rating:
(out of
4 stars)United States; 1989
Directed by Steven Spielberg; produced by Robert Watts; screenplay by Jeffrey Boam
Starring Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott, Alison Doody, John Rhys-Davies, Julian Glover, River Phoenix
Below you will find a temporary review for this film. The real (better, more complete) review will be online very soon.
'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' felt like a disappointment because it
was compared to 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'. 'Indiana Jones and the Last
Crusade' feels like a great film again because most will compare it to 'The
Temple of Doom'. But compare it to 'Raiders' and you will notice all the
good stuff is really back. I am talking the great locations, the
Nazi-villains, the religious artifact that drives all parties, the perfect
adventure that brings both action and comedy, Hey, even Sallah (John
Rhys-Davies) is back. This time a lot of fun comes from Sean Connery who
plays the father of Indiana Jones. Indiana, of course, is played by Harrison
Ford.
The film begins with Indiana as a boy (played by River Phoenix) in a scene
that explains why he is who he he become. It is the first great action
sequence which sort of continues when Indiana has the face of Ford, around
WW-II. Of course these first moments have nothing to do with the actual
story, but that is how things happen in action films that contain heroes; an
opening sequence that shows us what the man can do. The real story is about
the search for the Holy Grail, the cup Jesus drank from during the last
supper. And, like in 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', the Nazis want it as well.
Legend tells us that one who drinks from the cup will have eternal life.
Indiana knows one man obsessed with the Holy Grail and all stories around
it, his father. He suggests they ask him to retrieve it. They did, but now
the man is lost and of course Indiana is their only hope. It does not take
him long to find his father, in Venice to be precisely, and together they
continue the quest for the Holy Grail. The scenes with Ford and Connery are
all equally good, and as soon they have met the fun is never over. Connery
seems to be there for comic relief, but also to make 'Raiders' and this film
different on some levels. I guess if there is a weak point in this episode
of the series it is that nothing feels really fresh. There is a great chase
that involves a tank and a lot of other things. I was reminded of the great
chase in 'Raiders'. Here there are some original moments, all involving the
Connery-character.
Still, I am glad the film has the same approach as the first film. I liked
'The Temple of Doom', but it did not even come close to 'Raiders' and it had
some really annoying aspects. Here those aspects are gone, all the good
stuff is back, including the ultimate battle between good and evil.