very good,but basically a remake of Raiders

Rating: Null/10 (1 November 2003)

The third of the Indiana Jones films is a terrific action adventure. However,it is the least interesting of the three. Spielberg and Lucas obviously took to heart criticisms of Temple Of Doom,and decided to return to the format of Raiders. In fact,more than that,it's basically a remake.
Once again there is a search for a holy artifact,once again there are evil Nazis also after it,once again the climax is not an action scene {well,there is an unimpressive earthquake} but an act of the supernatural,Indy has two of the same allies,etc,etc,etc. All this makes the film a little tired. You know where the story is going to go,and so the freshness of the first two films is missing.
Still,it's a terrific fun romp,and there are several compensations. The most notable is of course Sean Connery as Indy's Dad,with his relationship with Indy being both touching and funny. The film as a whole probably contains more laughs then the others,and even more action,some of which,such as a boat chase in Venice,have more than a touch of Bond about them. The highlights here are a thrilling tank chase which almost outdoes the truck chase of Raiders,a motorcycle chase and a plane chase which has a great and amusing payoff. One cannot of course fail to mention the opening setpiece with River Phoenix as a young Indy which shows how he obtained things such as his whip,scar and fear of snakes. The sequence set amidst the caverns and lethal traps near where the Grail is also works very well and is extremely successful. However the religious elements somewhat fall flat and it's a pity the end is just a rehash of that of She.
Alison Doody is an interesting love {or rather lust}interest and Harrison Ford is again excellent as Indy although he has lost some of the edge to his previous performances in the role. The film somewhat lacks a strong villain. All in all,still great entertainment despite it's flaws.