Baby
Beauty
Books
Computers
Education
Electronics
Health
Home & Garden
Local Places
Movies
Pets
Travel
Web Sites
more…
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Review
| Pros |
|
Naturally, both Lucas and Spielberg wanted the third chapter of the Indiana Jones saga to conclude - for the time being, anyway - on a lighter note more evocative of Raiders of the Lost Ark, with the same Saturday matinee serials sensibility that had made the 1981 movie work so well - a combination of a likable-but-fallible central hero, lots of action, formidable villains, amazing special effects, a not-too-mushy romance, and exotic locations in which Indy could hunt for the featured ancient artifact at the heart of the story.
But Spielberg wanted to add a more interesting dynamic to the new film - he wanted to tell a father-son story that shed some light into how Indiana Jones became, well, Indiana Jones. At first, Lucas wasn't too sure about his friend's notion; he wanted to send Indy on a quest for the Holy Grail, and Spielberg's gag of having the older Prof. Jones having a fling, implied or otherwise, with the film's "Indy Girl" didn't seem to be such a great idea.
Nevertheless, Spielberg persisted, and in a brilliant casting coup, he convinced Sean Connery, the original James Bond, to take the pivotal role of Professor Henry Jones. Sr.
Even though Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade follows the basic structure -- borrowed from the Bond series -- of the other movies by starting the film with the end of a previous adventure before introducing the main storyline, the film tweaks the formula by showing us Indy's first big adventure: in 1912 Utah, when the future archaeology professor is a Boy Scout (literally) living with his widowed father,
While on a Boy Scout horseback foray in the mountainous desert, young Indy (River Phoenix) wanders into a cave and sees a group of ruffians pilfering the long-lost Cross of Coronado. "That cross is an important artifact," Indy says to a fellow Boy Scout. "It belongs in a museum." Indy sends his friend for help, steals the Cross of Coronado from the ruffians, but ends up being chased as he attempts to escape on foot, horseback and even a circus train.
In this interlude, Indy acquires most of the traits established in the earlier films -- his phobia of snakes, his abilities with a bullwhip, the scar on his chin and even why he wears the leather jacket and snap-brim fedora. (One of the best scenes in the series: the handsome rogue who was hired to find the Cross by the collector known in the credits as "Panama Hat" tells Indy, "You lost today, kid. But that doesn't mean you have to like it." And in a show of admiration for the kid's spunk and courage, takes off his hat and places it on Indy's head. Spielberg holds the camera on the hat, and in the blink of an eye, we flash forward 26 years and to the conclusion of 39-year-old Indiana Jones' search for the Cross of Coronado.)
Panama Hat: Small world, Dr. Jones.
Indiana Jones: Too small for two of us.
Panama Hat: This is the second time I've had to reclaim my property from you.
Indiana Jones: That belongs in a museum.
Panama Hat: So do you.
After this exciting introduction, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade gets down to business when American millionaire Walter Donovan (Julian Glover) commissions Indy to find the missing leader (and his important papers) of Donovan's Holy Grail recovery team.
Several clues have been found near Turkey's capital city, Ankara, clues that might lead to the location of the legendary cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper -- a cup that also caught some of His blood at the Crucifixion.
But when Indy temporizes, Donovan tells him the identity of the missing team leader...and our favorite archaeologist/adventurer starts out on yet another globe-trotting trek to chase the legendary Christian relic.... and to rescue his dad.
But to do so, he enlists two of his most trusted friends, Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott) and Sallah (John Rhys-Davies), who we first met in Raiders of the Lost Ark and provide much of the film's comic relief.
He also forms an uneasy alliance with Dr. Elsa Schneider (Allison Doody), a gorgeous member of Dr. Jones, Sr.'s team and the last person to see him before he vanished. She's sexy, smart, and a great swimmer, but she's also a bit mysterious and shady.
Indiana Jones: Listen. Since I've met you I've nearly been incinerated, drowned, shot at, and chopped into fish bait. We're caught in the middle of something sinister here, my guess is dad found out more than he was looking for and until I'm sure, I'm going to continue to do things the way I think they should be done.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which was written by the late Jeffrey Boam (The Adventures of Briscoe County, Jr.) and based on a story by George Lucas and Menno Meyjes not only seemed to be the series-ending film, but also served as the inspiration for Lucasfilm's ambitious "prequel" TV series, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, which not only explored the childhood and adolesecence of Henry Jones, Jr., but expanded on a "gag" of having Indy cross paths with real-life historical figures which was used briefly but effecively in The Last Crusade.Professor Henry Jones: They're trying to kill us.
Indiana Jones: I know, Dad.
Professor Henry Jones: This is a new experience for me.
Indiana Jones: It happens to me all the time.
Connery, too, deserves kudos for his acting as Indy's tweedy, Grail-obsessed, and estranged father. He acquits himself well no matter if the scenes are "the Jones boys are in peril" action sequences or the deeper emotional moments between the once-estranged father and son. The chemistry between the original James Bond and Ford is palpable, and the audience truly can buy into the whole "father-son" relationship because of it.
Of course, adding to the fun and excitement is composer John Williams' lush and deep score, which not only brings back the familiar Raiders' March associated with Indy, but also adds new themes to underscore the various cliffhangers and emotionally charged sequences. Williams' theme for Henry - with its pastoral sound and use of English horns - is one of the most beautiful the master of film music has ever composed, and Williams' "Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra" is a favorite cue that's often played at live performances of movie themes in concert halls al over the world.
So before you dust off your fedora and buy your tickets for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, make sure you revisit Indy's final face-off with the Nazis in this funny and exciting 1980s-era blockbuster.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is recommended by Fardreamer
Comments about Fardreamer’s Review
Hasbro Star Wars - The Power of the Force: Luke's T-16 Skyhopper Review -...The Hunt for Red October Review - "1990's 'Red October' comes close to...Hasbro Star Wars - Power of the Jedi: Darth Maul (Final Duel) Review - ...Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Special Collector's Edition)...
