You Have Chosen... Wisely

Rating: 10/10 (29 December 2012)

Talk about a return to form.
After the decidedly underwhelming (when compared to Raiders, that is) Temple of Doom, Spielberg, Lucas, and Ford managed to put together one of the greatest action-adventure movies to ever see the light of day. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade got everything right: it had the perfect comedic duo in Harrison Ford and Sean Connery; the action topped just about everything that had occurred in the previous two Indy films; the narrative returned its focus to the ultimate villain (Nazis) and once again had the fate of the world resting squarely on the shoulders of the rugged archaeologist who was the embodiment of all things good. Last Crusade helped solidify the notion that stellar sequels are, in fact, possible.
Just about everyone has seen this, so allow me to focus on specifics. The score is every bit as classic as it was the first time we heard it in Raiders, and the bits designed specifically for this offering are, all-in-all, equally as memorable. The "booby traps" are spectacular (especially the "devices of lethal cunning" that Dr. Jones must navigate during the final leg of his journey); the decision to begin the film with a flashback of Indy in his youth is a stroke of genius, and River Phoenix perfectly imitates Mr. Ford's most subtle mannerisms; and, of course, there's the previously mentioned presence of none other than the original James Bond himself.
Connery is, for lack of a better word, the perfect foil to Ford. Whereas Indy is often reckless and tends to dive into dangerous situations headfirst, Henry Jones Sr. is calm, collected, and every bit the logical sage one would imagine the father of Indiana Jones to be.
If there's any spot where Last Crusade falls short of Raiders it has to be in regards to its leading woman. Don't get me wrong: Elsa is a great double-crossing she-devil. But superior to Marion Ravenwood? Negative.
Next up is Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. That's right. The fridge is about to be nuked.