Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (PG-13)
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This came out in 1989, and I probably saw it not too long after that. It's the third movie in the "Indiana Jones" franchise, and the first true sequel (the second movie was a prequel). By the time I re-watched the movie in 2025, there wasn't much that I remembered about it. Mainly I remembered one particular line, which I was a bit surprised didn't come until the final scene. It's a more lighthearted film than the first two (especially the second), and I found it pleasantly amusing. Though the action was good, too (it's always nice to see Indy fighting Nazis), and the father-son relationship was interesting. Overall, I think I liked the movie slightly less than the first movie, though I'm sure there were things about it that I liked more than the first movie. It's definitely better than the second. I didn't really find much of anything about it "iconic", as I did in the first two movies, but it was still a lot of fun.
It begins in 1912, with Indy as teenage Boy Scout (played by River Phoenix), who discovers a group of graverobbers stealing a crucifix from a cave. Indy believes it belongs in a museum, so he takes it from them, and they give chase. The leader of the robbers is a guy whose clothing and demeanor resemble Indy as an adult, so it's clear that meeting him inspired Indy. The guy even gave him his iconic fedora, after retrieving the crucifix from Indy. Other than that, I can also say it was fun to see Indy at first unafraid of snakes, and just a bit later developing a fear of them. We also get to see that Indy's father, Professor Henry Jones, had little time for Indy.
The story then flashes forward to 1938, with Indy having tracked down the graverobbers' employer, and retrieving the crucifix from him. Later, Indy is contacted by a man named Walter Donovan, who informs him that Henry had disappeared while on an expedition to find the Holy Grail. Donovan wants Indy to pick up where his father left off, but Indy only agrees because he wants to find Henry, who had mailed his diary about the Grail to him. Indy travels to Venice, where his father was last seen. He is accompanied by his friend Marcus Brody (from the first movie), and they meet up with Henry's associate, an Austrian archaeologist named Dr. Elsa Schneider, the last person who had seen Henry. Indy soon discovers catacombs beneath the library where Henry had disappeared, which leads him and Elsa to a clue about the Grail's location. They're later attacked by a group who want to protect the Grail, and keep it from being taken. One member of the group is captured by Indy, and reveals the location of Henry. He's being held by Nazis (who are also seeking the Grail) at a castle in Austria. Indy and Elsa go there, while Marcus goes to Alexandretta, to start the search for the Grail. He meets up with Indy's old friend Sallah (from the first movie), which seemed totally random to me, but Sallah immediately tries to help him. Unfortunately, Marcus is captured by Nazis. When Indy and Elsa infiltrate the Nazis' castle, they find Henry, and the Joneses eventually escape.
Beyond that I don't want to spoil any more of the plot. But of course the Joneses, along with Marcus and Sallah, must race against the Nazis to find the Grail. And it ends with the four heroes riding off into the sunset, which is a bit of a cliché, but I liked it. Honestly, I liked almost everything about the movie. It was definitely nice to see Indy and Henry reconnect and develop a greater appreciation for each other. Other than that, the whole thing was just a lot of fun. And the opening scene inspired the creation of the TV series "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles", which I saw at least a bit of (but I'd like to see the whole series, someday). And I guess I don't really know what else to say.
movies: Raiders of the Lost Ark *
Temple of Doom * Last Crusade * Kingdom of the Crystal Skull * Dial of Destiny
TV: The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles