Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade1989

83/100 Not quite as good as the first movie in my opinion, but still a very good followup and a great adventure film in almost every way as well as a wild rollercoaster of emotion. The foremost thing tying this movie together is the father-son story, which while undoubtedly a bit silly, holds up strongly due to the great chemistry between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery. The first half sets up an intriguing mystery with Indy's father, but I think I prefer their interactions in the latter half of the film. The movie juggles these two plotlines very well, and funnily enough, I don't think one overshadows the other. I'm just as interested in Indy searching for his dad as I am in the search for the Holy Grail. The film also has amazing action sequences as is usual for the franchise, with each action setpiece once again having a unique twist which helps it not be boring. My personal favourite of these scenes was the action setpiece in the castle with the rotating walls, but all of them are good and helped along by great special effects all throughout. I also once again have to praise John Williams' score, he is carrying these movies hard. So many scenes would just not be iconic without his music, and the Indiana Jones theme hasn't grown old even after all these years. Just like Raiders of the Lost Ark and unlike Temple of Doom, you can feel a passion for the mythology here, which helps as the story supplements its fictional elements with some real facts which are actually pretty cool. I was also surprised to find that out of the three, this one is the least racist, with barely anything objectionable. The main problem with this movie is the villainess Elsa. Several times throughout the movie, I felt it was more James Bond than Indiana Jones and she exemplifies that, being a henchwoman who is converted before tragically dying just as is common for Bond love interests. The movie also tries way too hard to make her sympathetic, and it doesn't work. Throughout, she's depicted as someone who desperately wants the Grail but hates the beliefs of those around her. However, this becomes somewhat less impactful when you realize she is allying with literal Nazis. This movie's very messy, but I genuinely think it has the best story out of any of the three films. I still think Raiders of the Lost Ark is more entertaining overall, but it's a close competition and this film is still great in its own right.