Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Review

I should start off by saying that this is a better movie than the second one.  Part of it is that the quest is something that I find more interesting than the one they used in the Temple of Doom.  The Holy Grail just resonates better with me.  The other reason is that having a quirky dynamic between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery is much more appealing and of a higher comedic quality than they had between Ford and that annoying little kid.  Add in that they went back to their bread and butter of fighting Nazis and it makes it a much more appealing adventure.

If you take away the absolutely ludicrous intro of revealing everything that makes Indy what he is, this is actually a very strong movie for a second sequel.  That intro though is just plain idiotic.  It shows that every quirk that Indy has was the result of one days' events.  The hat, whip, chin scar, and fear of snakes all came at the same time?  Please.  We just didn't need to see it.  There's no value to the rest of the story at all.  They would have been better off removing it and adding another action sequence to the actual story.

Speaking of the action sequences, the ones in the Last Crusade are just plain fun.  Yes, they are over the top and unrealistic.  But that's the hallmark of Indiana Jones.  They are very well shot and timed for a film that was made in 1989.  They have aged very well.

I'm also not a Harrison Ford fan.  He always seems too intense and angry when the situation doesn't require it.  But I must say that I think this is one of his better performances.  I'm sure it has something to do with working with an actor of Connery's calibre.  And, after all, who could be angry when you have to constantly look at Connery in that ridiculous bucket hat.

See it.  It's a very strong adventure.