Still keeping to the Indiana Jones films and we can now take a look at the last in the series...or at least...it WAS the last but it sure isn't that now. Aw well, that isn't going to take away anything from this iteration. Let's see what happens when we put Indiana Jones and James Bond together for a journey after another fabled artifact. This is Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.
Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) receives a journal that details the chronicles of the Holy Grail that appears to have been sent by his father, Professor Henry Jones (Sean Connery). Indy and Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliot) travel to Italy and meet an American collector named Walter Donovan (Julian Glover). indy hears from Donovan that the mission for the Grail has soured with the dissapearnce of Indy's father. After rescuing his father, Indy and Henry Jones team up in a race against the Nazis to follow the trail to the Holy Grail.
This is easily my favourite film in the Indiana Jones series. I know I've said this twice now but Harrison Ford is STILL excellent as Indiana Jones and, with the addition of his father, we actually get much more development for his character (the film opens with a flashback with River Phoenix as Indy and it's brilliant!). Speaking of which, Sean Connery is an excellent addition to the cast. Ford and Connery work off each other exceedingly well and you can believe that they are father and son. The other characters, such as Sallah and Brody from Raiders of the Lost Ark, are also well acted and offer a good dynamic among the entire cast.
I mentioned in previous reviews that I think the Indiana Jones films have a certain tone, I believe this is the one that got it spot on. It manages to balance light-hearted moments with very dark moments in an equal ratio. This also gives rise for some excellent action scenes (the tank scene, for example) as well as some humourous moments that are legitimately laugh out load moments. The suspense is heightened, the cinematography is better (the leap of faith scene is still genius) and expands the cast for an amazing film. The thing I love the most about it is that it feels like an actual journey. At the end, you feel like you have gone on an adventure with Indy and his Dad. The others didn't match this level of satisfaction.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is easily one of the my favourite films. It is an excellent film that is more than worthy of being affiliated with Raiders of the Lost Ark. Both are masterpieces that represent the imaginative and original age of cinema. Nowadays, people just want the same recycled crap which doesn't let anyone come up with their own original and iconic franchises. Saw was probably the last original and iconic franchise that came solely from the minds of a few people who didn't look elsewhere for an idea for a film. I really hope for a return of films like Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Somebody has to have ideas...surely!
Verdict:
10/10
Likable, has great action, reaches a satisfying conclusion, has an excellent cast of actors and characters and would be one of the best endings to a franchise...
Yeah...WOULD BE...you all know what's next. Excuse me, I have to go nuke a fridge.
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