Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

One of the funniest moments for me is when Henry asks "what happens at eleven o'clock?"

 

Good article on TLC being the weakest.


This guy hits the nail on the head. Again, TLC is by no means bad, but it really is the only entry with a "been there, done that" feeling. ROTLA is the one that started it all so it's the most novel, and TOD and KOTCS both did something different. TLC is the only one trying to be Raiders 2.0 and I feel it suffers a bit from that. It actually is the one that most feels like the outlier of the series in a way, rather than TOD and KOTCS, which feel they try to advance the story and mythos. TLC on the other hand just tries to mirror Raiders too much for it's own good.

I remember I started this topic asking if anyone else regarded TLC as their least favorite of the series, even with KOTCS in the mix. It's not a common view for sure.

 

Exactly, Last Crusade feels like it's trying too hard to be another Raiders. To me it's the TFA of the Indiana Jones franchise, while I regard the prequels to be the SW equivalent of TOD. Spielberg somehow got the idea that the fans hated TOD, just because HE did. So he tried to play it safe and give them a copy of Raiders to "make up" for that "mistake".
Lucas on the other hand got so disappointed by the criticism and supposed hate for the prequels (which may have been a real thing but blown out of proportion by a probably small but very vocal toxic group of "fans"). What he did was give up entirely and sold out to Disney, which gave the fans what it thought they wanted, a totally bland and uninspired rehash of ANH.
That's how I feel about Last Crusade, not really bad but nothing special either. When I first watched TLC I wasn't really that disappointed, but looking back I find it to be lacking in many ways. TFA on the other hand was a total disappointment for me, maybe because I was much older when it came out. Had I been a kid I may even have liked it, who knows?
I agree with the article that TLC is probably the weakest Indy movie, although I have to say I personally liked Crystal Skull even less, again maybe because I was older.

 

I don't really agree with Last Crusade being (or trying to be) a rehash of Raiders. The thing is, Temple of Doom is SO different from Raiders, that it's inevitable to feel that "going back to the roots" feeling with Last Crusade.

However, a lot of the similarities are superficial, and/or treated very differently.
-Yes, we do have another desert chase. But while most of Raiders takes place in a desert setting, most of Crusade takes places in Europe (only the third act takes place in a desert).
-Yes, we have another biblical mcGuffin. But while the Ark was something to be feared (the wrath of God), the Grail is a positive object that heals and brings life (and also paralels a more spiritual search of one's soul). Just listen to the music: the Ark theme is misterious, exotic, dark and dramatic, while the Grail theme is warm, enligsh-sounding, noble.
-The tone is very different. The lightness of Last Crusade, the humor between the characters, the "family adventure" feel is nowhere to be found in Raiders, which is a much edgier and brutal film.
-Last Crusade is a more personal "father and son" story, which makes it actually closer to Skull, and very different from Raiders, which is the only film not to have any pesonal relationship (other than with the girl).

I'd say Crusade's only fault is to be preceded by a very extravagant and radically different (and excellent) film.

 

Hit the nail on the head. I think this film gets criticism because its compared back to the 2 films that came before it. As it stands Last Crusade is one of the best action adventure movies ever made, that very few other films get near in terms of quality.

 

The Connery Ford chemistry is key to LTC.

 

I have always thought The Last Crusade was a worthy follow up to Raiders and Temple of Doom especially as said above the chemistry between the Harrison Ford and the late great Sean Connery and return of Nazis in the film. Probably for me personally after Star Wars the Indy franchise is probably my second favourite film franchise and after Star Wars it is probably the franchise I have to most nostalgia for.

 

Watched it again recently, and still found it very enjoyable. It may be my favourite, it's a toss up between that and Raiders. Added bit of poignance as that's the first time i'd seen something with Sean Connery in since he died, and it was a reminder of his charm and talent as an actor. I was never much of a fan of 'Temple of Doom' which I always found overly lurid, and the woman and kid in it are a bit annoying.

 

He still acted after he died? Wow! That's a trick not many actors can boast of. Any idea what his next role will be?

 

I agree. There's parallels to be made for sure, but TLC feels like a more personal story for the protagonist, whereas Raiders is more like a Bond movie where it's essentially him vs bad guys. That alone makes it somewhat more than just a straight redo.

 

There is one continuity issue that really bothers me in this film: during the young Indy train chase sequence, the background changes radically from shot to shot. It's like they didn't even try to match the locations of each action.

 

One of my favourite scenes is on the Zeppelin where Indy is lamenting the fact that he had a very emotionally detached upbringing with his father. Henry says "I'm here, now. What do you want to talk about?" And then Henry gives his son that piercing stare, so all he can do is "Well.....wha.....well.....I.....we........"

Brilliant.

 

Completely agree. It's kind of the action adventure version of Heat. Seeing two great actors go toe to toe.

 

Yeah. And I think the punchline to that exchange is great, when Indy concedes “I can’t think of anything” and Henry reverts exactly to type, and to the type of father he was just described as: “Well what are you complaining about? We have work to do!”

Superb writing.

 

While I still like and enjoy TLC very much, I'd still rate it as my least favorite even with the likes of Crystal Skull and Dial Of Destiny in the mix. Which I know is super-unpopular. Good movie but for some reason it just doesn't hold up as well as the others and has a bit of a blandness to it, though it's still enjoyable.

Also, note to the moderators, when I started this topic the title was "Others Who Like Last Crusade The Least Of The Indy Films?" and if it could please be changed back I'd very much appreciate it. Thanks.

 

Last Crusade is my favorite, and Dial of Destiny is my 2nd favorite.

 

Last Crusade is a great sequel.

 

Last Crusade is actually my favorite. Love the father/son adventure. I remember seeing it in the theater and loved it.

I was a bit shocked to see Elsa die though. I was like — they killed off the only female/love interest. I dunno — since I had seen the previous films, guess I thought Elsa would live or repent. I guess that’s what happens when you’re 9.

 

Last Crusade is my favorite, with Dial of Destiny in second.

 

Last Crusade was in many ways a perfect sendoff to an excellent film series.

 

It certainly was. However I still wish we had another film in those barren years from 89-08.

 

Over recent months I've been watching all the films a lot more in the run up and the aftermath of DOD, but I think that Last Crusade has gone to the bottom of the list out of the original 3 and TOD has overtaken it for the second spot. The lack of threat and peril in the 3rd one is its weakness for me, still a great film mind.

 

Saw today that TLC soundtrack is getting a 2 LP vinyl edition released soon.

 

Had an email last night to say the expanded 2 LP vinyl edition of this soundtrack has been put back a week to the 24th May.

 

The Last Crusade soundtrack reissue arrived today. I thought it was odd that it came out same time as the Temple of Doom reissue on its 40th anniversary, but it dawned on me this week that TLC is 35 years old so it’s a significant milestone in itself.