Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

The man with the hat is back. And this time, he’s bringing his Dad. Under this slogan the third movie of the Indiana Jones epic tetralogy was released in 1989. After having been sharply criticized for the gloomy and even scary Indiana Jones and the Temple Doom Steven Spielberg made up his mind to shoot a more optimistic and life-asserting adventure movie. The central figure of the series, bold and charismatic archeologist, dauntless adventurer and woman's crumpet, Indiana Jones returned on the big screen after a 5-year pause with his charming smile, irresistible sense of humor and breathtaking adventures. The third movie indeed proved much lighter than the prequel. In this part the viewers will learn some new facts about Indiana's life, discover the complicated nature of his relationships with his father and, at last, learn where he got that strange name.

The personage created by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas grew so popular that the image of Indiana Jones inspired many comics and computer games and brought unbelievable popularity to Harrison Ford. It took Spielberg almost twenty years to resolve to shoot the forth part of Jones' adventures. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystall Scull was released in 2007, and such a long pause made this movie one of the most anticipated premieres of that time.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade as all other movies of the popular franchise has a captivating plot that will be intriguing you from the first minutes up to the end. As always, the invulnerable hero of Harrison Ford will be constantly having a tight squeak being on the verge of death. All this will certainly be seasoned with the traditional sparkling humor and large-scale decorations of high quality. Heroic soundtrack is also part and parcel of Indiana Jones films. All these things traditionally associated with the legendary personage may seem a little shallow and naïve, but these are the very things Indiana Jones' fans adore him for. In this movie they have a chance to enjoy their favorite character even twofold, because reckless and clever Indiana turns out the replica of his father, Professor Henry Jones Senior. No one could have played this role better than Sean Connery. After all, he is a retired James Bond. It is rumored that Spielberg, inspired by You Only Live Twice and Diamonds are Forever, dreamed to shoot a James Bond movie, and that was one of the reasons he brought several actors from the Bond franchise into his picture.

The plot of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade takes you back to the distant 1938 when German Nazis just came to power and were looking for the ways of getting the world supremacy. They believe that the Holy Grail, the mythological ancient cup promising immortality for those who drinks from it, is exactly what they need, and kidnap Professor Henry Jones Sr. who knows much about it. His son Indiana immediately throws himself upon the search of the Professor and doesn’t forget to seduce pretty women and find antiquities on his way.

The movie was accepted by critics and viewers with general approval. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade got the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing. However it proved not as successful as the first part of the tetralogy – Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark – which was nominated for eight Oscars and won four. It has also become one of the highest-grossing pictures ever along with Jurassic Park and Titanic. Raiders of the Lost Ark and its sequels are often named among the world’s best adventure movies of all times.