The (Not Quite) Last Crusade

Rating: 7/10 (1 May 2008)

Tonight I wrapped up revisiting the Indy franchise with The Last Crusade. The five or so years between Temple of Doom and this installment gave Spielberg and Co. time to go back to basics, recast a few hundred Nazis, cart out another religious relic, reinforce some more Christian mythology and throw in a dose of Sean Connery for good measure. Benefiting TLC, the camp, corn and annoying female sidekick from TOD are long gone as is a supporting cast of way too many cute little kids that served an almost Ewok-like presence.
The only kids in TLC are in the prologue which flashes back to the young Indy played by the late River Phoenix. The prologue's back story manages to cram in the origins of many (if not all) of Indy's trademarks: the hat, the whip, the fear of snakes and his overall look and demeanor. Phoenix convincingly apes Harrison Ford's signature Indy-isms and also manages to look like the kid Harrison probably was. True to the franchise, Spielberg rolls out a series of tributes, one of the best being the prologue's train sequence which feels like frames lifted right out from Buster Keaton's 1927 classic The General.
What makes TLC a cut above TOD are the numerous real world locations, the pseudo- historical references and stunts grounded in real-world physics. Connery who is cast as Indy's dad, is a worthy addition to a strong cast and the constant adversarial banter between him and Ford doesn't get tired like the nagging supplied ad nausea by Kate Capshaw in TOD.
While it can be argued TLC cannibalizes Raiders for success, I can't find a reason to argue with the old adage: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Like Raiders, TLC is truly an adventure, an homage to classic Hollywood serials that manages to elevate the genre well beyond that of any of its predecessors. I've maintained for years that Spielberg is a master story teller, but that his talents run threadbare when he steps out of his comfort zone. TLC is definitely in his comfort zone and after watching it tonight, I'm even more hopeful that The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull will be a worthy addition to an already fantastic saga.
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