Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989) *****

With the recent passing of the legendary Sean Connery (R.I.P), I thought it fitting to revisit one of my favorite films featuring one of my favorite performances by him. The great thing about the Indiana Jones movies is that they're not sequential so you can watch any of them at any time without feeling like you  need to brush up on previous events or that you're missing out on anything.

The third in what was intended to be (and in my opinion should have remained) a trilogy, Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989) is a special film to me for personal reasons: I saw it with my grandfather in its original theatrical run. I clearly remember 9-year-old me having an absolute blast at the cinema and I recall my Da (that's what we called grandpa) loving it as well. 

Though I still slightly prefer 1981's Raiders Of The Lost Ark (I consider it the quintessential action/adventure film), Last Crusade is probably the Indy flick that I've watched the most. Well, it might be tied with The Temple Of Doom (1984) for that distinction—it's hard to say, really. What I can say is that I love this trilogy and this entry in particular for the indelible father/son dynamic that Connery and Harrison Ford brought to the screen. 

I don't typically like overdone backstory exploration when it comes to iconic characters but I've always loved the introduction of Last Crusade. It's one of the few times in a big franchise where that sort of thing has been handled exceptionally well and there's a few reasons for that: (1) The casting was brilliant. River Phoenix perfectly portrayed a young Indiana Jones. (2) It ties into themes explored throughout the film—in regard to Indy's thirst for adventure, his belief in preservation, and his relationship with his father. (3) (And this might be the most important one) It doesn't comprise the entirety of the film (yet it still plays a pivotal role).

I realize that the television series, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992–1993) (plus four TV movies), does explore Indy's youth in further detail. I'm not saying that I would never watch the series, but I haven't seen any of it because it's never interested me much. Again, I personally think the strength of the open to Last Crusade is that it doesn't outstay its welcome and it serves a purpose (it never feels forced). 

Unfortunately, I'm sure that someday there will be a whole film dedicated to "Young Indy". Now that Disney owns the franchise I fear that IJ will go the way of Star Wars, where all the power of the original trilogy will be slowly diminished and only those that lived through its original run will remember how truly special the three films were. James Mangold will apparently be helming the fifth film (due in 2022), and while he is a solid director who has made a number of films that I enjoy, I'm not holding my breath that it will deliver (particularly after how lackluster 2008's Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull was).

But enough of my "cragginess" (I'm starting to sound like Henry Jones, Sr.). This is a post about The Last Crusade, the (at the time) final film in the Indiana Jones series which spanned nearly the entirety of the 1980s and which hold a rightful place as some of the most successful films of that decade, one which found Steven Spielberg at the height of his craft and success as a director (and producer). 

It's also a post to celebrate Sean Connery's role in LC—one of his career best, I think most would agree. The interplay between him and Ford—two actors with endless charisma—is as good as it gets. And the film is of course chock-full of the thrills, laughs, memorable dialogue, and the rousing music of John Williams that the series is known for. It's true that they don't make 'em like they used to and I'm sure every generation will continue to say that of the moving pictures that they hold near and dear (even blockbusters like this). Farewell, Sir Connery, and thank you for all the wonderful movie magic.

You can find my Steven Spielberg Feature Films Ranked list here.