The Holy Grail of action adventure movies

Rating: 9/10 (7 March 2016)

Gotta be honest: I love this almost as much as I love Raiders of the Lost Ark. There are many things this movie does better than the first movie, unbelievable as that is.
This is probably the best paced movie I've ever seen in my life. It's structure is practically perfect. There's always something happening, and the story is always moving forward. I was almost shocked when I looked at the clock after what felt like 10 minutes and discovered that I was already halfway through the movie.
I love the fact that the character of Marcus Brody plays such a central role in this movie. I think he's such and enjoyable character and Denholm Elliot did an impeccable job portraying him.
Sean Connery plays Indiana Jones' dad in this film! Great, great, great casting! He's absolutely phenomenal in this role, and his chemistry with Ford is delightful. Definitely one of the best things about this film is seeing two of the greatest living action stars together on the screen. Bringing Indy's father into this movie was the wisest decision ever. It makes the story much more personal and intimate, and it gives Indiana Jones' character a great deal of depth.
They also tried deepening Indy's character by telling us a bit about his early days... And that's probably the only thing I really don't like about this movie. The opening sequence with young Indy is great fun and all, but I feel like Indiana Jones is one of those characters who would be more interesting if we didn't know this part of his backstory. It just feels unnecessary to me. They could've just dropped this entire sequence and it wouldn't hurt the movie in any way - it would've made it better.
But the rest of the movie is just awesome. So many memorable scenes and set-pieces, my favorite probably being the tank chase. My god, the tank chase! That sequence is so incredibly intense and awesome! Everything about the tank chase is perfect! It's just so well made! And of course, the entire part with the three trials and the recovery of the Holy Grail is brilliant.
Oh, and this film has my favorite movie soundtrack, period.