Review of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) by Seth Y — 12 Aug 2013

The third installment of the Indiana Jones saga is just as great as its predecessors. It's another adventure masterpiece.

After a brief prologue gives us a glimpse into the life of young Indy (River Phoenix), we are once again shown the familiar scene of an archaeology classroom. Dr. Jones (Harrison Ford) is approached by an art collector (Julian Glover), who presents him with the idea of finding the much sought after Holy Grail. Indy learns that another archeologist has recently gone missing in search of the grail, and that archeologist turns out to be his father, Dr. Henry Jones (Sean Connery). After tracking down his dad, the pair find themselves in the middle of an adventure as they try to locate the Holy Grail. Standing in their way is an undercover Nazi agent (Alison Doody), a beautiful, yet dangerous woman.

I love the prologue opening to this film. Although it's short, River Phoenix does a marvelous job capturing the essence of a young Indiana Jones. What can you say about Harrison Ford? He once again returns in the famous role and is just as awesome as ever. This time, he is paired up with his father, portrayed by the great Sean Connery. I was a bit skeptical of how that would work out, but the father/son storyline is just as entertaining as any other partners Indy has had.

The Temple of Doom was a very dark film. The Last Crusade, however, returns to the roots of the series. This is very similar in tone to Raiders of the Lost Ark, providing a lighter and more comedic vibe. I loved the darkness of the second film, but I had no problem going back to what made the series successful in the first place. It's action-packed, funny at times, and kept me on the edge of my seat all the way to the end. I've grown to love Indiana Jones, and The Last Crusade is a perfect third installment. 5 stars.