04/02/09 - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989, 127 min)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097576/

I was greatly surprised with this movie. The last two Indiana Jones movies that I had seen were Temple of Doom and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Both fell far away from the expectations that I had for Indiana Jones after Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Thankfully, the Last Crusade was a pleasant return to a good, fun adventure and it kept me highly entertained for the entire time. The action sequences weren't outlandish like they were in Crystal Skull and there wasn't an annoying child sidekick like in Temple of Doom (something I hate more than anything else in movies). Sir Sean Connery played a good bumbling father out of his element and Alison Doody played a stunningly beautiful evil henchwoman.

Some scenes/parts I enjoyed: I always enjoy the college scenes with Indiana Jones and this one had those as well. The beginning with the circus train was also amusing. Finally, the Hitler autograph was a humorous touch.

As always with Indiana Jones, you have to suspend disbelief to accept the mythology and legends that are integral to the story. Using the Holy Grail as the main object there are obviously things that could not happen in real life, but you just ignore those, because it's Indiana Jones and you just don't care.

Overall, I gave the film a 6/10. I could easily watch this again and find it enjoyable (something that could not be said for Temple of Doom or Kingdom of the Crystal Skull). Having the great cast headlined by Ford, Connery, and Doody only helped it.