Review: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade opened on this date in 1989. The film starred Harrison Ford and Sean Connery. The Last Crusade was directed by Steven Spielberg.

Synopsis:

Indiana Jones’s father has gone missing while searching for the Holy Grail. Indy must now try to find the Grail, and his dad, before Nazis can track it down. The adventure becomes even more complicated for the archaeologist when a romantic interest gets involved in the matter.

Positives:

• The chemistry between Ford and Connery is excellent. Their relationship as father and son brings a lot of depth to the Indy character.

• The action scenes are all well choreographed and staged. Spielberg puts together some of the best set pieces of his career—especially the motorcycle and tank sequences.

• Last Crusade delves into the character of Indiana Jones in ways the rest of the franchise didn’t. The script does an excellent job of making Indiana more than just an action hero. We learn more about Indy through flashbacks and the introduction of his Father. Both are cleverly done and well written.

Negatives:

• At times the film relies too much on silly humor. The action scenes are thrilling, but sometimes the comedy takes away from the peril. The emphasis on humor also hurts some of the characters and their importance.

In Closing:

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a more than worthy entry into the franchise. The film has more character development and emotion than any other film in the series. The adventure moments are on par with the first two films, but sometimes the comedy undermines the impact of them. The Last Crusade won’t disappoint anyone that is a fan of the Indiana Jones franchise.

Rating: A-