Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Lucas' and Spielberg's apology for the dark pulp flick Temple of Doom, which paradoxically with its "white savior" concept was most in line with the original idea of conceiving Indiana Jones as the cliffhanger adventure short familiar in the 20s and 30s. As vocal as there were voices that adding another dimension to the central character by pinning his impractical father on him would rob Indiana of some of the mystery that surrounds him, on the contrary, the move was helped in particular by a noticeably aged original cast, the new wrinkles and tired eyes simply added a human dimension to the adventurers, not to mention the fact that after the second installment you quite welcome the fact that the sidekick is not a loose young girl lusting after Jones's sweaty, sweaty body between screams. Otherwise, again, the dozens of different sub-quests, the world locations we get to see, the tangibility and light-heartedness of the action, the beautiful framing, and the relentless torture of the crew in their quest to film the never-before-seen, it's still such a beautiful and forgotten cinematic discipline that I'm defining a special way of sitting on the couch that's just for this trilogy. The fourth installment never existed, you may even remember seeing it, but no, it was just a bad dream. This way it’s just fine. (02/06/2019)

January 1992, a long line in front of the Lucerna movie theater in Prague, a ten-year-old me holding an ice cream, my dad, and finally the first Indy movie I had the opportunity to see on the big screen and not on a shabby VHS tape. As a whole, the movie is weaker by a Sphinx’s hair’s breadth or by one step taken by a breastfed pre-toddler than Raiders in terms of action, story, and the sidelining of Indy's friends (and enemies), but I realized this only after the umpteenth viewing. But all these trivial "problems" are erased by the other Jones. And thus for the third time Junior is at the peak of his powers and fully equipped. Simply love at first sight for a movie that did the impossible and exceeded my immense expectations. Respect. (20/08/2006)

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)

When something is done for the third time, usually you already know how to do it, and even though the previous two installments of the series were not bad in any way, the third Indiana Jones represents the real peak of this mini-series and in a way also one of the peaks of its genre, which is adventure film. It doesn't take itself seriously, and that is extremely important, while also having a sufficiently high budget and an inventive screenplay that doesn't let the viewer breathe for a moment, with a great cast led by experienced Ford and Sean Connery. The two of them complement each other perfectly, resulting in a fascinating spectacle. The scene of the tank battle or the rescue in the underground labyrinth will stay in the viewer's memory for a long time. Another excellent music. Overall impression: 100%. (13/06/2006)

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! (01/07/2023)