Indiana Jones [3]: The Last Crusade (1989)
Action | Adventure | Thriller
-- Part of a 3-Movie 4-Disc Set --
Tagline: The creators of JAWS and STAR WARS now bring you the ultimate hero in the ultimate adventure.
This gift set features all three Indiana Jones feature films:
• The Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) -- (24 Chapters) (1:55)
• The Temple of Doom (1984) -- (23 Chapters)(1:58)
• The Last Crusade (1989) -- (25 Chapters)(2:07)
• A special 4th disc contains new, never-before-seen, retrospective interviews with George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford.
All three movies have been digitally remastered with THX® for superior sound and picture quality.
User Comment: tfrizzell United States • "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is a wild and crazy thrill ride which deals with an archaeologist (Harrison Ford) who is trying to keep the ark of the covenant from the Nazis just before the
start of World War II. The screenplay is greatly under-rated, Spielberg's direction has rarely been better or more creative, and of course Harrison Ford solidified his celebrity with this his greatest role. 5 out of 5 stars.
Summary: The Film That Solidified Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford
Cast Notes: Harrison Ford (Dr. Henry 'Indiana' Jones, Jr.), Sean Connery (Professor Henry Jones, Sr.), Denholm Elliott (Dr. Marcus Brody), Alison Doody (Dr. Elsa Schneider), John Rhys-Davies (Sallah), Julian Glover (Walter
Donovan), River Phoenix (Young Indiana Jones), Michael Byrne (Colonel Vogel), Kevork Malikyan (Kazim), Robert Eddison (Grail Knight), Richard Young (Fedora), Alexei Sayle (Sultan), Alex Hyde-White (Young Henry [scenes deleted]), Paul Maxwell (Panama Hat),
Isla Blair (Mrs. Donovan [as Mrs. Glover]).
User Comment: Li-1, 2 November 2003 • My opinion of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade could be deemed slightly biased. It is the first film I ever saw in theaters and it's also the first movie I purchased on video. I even own
the same, worn-down, beat-up copy (and look upon it even more fondly than the widescreen edition, for sentimental reasons, of course) (but nothing beats the pristine quality DVD). I think it's fair to say it's this movie that cemented my love of cinema,
the high regard I hold for great escapism, which is sorely lacking from today's cinema; movies that should be fun now drag or bludgeon themselves with relentlessly awful scripts or MTV-style direction that turns relatively simple scenes into chaotic
blurs. The Last Crusade may only be thirteen years old, but I think I can safely say they don't make them like they used to.
The film stars, of course, Harrison Ford as Indy Jones, the archaeologist/adventurer who's on yet another quest, this time to find his father, who'd been searching for the Holy Grail. Said Dad is played by none other than Sean Connery, whose highly
charismatic performance is quick to place this film, acting-wise, above the others in the trilogy by giving Ford a genuine acting equal (let me put it this way, he's only half a notch below Harrison Ford/Indy in charisma and appeal if that tells you
anything). The rest of the film focuses on this ongoing journey between father and son (eventually joined along by Sallah and Marcus Brody), complete with amazing action and stunt sequences, clever humor, and nasty (but fun) surprises.
The script, by Jeffrey Boam, takes a few cues from Raiders of the Lost Ark, but actually improves upon that story by paying more attention to characterization. The delightful opening scene (all three movies really open with a bang, don't they?); which
details how young Indy got his scar, whip, hat, and fear of snakes; makes for a better prequel than Temple of Doom (and any of The Adventure of Young Indiana Jones, for that matter).
The story is engrossing because there's a lot of fun clues offered towards the location of the Grail and, thus, there's a lot of engaging little discoveries (love the "X marks the spot" scene). I'm quite certain, like with Raiders of the Lost Ark, the
plot has a few holes, but they're fairly hard to notice, and I've seen this movie quite a few times, but maybe it's just my enjoyment of the film clouding that up. Either way, it speaks volumes in favor of Spielberg's direction and the performances.
Given that action and adventure is the series' selling point, you can expect the thrills and wondrous delight of discovery delivered in spades. The action scenes are terrific (and matched well with John Williams' rousing, memorable score, also the best of
the trilogy), the best being an excellent ten-minute setpiece on board (and in) a Nazi tank in a fantastic chase sequence across the desert, possibly the best action sequence of Spielberg's career. I also loved the motorcycle chase and the Zeppelin
setpiece, where the heroes go about dispatching of two enemy fighters in unexpected, but quite hilarious, fashion. The climax, complete with frightening booby traps, is a suspenseful venture into the unknown, which is the pinnacle adventure movies aspire
to.
The Last Crusade is far more humor-oriented than its predecessors, but part of the movie's effectiveness is that it's able to deliver belly laughs without defusing the tension during the action sequences. Some of the jokes are just brilliant, including
one with Indy armed with a Luger in confrontation with a trio of Nazis on board a tank that's even funnier than the swordsman scene in Raiders (well, to me, at least).
The supporting cast is all-around superb; John Rhys-Davies is back as Sallah, wonderful as ever and displaying a bit more enthusiasm searching for the Grail than he did digging up the Ark of the Covenant. The late Denholm Elliot also returns as Marcus
Brody, the most lovable goof of a museum curator. Alison Doody is interesting as Elsa, the blonde historian whom Indy falls for; a twist involving her character and her actions towards the climax make her not as one-dimensional as she may initially
appear. Julian Glover is the best of the main Indy villains, he's far more menacing than Paul Freeman's Belloq and less over-the-top but equally enjoyable as Amrish Pruri's Mola Ram. I also enjoyed Michael Byrne's performance as the Jones hating Colonel
Vogel, who relishes in torturing Indy and his father. When it comes to pure delightfully nasty villainy, Byrne is even more fun to watch than Glover.
Harrison Ford delivers his best Indy performance (maybe even his best performance, period) in this particular adventure. With the addition of Connery as his father, it reveals a personal side to Indy we haven't seen before. It's his rapport with Connery
that strikes that spark that separates this from 99% of the genre. They craft an uncannily touching, funny, and genuine bond unlike any duo I've seen. You could call it a buddy picture, but one with genuine heart and emotion, something filmmakers Michael
Bay or Jerry Bruckheimer could learn a thing or two about. The Last Crusade is the pinnacle of high adventure summer entertainment.
Summary: The Last Crusade is the best of the Indy trilogy and the most fun one can have watching a movie.
--- JOYA ---
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