Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: A Father/Son Quest for the Ages

 


In a time when media companies struggle with how to best use their intellectual properties, it's nice to revisit a movie that learned from previous entries. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is the third entry in the franchise. It's like George Lucas and Steven Spielberg pulled from the great aspects of the all-time classic Raiders of the Lost Ark while ignoring what was done with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (a movie Spielberg admits is too dark among other things). Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade has spiritual aspects similar to Raiders of the Lost Ark, brings back fan-favorite characters Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott) and Sallah (John Rhys-Davies), has great action, and is a globe-trotting adventure. The father/son dynamic is what separates Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

We learn a lot about Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) in this film. River Phoenix portrays Young Indy quite brilliantly in a flashback at the beginning of the movie. We find out how archaeology and history have played a key part in Indiana's whole life. Sean Connery as Indiana's father Henry Jones is one of the rare casting choices where you can't imagine anyone else in the role (which is impressive since in the same movie series I can't see anyone else being Indiana Jones but Harrison Ford). The chemistry between Connery and Ford is excellent. You believe the history they have and why they struggle to have a close relationship. 

The grand scale of Indiana and Henry's quest for the Holy Grail doesn't overshadow the conflict between the two men. In fact, the obsession that both men have for archaeology is why they are on the journey to start with. It's a powerful message that such an epic undertaking is what finally causes Henry and Indiana to have to spend time together and have difficult conversations. The film highlights why the two are estranged and took a while to get together. Indiana and Henry clash partly because they are more alike than they realize. The two think that the Holy Grail is what they're looking for, but it's really reconciling with one another. The Holy Grail is still important of course. I believe you can look at things that happen in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade as divine providence. Indiana gets through a lot of challenging to seemingly impossible circumstances which lead him to protecting the Holy Grail from the enemy. The divine providence doesn't stop there though, as it also brings Indiana and Henry together to mend their relationship.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a movie that is worth visiting over and over again. The action scenes, storytelling, character dynamics, and adventure are all present. I'm sure Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade wasn't the first film to have a set of trials that must be completed before reaching the prize/treasure but the trials in this film are so memorable (me and my dad have been known to quote the details of each trial them from time to time). One knock against the movie is some of the gags/humor. I think the film has some moments that are too goofy. At the same time, I will concede that the Indiana Jones universe is quite outrageous in certain ways. So it could be that I need to suspend my disbelief some more or just roll with it. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade might not be Raiders of the Lost Ark. However, the exploration of Indiana as a character and the introduction of his father Henry to the series makes Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade a worthwhile entry on its own.

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