Another satisfying adventure, which redeemed the franchise after "Temple of Doom"

Rating: 9/10 (24 November 2009)

"Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" is a prequel to "Raiders of the Lost Ark", the first and most popular installment in the Indiana Jones franchise, whereas "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" is a sequel to the 1981 blockbuster. In terms of popularity, this third installment comes somewhere in between its two predecessors. I saw a bit of "Last Crusade" on TV, starting near the end of the film, as a kid. I think this was around 1993, but I didn't know what I was seeing at the time. After all these years, I've finally found out that it was this 1989 action adventure I was seeing. While it didn't do much for me years ago, and I was too young for it at the time (one MIGHT wonder why it didn't really frighten me), watching it from start to finish twenty years after its release was not an experience to forget.
In 1938, Indiana Jones is informed by a wealthy businessman named Walter Donovan that the leader of an expedition for the Holy Grail has mysteriously disappeared, and that leader happens to be Indy's estranged father, Professor Henry Jones, Sr.! Indy has received a package in the mail from Italy, which turns out to be his father's diary. This diary contains clues and a nameless map to find the Grail! The archaeologist flies to Venice with Marcus Brody, and there they meet Dr. Elsa Schneider. She takes them to the library where Henry Jones, Sr. was last seen. This library used to be a church, and it turns out that there are catacombs underneath the building! Indy and Elsa go down through the floor, and after facing several life-threatening situations, Indy learns that his father is being held captive in a castle on the German-Austrian border! He goes there with Dr. Schneider to find the senior Jones, and soon does, but then learns the truth about Elsa and Walter. Both of them actually work for the Nazis, and are helping them find the Holy Grail to use for their evil!
The movie starts with a prologue, featuring a young Indiana Jones in 1912, played by the late River Phoenix. Phoenix' performance may not be good as that of Harrison Ford, but it's not bad. The beginning of the movie is no match for the beginning of "Raiders", and the part with the grave robbers digging during the prologue is a bit silly, but the suspense quickly begins. There's much more suspense after the film skips to 1938, as usual for the Indiana Jones franchise. We once again see our hero in different types of danger in different places, making for some great, intense action! There may be some lacklustre moments, such as the bedroom scene with Indy and Elsa, but for the most part, the movie is steady. "The Last Crusade" introduces Indy's father, and Sean Connery shines in this role. There's definitely some humour, and Henry Jones, Sr. contributes a lot to it. Connery does a better job with the humour in this role than Kate Capshaw did as Willie Scott in "Temple of Doom", that's for sure. Like its two predecessors, this third installment also has some nice visuals and sets.
Some have more criticisms of "Temple of Doom" than I do, but my main problem with that second Indiana Jones film is the brutality, which doesn't start until the second half of the film, but really brings it down in quality. Fortunately, they took the original trilogy back in the right direction with "The Last Crusade", as the kind of brutality featured in the second movie is nowhere to be found here. This one remains an entertaining action adventure throughout, much like the original. There are parts that could scare younger viewers, and the film is rated PG-13 (a rating that "Temple of Doom" apparently helped lead to the creation of), but it certainly never gets as disturbing as the middle film in the 80's trilogy eventually does. "Last Crusade" may not be quite as good as "Raiders of the Lost Ark", but if not, it comes very close! For fans of the classic film that introduced the Indiana Jones character who were disappointed by its first successor, I would say this 1989 summer blockbuster was a return to form.