Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Movie Review

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

Rent Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Jeffrey Boam (screenplay), George Lucas and Menno Meyjes (story), George Lucas and Philip Kaufman (characters)
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Alison Doody, Denholm Elliot, John Rhys-Davies, River Phoenix
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
In 1938, after his father goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail, Indiana Jones finds himself up against the Nazis again to stop them from obtaining its powers.

Verdict
For nineteen years this was the final adventure, and two additional movies haven't usurped it. This pits Indiana against the Germans in a search for one of the most famed historical artifacts. This adds a foil for Indy in his father who provides comic relief, and he's the first person we've seen in the franchise unimpressed with Indy's exploits. There's plenty of puzzle solving and action on trains, planes, motorcycles, cars, and tanks. That's all a precursor to the final trials that may just lead Indiana to the grail. I was on the edge of my seat wondering if Indiana would survive. It's a fun movie that recovers from the missteps of Temple of Doom, though it still lives in the shadow of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Watch It.

Review
It's difficult not to review this against the first two Indiana Jones movies. This rights the wrongs of the second movie that never felt adventurous with no clues to follow. The third movie brings back Germans as the villains and makes the artifact religious again. The differentiator is Dr. Jones Senior, an academic whose life's work was the search for the grail.

River Phoenix plays Henry Jones, Jr

This begins with a young Indiana Jones (River Phoenix) as just a boy scout thwarting grave robbers. We discover the origin for his hatred of snakes as well as where he got the whip and hat. He was always on the side of history, and this was a fundamental experience in creating the Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) we know. It's a bit of fan service, but you can excuse it for being the 'final' adventure. In retrospect, the opening shares some ideas with The Fablemans. It seems that Spielberg pulled from personal experience.

This does a slick job of connecting young Indy to the current story where we see the duality of the adventurer and the professor. Indy is called in to continue the hunt for the Holy Grail. The lead was Indy's father Henry Jones (Sean Connery) who was devoted to finding the grail. That was the source for a lot of resentment as Indy was always second to his father's grail diary. Indy takes the job and picks up the trail in Venice which leads to Austria and Nazis where Indy finds Henry.

Harrison Ford, Sean Connery play Indiana Jones, Henry Jones, Sr.

Henry Jones is the first time we see someone that's not enamored with the great Indy. With Henry, Indy is always "Junior." Indiana still wants his father's approval, but dad isn't amused by Indiana's escapades. Action scenes occur on a train, with boats, on motorcycles, and then they end up on a zeppelin. This does an excellent job of balancing action, adventure, and comedy.

Each step forward feels like two steps back. No matter what Indiana does, he can't impress his father. He still has unresolved resentment because of a dad that was never present and always more interested in the grail. Indiana and Henry must return to Berlin to retrieve the diary, a dangerous escapade all the worse as it's a result of Indy's mistake.

Everyone is headed to the temple, the diary providing the map. All this adventure leads to the final trials. Indy must pass the tests, with his and his father's lives on the line. It's intense, and Indy knows that if he even survives he's paving the way for the Germans to get through the trials.

This movie originally was a great conclusion to the trilogy. I liked it better than the second, though the first movie remains the best. This movie is more comedic than I'd like, and it often feels like it's trying to recapture Raiders. That's not a criticism. If you're going to imitate, go for the best.