Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

release year: 1989
genre: action/adventure
viewing setting: home DVD, 9/26/12 and 3/21/04, plus many more times before

synopsis: Not one but two Dr. Joneses get involved in the search for the Holy Grail.

impressions: This is a pretty good second sequel. Once again, there was a larger plot involving Nazis, though not of the scope found in the original movie. We get a plane chase, a horse/car/tank chase, some good traps in the Grail's resting place, and a basic good vs evil concept. Two new and original elements mark this film and help it stand on its own feet: a flashback scene to Indy's youth (which explains his cut lip, his whip, his hat, his fear of snakes, and also ties into the present events) and the inclusion of his father, who's just as intrepid and clever, if not as action-oriented.

acting: Harrison Ford and Sean Connery work well with each other as son and father. Connery's character is slightly incompetent at times, but doesn't really bring the movie down. John Rhys-Davies as Sallah and Denholm Elliot as Brody both return from the first movie. Alison Doody plays a female archaeologist who Indy falls for. River Phoenix is good as the teenaged version of Indiana Jones.

final word: Good adventure movie in its own right, or as an Indiana Jones movie.

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