As a critic, I am bound to acknowledge Raiders of the Lost Ark as the franchise peak. After all, that film represents a perfect alloy of highfalutin craftsmanship and blockbuster mass production. With that said, the heart wants what it wants, and it picks Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade as my emotional favorite of the original 80s trilogy. I wore my VCR to exhaustion repeating it and still quote snippets of dialogue to this day. Ten-year-old me would’ve awarded this film 9/10, so we’re gonna stick to that rating for this review.
Ordinarily, this would be the paragraph where I caution you for spoilers, as this is the third installment in a series. Remarkably, such a warning doesn’t apply to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. This is a self-contained story, with an extended prologue that adds texture for franchise fans and helps catch noobs up to speed.
We open in Utah, circa 1912. Young Indiana Jones (River Phoenix) is a clever young Eagle Scout, venturing into the red canyons of Moab with his troop. Indy stumbles into a cave, where some nasty thieves are stealing a precious artifact. Incensed, he attempts to flee with the treasure and the bad guys give chase. Throughout this sequence, Steven Spielberg introduces us to all of Indy’s defining features: His fedora, bullwhip, fear of snakes, etc. It’s a cute moment of character development in a franchise that has rarely paused for a deep breath. Plus. the late, great Phoenix gets perfectly cast as the younger, springier version of Harrison Ford.
Flash-forward to the late 30s. Indy (Ford) has finally recaptured this rare antiquity. Of course, in true 007 fashion, this opening is only the setup for a bigger adventure. As soon as Dr. Jones gets settled back at college, a few goons arrive to put him in a car. Indy soon meets Walter Donovan, a wealthy patron, who makes an unusual proposal: Turns out, Donovan’s researchers have nearly located the Holy Grail–the chalice used by Christ at the Last Supper. Indy balks, and tells the Donovan to seek out his estranged father. Too late, says Donovan, Dr. Jones Sr. (Sean Connery) led the original team, and he’s gone missing. Now, Indy can only hope the path to the Grail will also lead to his father.
That setup fuels one of the great action films of its time. Spielberg (working from a story by George Lucas and Menno Meyjes) goes full kitchen-sink mode, chucking out one huge set piece after another. You want speedboats in Venice? Done. How about a rumbling tank chase across the Turkish desert? Check. And, of course, there’s an ancient cavern with booby traps, dusty skeletons, and a room filled with shimmering treasure. From beginning to end, Spielberg and Lucas take great care to make sure Last Crusade is vintage Indy.
What’s more, the filmmakers seemed to have learned crucial lessons from the disappointment of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. That prequel was grisly, dismal nightmare fuel for kids and grownups alike. Yes, it made money, but Doom also didn’t exactly scream for more Indy films. If they can’t be fun, what’s the point?
Thankfully, Last Crusade embraces and amplifies the giddy romp of Raiders. The addition of Connery brings a welcome infusion of all-out charisma, plus the chance to see Ford’s underrated comedy chops. The Jones boys play off each other like old pros, bickering and needling each other with note perfection. The elder Jones brings new depth and humanity out of Indiana Jones, thus making this the most emotionally rewarding film in the franchise. We learn so much about Indy in Last Crusade, and it only makes us love him more.
Spielberg and Lucas go the extra mile by adding key characters from Raiders to ensure the two films rhyme with each other. This includes Denholm Elliot as the bumbling museum curator Marcus Brody and John Rhys-Davies as Indy’s lovable sidekick, Sallah. These two actors only add more humor to a movie that’s already tons of fun.
Another mainstay of Spielberg’s movies is the redoubtable crew working around him. Venerable cinematographer Douglas Slocombe takes the color palette of vintage Hollywood and gives it a gorgeous modern sheen. (This is the most visually pleasing of all the early Indy films.) If you’re a fan of old-school practical effects, Last Crusade is your jam. Also, the ILM geeks do an amazing job with miniatures, matte paintings, and even stop-motion photography to deliver a movie that holds up remarkably well.
Finally, I’m a music nerd, so I’ve to single out John Williams, who goes above and beyond with his orchestral score. In addition the legendary march for Indy, we get a raft of new motifs: The Nazis get an appropriately evil fanfare, with bursts of swaggering brass. For the elder Jones, we hear a cue that’s both sentimental and noble. Even the Holy Grail gets an ominous theme of its own. If Last Crusade was a deliberate attempt to make a more rollicking Indy film, then Williams vibes right in with a bright and bouncy soundtrack.
But don’t take my word for it. If you’re a serious movie buff, you’ve got to check these first three Indy flicks off your list. The middle film sags from dreary storytelling, but Raiders and Last Crusade offer just about all the joy and excitement you could ever have with a movie. Yes, some movies are meant to make big statements about the human experience, but others exist to whisk you on a grand adventure. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade might be the perfect example of this.
128 min. PG-13. Disney+.
