Editorial Product Review:Amazon.com essential video:The third episode in Steven Spielberg's rousing Indiana Jones saga, this film recaptures the best elements of
Raiders of the Lost Ark while exploring new territory with wonderfully satisfying results. Indy is back battling the Nazis, who have launched an expedition to uncover the whereabouts of the Holy Grail. And it's not just Indy this time--his father (played with great acerbic wit by Sean Connery, the perfect choice) is also involved in the hunt. Spielberg excels at the kind of extended action sequences that top themselves with virtually every frame; the best one here involves Indy trying to stop a Nazi tank from the outside while his father is being held within. For good measure, Spielberg reveals (among other things) how Indy got his hat, the scar on his chin, and his nickname (in a prologue that features River Phoenix as the young Indiana).
--Marshall Fine
Amazon.com:Not as good as the first one, but better than the second. That’s been the consensus opinion regarding
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the final installment in Steven Spielberg and George Lucas’ original adventure trilogy, throughout the nearly two decades since its 1989 theatrical release. It’s a fair assessment. After the relatively dark and disturbing
Temple of Doom (1984),
The Last Crusade (1989) recalls the sheer fun of
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). With its variety of colorful locations, multiple chase scenes (the opening sequence on a circus train, with River Phoenix as the young Indy, is one of the best of the series, as is the boat chase through the canals of Venice), and cloak-and-dagger vibe, it’s the closest in tone to a James Bond outing, which director Spielberg has noted was the inspiration for the trilogy in the first place; what’s more, it harkens back to
Raiders in its choice of villains (i.e., the Nazis--Indy even comes face to face with Hitler at a rally in Berlin) and its quest for an antiquity of incalculable value and significance (the Holy Grail, the chalice said to have been the receptacle of Christ's blood as he hung on the cross). Add to that the presence of Sean Connery, playing Indy’s father and having a field day opposite Harrison Ford, and you’ve got a most welcome return to form.
Special features include a six-minute introduction by Spielberg and Lucas, who discuss the grail as a metaphor for bringing Indy and his estranged father together and agree that
Crusade is the funniest of the three films; 'Indy’s Women,' an American Film Institute tribute with leading ladies Karen Allen, Kate Capshaw, and Alison Doody each discussing her character (Capshaw candidly describes
Temple of Doom’s Willie Scott as 'whiny, petulant, and annoying'); 'Indy’s Friends and Enemies,' a look at the films’ various villains and sidekicks; plus storyboards and photo galleries.
--Sam Graham
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Buyer Reviews
Average Buyer Rating:
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Illumination
As the title so prominently mentions, INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE was originally intended to be the last of the Indiana Jones film series. The movie is an origins story and fills in many of the questions that fans had about the character, e.g. where did Indy get his scar, where did he get his whip, why is he afraid of snakes, etc.
The extended opening of the film begins in Utah where Indy (played by River Phoenix here) and his Boy Scout troop are out for a day of riding and exploring. Indy and a fellow Scout separate from the group and stumble upon a group of men who have just discovered the Cross of Coronado. Indy believes the object belongs in a museum, while the men just want the fortune the find will bring. Indy steals the cross and the diggers chase after him. It's a race through the rough terrain that climaxes aboard a circus train.
After explaining some of Indy's origins, the film fast forwards to 1938. Indy (now once again played by Harrison Ford) is hired by a wealthy "collector of antiquities" to find the missing pieces of a map that reveal the resting place of the Holy Grail. He learns that is father, Dr. Henry Jones (Sean Connery) has already gone missing in the quest. In order to find his father, Indy takes the quest. The journey takes Indy from Italy, Austria, and the Middle East. The Nazis are once again the villains and are intent on adding another spiritual artifact to their growing collection as preparation for their attempt of world domination.
Out of all the Indiana Jones films, INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE is my favorite. The film has some wonderful acting, particularly by River Phoenix in the opening segment and by Harrison Ford and Sean Connery in the rest of the picture. Ford and Connery have a great rapport between each other and their relationship grounds the picture in reality. The movie is chock-full of action. I also like how the film brought back the characters of Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) and Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott). There is some criticism of the character of Elsa Schneider (Alison Doody), but the beautiful and conflicted Schneider makes a perfect female foil for Indy in the movie.
INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE is sometimes criticized for being less realistic in its action sequences than the two previous films and having too much physical comedy. The movie is lighter in tone than the previous two films in the franchise, but that doesn't make it any less realistic nor does it overshadow the serious journey that Indy, his father, and their companions are on. Continuing a theme that was hinted at in INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE is a film that despite the action and humor is really about renewal and redemption. It's a movie that when the final credits roll at the end a person can sit back and really feel like they have found "illumination."
Customer Rating: 
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INDIANA JONES meets JAMES BOND!!!
The third chapter of Indiana Jones is awesome and hilarious! Sean Connery co-stars as Indy's dad who always calls him 'Junior' Indy's dad is being held hostage by Nazi's, so Indy must save his dad, and find the Holy Grail before the Nazi's do! Indy's dad makes the movie a lot funnier, like when Elsa is talking to Indy about 'how great IT was', and Indy's dad thinks she is talking to him! I also love God's booby traps while Indy was trying to find the Grail to save his dad because the Nazi's shot him! I highly recommend INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE!!!
Customer Rating: -
Not as good as the other ones, sadly.
After reading the reviews of this movie, I finally rented it and well, I didn't think it was as good as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, or Temple of Doom. I mean, don't get me wrong it's a good movie, but it was kinda ya know talky at times, ya know, adult conversations, lol. This takes place in 1938, two years after Raiders of the Lost Ark. Ah well, it wasn't dissapointing at all, it just didn't give the same good feeling as the other movies. Everybody says this was better than Temple of Doom and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. And I thought "Really?". So I decided to go with my own opinion. So, see Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, and the Last Crusade.
Customer Rating: -
Go Harrison Ford
This movie is a classic, a must own,it puts Ford in the top ten actors,of all time.
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