My Movie Review on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Greetings, my friends.
This is your top-of-the-line film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
Today, I'm gonna give you guys my take of "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade".
Here's the rundown of this adventure:
In the wake of recovering the golden cross of Coronado, Indiana Jones is approached by American businessman Walter Donovan. Along with revealing that he's on the verge of discovering the whereabouts of the Holy Grail, Donovan informs Indiana that he first hired his father, Henry Jones, to find it. However, Donovan also reveals that, while searching for the Grail, Jones's father disappeared.
Accompanied by Marcus Brody and the beautiful Doctor Elsa Schneider, Indiana goes on a quest to find his father and uncover the Grail.
Will he succeed in his mission? Or will he fail?
With how close I've been coming with reaching my 180th film analysis, I didn't want to waste any time seeing this movie and reviewing it. Because of how close the Halloween season was starting to get, I wanted to be right on track so that I could be fully ready for this year's "Spook Spectacular".
But, anyway...
I'd like to start off by saying that this movie...is a flawless gem! And coming from a guy who saw "The Temple of Doom" a while back, this sequel is an enormous improvement over the former.
For instance, the direction by Steven Spielberg, the story by George Lucas and Menno Meyjes, and the screenplay by Jeffrey Boam and (uncreditably) Tom Stoppard, were astonishing!
As I watched the movie recently, I couldn't help but note how incredibly personal the film was compared to "The Temple of Doom". It had a greater sense of heart and passion from the filmmakers that made it so enjoyable, and I could tell that Spielberg and company were giving their all and having a great time working on it.
One of my favorite things about this film was that it was a lot more than the usual treasure hunt kind of movie. Instead of it just being about Indiana finding some lost artifact, it was more about Indiana and his father reconnecting as they searched for the Grail. Along with that, I loved that they decided to give Indiana a larger amount of exploration and backstory as a person, because it made Indiana all-the-more human. Plus, the humor and comedic-timings throughout were hilarious, with none of the gags being the least bit out of place or mean-spirited. The emotional resonance and heart that the film had was soul-tugging, especially to where it'd feel like a hand was grabbing onto your heartstrings. There was likewise a vast amount of unpredictability and thrills, and the entire plot tied together flawlessly. The movie had brilliant themes and morals too, especially about greed and the consequences of it.
The performances of the cast, casting, characters, and character development were likewise fantastic.
I literally can't lie, Sean Connery was perfect for the role of Indiana's father, Henry Jones, and even now...I can't picture anyone else more qualified for the part than Connery. He portrayed the character with outstanding personality and sense of humor, as well as with a significant sense of refinement. As a plus, Harrison Ford gave perhaps his best portrayal of Indiana ever, because his performance as the character in this movie gave off a feel of something that was remarkably human. The chemistry that Ford and Connery created between their characters was also irresistibly entertaining, and the developments of both Indiana and his father were so powerful.
As a side note, I'd like to add that Denholm Elliot and John Rhys-Davis, and their characters of Marcus Brody and Sallah, were hysterical scene-stealers. And, despite not being one of my favorite characters of the series, Elsa Schneider developed in more ways than I personally expected. She was a better female lead than Willie Scott ever was, that's for sure.
Finally, the music by John Williams was fantabulous! I am aware that I didn't take notes of Williams's work in "The Temple of Doom", but it was mainly because the music of that movie wasn't very memorable to me. In this movie, though, Williams showcased a passion that was very equal with that of Spielberg, the writers, and the performers. Each melody Williams created had an emotionality that was mighty enough to pull your soul, and they all greatly matched the feelings of the characters and the tone of the film.
In conclusion, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" is a materpiece, as well as one of the best sequels ever made. It has all of the qualities to make it a rollicking good time, and it's a better successor to "Raiders of the Lost Ark" than the travesty known as "The Temple of Doom".
So, I rate "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" a solidfive out of five stars.
