Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 7/10
I’ve seen this film way too many times but amazingly I also never really tire of it.
The bad:
A lot of really awful effects, surprisingly so, especially optical compositing with live action elements.
The broad comedy works, mostly, but often just doesn’t seem to fit, the tapestry scene maybe the best example.
Marcus Brody being reduced to an idiot is fun but also a slight against the original intention of the character, we are a long way from the first film in many regards. Sallah is guilty of this a bit as well, but less so.
The bad guys don’t cut it compared to Belloq and even Mola Ram.
It’s just not cinematic compared to the previous two. Raiders is chock full of interesting blocking, interesting angles, split diopter shots and there is none of that here, it’s like it was a made for tv movie at times.
The great:
Connery is just magnificent. His comedy is so ridiculously broad, the seagull scene, 11 o’clock, son he got us, but he always makes it work, he always contrasts it with something witty, something intellectual, something poetic, something heartfelt. It’s a truly extraordinary performance and I’m sad he didn’t get an Oscar for it. I admit I teared up when my son asked will his dad be in Dial of Destiny.
Vogel is my favorite bad guy in this, he’s just so terrifically evil.
Elsa, while obviously not Marion, she is better than I remembered. Her character covers a lot of different ground and has a decent arc and Doody plays it all really well. She even shows aspects of Willie’s character in the boat chase.
Somehow Ford survives all of this intact but I don’t know how lol.
Two asides:
The uniform Indy wears in Berlin looks more than a little bit like the uniform he wears in that one shot in the Dial Of Destiny trailer.
Never noticed this before but after Elsa steps across the seal and the rocks start to fall, my son pointed out you hear someone yell out “Timber!” not once but twice. OMG, was that someone on the set? Classic.