Decent Entertainment

Rating: Null/10 (15 January 2013)

I liked this film, and had a good time watching it with the family in the theatre. Harrison Ford brings us the world renowned archaeologist and hands-on scholar Indiana Jones, Stanford University professor extraordinaire. The great score by John Williams, the ever surpassing and respectable direction by Steven Spielberg, the good performances by the usual suspects, including Harrison Ford himself, are woven into a visual fabric that brings us what everyone thought might be the final installment of the Indiana Jones' series of cinematic adventures.
If I had one criticism with this film, and I don't have many, it would be the same observation I had with "Temple of Doom", and that is I think there may have been one too many effects' shots. I say that guardedly because most of what we see are live action stunts, but there's a few sequences that call attention to themselves, and not just because they're effects' shots either. Example; I think I would have preferred to see real live Messerschmitts' fighting over the Bavarian Alps as opposed to American Warhawks dressed up as German fighters, and miniatures thereof, doing acrobatics over the Midwest (meant to represent North Africa I suppose). But, how much would it have cost? That's the whole purpose of special effects; to bring to the audience that which is too expensive or impossible to deliver through live conventional means. As such, even here I don't fault the film too much.
Sean Connery's take on Indy's father was unique and unexpected. I think most everyone was expecting a tough guy performance from Connery, but instead we get very much the academician, though he seems to come around by the film's end (much to the pleasure of all).
The films' execution itself seems quick and dirty, despite some of the lengths that were gone into dressing up sets and locations. The film has a kind of roughness to it in spite of all of the refined elements gives it an edge.
I think the real thing that I missed from "Raiders" that lacks in the subsequent four films, is that as Spielberg stated on the bonus DVD in the Indiana Jones trilogy DVD set, is that unlike "Raiders" the other films had a contemporary look to them in terms of camera work. Spielberg stated that in a conversation with his DP that they were going to give "Raiders" an old fashioned look. And that strategy works magnificently for the kind of film that it is and was meant to be. I think that element is missing in the followup films, and I think they suffer some for it. An old fashioned movie needs an old fashioned feel, because quite honestly it heightens the experience, and, to my way of thinking, added a nice finishing sheen to the visuals to make "Raiders" look more authentic and artistic. But that's just me.
"Last Crusade" is still a fine film. Worthy of a night's viewing.
Enjoy.