Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989) Dir: Steven Spielberg
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This is, for whatever reason, the film I've seen the least from Steven Spielberg's original trilogy. I'm not even sure why that is, because I have always enjoyed it. I was long overdue a rewatch, and I was fairly certain I'd enjoy it a lot more than I had done 'The Temple Of Doom', which aged very poorly.
There is the odd scene which has some dodgy visual effects, but, for the most part, the film looks pretty good for its age. The action sequences are so much fun, and the comedy hits so much better than in the second film. It really does feel a lot more akin to 'Raiders Of The Lost Ark' in all the right ways.
The story beats that of the second film by some distance, and feels much more like an 'Indiana Jones' adventure. It combines history, legend, treasure hunting, and fighting fascists - there isn't much better than that. The imagery is very strong, and while the story is a little over-the-top and cheesy, it's all great fun, and has some classic 'Indiana Jones' moments.
Harrison Ford gives yet another strong performance as the franchise's titular adventurer, and has some of his character's most amusing moments of comedy. His Scottish accent is terrible, but I think that was half the point, to be fair. I really enjoy Ford's on-screen chemistry with Connery - it's very entertaining.
Sean Connery is great value in this appearance as the senior 'Dr. Jones'. His dry humour, sarcy remarks, and classic 'old man' wit, make for plenty of humorous scenes, especially those involving his on-screen son. I'd forgotten just how entertaining he was in this film.
I actually think Alison Doody's character is one of the more interesting in the franchise, and a lot of that has to do with Doody's excellent performance. Her emotions feel very believable, as do her motivations, if not excusable. She also has good chemistry with Ford - something that I wish had been more explored in the film, in all honesty.
Other actor performances worth mentioning come from Denholm Elliott, John Rhys-Davies, Julian Glover, Michael Byrne, Kevork Malikyan, and the briefly appearing River Phoenix, who admittedly does not pass as a thirteen year old, but acts well enough to make that irrelevant.
Overall, I really enjoyed rewatching this third film. I think it's probably aged the best of the three original films too, which definitely helps its case. It has plenty of silliness, plenty of action, and a tonne of adventuring. It's a classic sequel, and the last truly good film in the franchise.
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