The chemistry between its two stars is a thing of dreams, but the plot is a tad too episodic to make it a classic.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
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Reviews Counted:7
Fresh:7
Rotten:0
Average Rating:8/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 8 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Synopsis: Steven Spielberg's third action-packed entry in the Indiana Jones trilogy evokes the cliffhanger Saturday matinee serials of yesteryear. It's 1938 and Indy (Harrison Ford) receives word that his... Steven Spielberg's third action-packed entry in the Indiana Jones trilogy evokes the cliffhanger Saturday matinee serials of yesteryear. It's 1938 and Indy (Harrison Ford) receives word that his archaeologist dad, Professor Henry Jones (Sean Connery), has disappeared while on a quest for the Holy Grail. Indy embarks on a search for both his dad and the much-coveted artifact. THE LAST CRUSADE has a unique twist to the series' traditional opening-sequence cliffhanger. Actor River Phoenix plays an adolescent Indy who, while on a field trip with his Boy Scout troop, finds adventure on a circus train. Spielberg wanted to make the film about a father-and-son relationship, and Connery was his first choice to play Indy's dad. The selection was perfect, considering Spielberg and producer George Lucas first came up with the idea of the series as a rival to the James Bond movies in which Connery had starred. Before shooting THE LAST CRUSADE, Spielberg was planning on directing RAIN MAN with Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise but gave up the project to fulfill his contractual obligation with Lucas to make a third Indiana Jones movie. [More]
Starring: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, John Rhys-Davies, Alison Doody
Starring: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, John Rhys-Davies, Alison Doody, Denholm Elliott, Julian Glover, Michael Byrne, Robert Eddison, River Phoenix
Director: Steven Spielberg
Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenwriter: Jeffrey Boam
Story: George Lucas, Menno Meyjes
Producer: Robert Watts
Composer: John Williams
Reviews for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Spielberg's direction is typically manipulative, but the stars and megabucks spent maintain our interest.
Jeffrey Boam's script dabbles with themes of neglect and reconciliation, but there's nothing ponderous about the duo's near death scrapes and light-hearted tussels over the same blonde Fräulein.
A brilliant coup sees the film kick off with an extended flashback to Indiana's early days and our young hero (Phoenix) having his first taste of adventure during a scout trip in Utah.
What was conceived as a child's dream of a Saturday matinee serial has evolved into a moving excursion into religious myth.
Of the three Jones films, The Last Crusade may well become the sentimental favorite, the Indiana to end them all.
As I watched it, I felt a real delight, because recent Hollywood escapist movies have become too jaded and cynical, and they have lost the feeling that you can stumble over astounding adventures just by going on a hike with your Scout troop.
Latest News for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
July 28, 2008:
Lucas Considers a Fifth Indiana Jones ![]()
George Lucas is bringing Clone Wars to a theater near you, getting down to work on the Tuskegee Airmen-inspired Red Tails, and -- oh yeah -- contemplating a fifth Indiana Jones... More...
May 22, 2008:
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The summer movie season gets a big shot in the arm as the highly anticipated launch of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull kicks off the extended Memorial Day... More...
May 21, 2008:
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Everyone has their favorite Indiana Jones movie -- and their own thoughts on if Raiders of the Ark is better than Last Crusade. (Sorry, Temple of Doom -- there's no contest). ... More...
May 12, 2008:
RT on DVD: Indiana Jones Box Set, Narnia in Blu-ray, and a Porn Virus Epidemic?
Spaced, the UK cult hit series, is finally headed to the States this summer - but guess what's here now? A 3-disc Indiana Jones DVD collection and Narnia in Blu-ray! (Plus, we... More...
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