Review of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) by Jon D — 16 Sep 2018

Spielberg and Lucas find their stride again with The Last Crusade.

Having now watched all three films in succession, it is easy to see what a departure Temple of Doom was. Everything that I loved about Raiders of the Lost Ark came back, and everything I hated about Temple of Doom disappeared.

The chemistry between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery is hard to match. There are heartfelt moments, but there are more moments of hilarious interaction. The scene where the Order of the Cruciformed Sword attack the Nazis and Indy's father exclaims, 'Now who are all these people!?' will always make me laugh.

There is action and adventure aplenty in The Last Crusade. The entire tank sequence, in particular, is such a memorable setting and scene.

Despite my overwhelming praise, The Last Crusade is far from a perfect film. Sure there are plot holes, and Indiana suffers from the "immortal hero" syndrome. Alison Doody's acting is questionable at times, but nothing compared to the atrocity that was Kate Capshaw in Temple of Doom.

There is a theme of Indiana's reluctance to believe in the supernatural, despite being proven wrong time and again, that really comes to light when you watch all three movies back to back. By the finale of The Last Crusade, Indy has become a believer.

The worst part of The Last Crusade is watching our heroes ride off into the sunset, knowing that no other adventure movie will fill the immense void left by Indiana Jones.