Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

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. (05/12/2006)

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)

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)

This is my favorite part mainly because it features Sean Connery, who fits perfectly with Ford. In addition, there are Nazis and a fantastic meeting with Hitler. Overall, it's entertaining and very action-packed, especially the scene with the tank is simply divine. The search for the grail becomes somewhat irrelevant, as the journey is truly important here. (30/03/2015)

My favorite Indy... WHY? Because it contains several absolutely classic action scenes, several excellent gags and, above all, Jones Sr. performed by Sean Connery. The Connery-Ford chemistry works in an absolutely fantastic way, as if they both really had a family bond. Of all their scenes, my favorite is the one on the rock after the tank fell into the abyss. Everything essential is in it – humor, tension, feeling. The story may be a little weaker than in the first film, but it has a similarly magnetizing atmosphere and depth that is so lacking in Temple of Doom. And Spielberg's ingenuity in the action scenes has no limits... The others have no choice but to copy and copy. If you say “adventure film", then I hear the whip crack, and out of the corner of my eye I see a character in a hat. Top class, Dr. Jones! (18/04/2004)