capturing the same entertainment factor that the initial film had. Plus adding Sean Connery into the equation brought in a fun father/son dynamic. I loved seeing the return of the creature/action set piece combo from the other films. Raiders had snakes & a truck chase. Temple ... had insects & the mine roller coaster. And in 'Last Crusade', we get rats & the German tank chase (which was awesome). The rat scene, in particular, was horrifying & wow-worthy (complete with fire). I also loved the entire Venice, Italy sequence {Gosh, I want to visit that city}. And there's a funny/scary segment in a huge German airship.
I have to talk more about the father/son dynamic btwn. Henry & Indy. It's a prickly one. That brought the humor. But it's also a potent pairing. And there's a depth of feeling that is really brought about towards the end of the film when something near-tragic occurs. You know, I liked Alison Doody as Fraulein Elsa. But she didn't make for an amazing love interest. And so, the emotional heft of the film lies with Henry & Indy. And we see Indy as more than some handsome, determined, angsty adventurer. He's a son; and a caring one, at that. On the acting front, I was ecstatic to see Sean Connery in a polar opposite portrayal than his usually suave, debonair 007 fare. Here, is a bit of a bumbling dork, really {haha}. I also like spending time with John Rhys-Davies & Denholm Elliot again; after they went missing from the plot of the 2nd film. And Julian Glover makes for a sneaky, sniveling, unlikeable villain; as one should be.
Steven Spielberg's direction is as on-point, as ever. Sure, some of his execution is emotionally manipulative. Some of the plot points are a little too hokey/jokey. But, as always, Spielberg brings the mega thrills & the mega wows. The man knows how to make a fun, involving blockbuster. Visually, 'Last Crusade' looks great; with beautiful 1930's locales, sets, & costumes. The editing of the many incredible action sequences is stellar. The sound design (cars, circus animals, motorbikes, rats, fire, yelling, tanks, gunfire, etc.) is amazing. And John Williams' musical score impresses {I can hear the theme}. And so, with its deft mixture of action, adventure, perfectly-timed humor, romance, & thrills ... 'The Last Crusade' proves to be one of the best Summer blockbusters in recent memory, if not the entire year! I love, love, LOVED this movie; and plan on seeing it many times.