Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

The Last Crusade loses its breath a little after a brisk and all-explaining intro with River Phoenix, but then goes full speed until the very end. The third Indy outing appealed to me the most, thanks to the casting of Sean Connery and especially the great action-adventure energy of the whole film. This time, the line with the Nazis didn't bother me as much as it did in the first one, and compared to the previous installments, the theme tune was spared, whose overuse in both the first and the second one was quite a drag on my ears. Plus, the Holy Grail has a better vibe for me personally than the Ark of the Covenant (or magic stones). A weaker five stars! (02/07/2023)

An incredible movie that definitively moved the series into the waters of immortality. The biggest credit for that goes to the light-hearted script and the perfect chemistry between Ford and the dry-witted Connery. Every scene between this duo comes together flawlessly, leading up to the final departure into the setting sun. (30/04/2006)

When I wrote about Raiders of the Lost Ark that it is the best adventure movie, I was in two minds because the proverbially second best is The Last Crusade. If I were to specify it in percentage terms it would look a bit like this: Raiders 100% and Last Crusade 99.9%. By a hair’s breadth. It probably lacks the element of surprise, or the darkness that surrounded the Ark of the Covenant. But what The Last Crusade lacks in darkness it makes up for in inventiveness, fun and Sean Connery (they say that Lucas was originally against having a former James Bond playing Indy’s father, but Spielberg insisted that this would be the joke :-). Marvelously handled father son theme is a great sideline to the story developing around the legend of Christ’s grail. If you want the whole family to enjoy, the last part of the trilogy is the perfect choice. By the way, the reason why a fourth Indy hasn’t been made yet is that Lucas subconsciously knows that it wouldn’t work these days. Plus what better ending to the legendary trilogy can you imagine than the heroes driving off into the setting sun. (06/12/2006)

Definitely the best part, with gripping pace, fantastic action, and a plot filled to the brim. The Holy Grail is also by far the most interesting trophy out of the three. There’s also a bit of mystery and humour. Sean Connery fits perfectly and together with Harrison Ford they form a phenomenal duo. Steven Spielberg bombards the viewer with the same visual spectacle, but it still has an impact. You are drawn into the story and don’t even notice the minor logical flaws, of which there are undoubtedly a few. Overall, funny and fast-paced, exactly what you expect from a summer hit. If only all threequels were as good as this one. (22/05/2006)

Music has Mozart, painting has Da Vinci, football has Pelé, porn has Johnny Sins and film has Steven Spielberg. The Last Crusade is quite possibly the funniest, most balanced and most beautifully told big screen movie ever made in Hollywood. A thrilling ride through bombastic locations, peppered with smart wit, surprising action and such likeable clowns that James Cameron can go fuck himself. Dramatically better and more playful than the already amazing first part. A pleasure factory... 100% (30/04/2011)