Our continued adventures with Indiana Jones and his motley crew of collaborators and co-conspirators have taken us to Europe, after voyaging to North Africa and Asia in the two previous films – and this time, our beloved historian and adventurer is in search of the Holy Grail, the very definition of an elusive historical artefact. At this point, it is clear that I am quite fond of this series, and as remarked previously, it seems like George Lucas and Steven Spielberg’s development of this character only got more compelling the further they expanded on his mythology, developing him into one of the most fascinating film heroes ever committed to the screen, which is far from an easy achievement. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was intended to be the conclusion in what was planned to be a trilogy of films (which we now know was not necessarily the case, since there were two further adventures that this character had to undertake on screen, but we’ll discuss those in due course), with these themes being interwoven throughout the film, which does feel like it is tying up the loose ends left by the previous films, but not in a way that entirely closed the door on an eventual return to the character (which allowed later works to never feel unnecessarily forced), and instead makes for a satisfying conclusion for this era of the character. It seems like every film in which these characters appear seems to get better, and this one in particular feels the most vibrant and interesting, having the most concise storyline and broadest ideological underpinnings, which make for a thrilling adventure with one of cinema’s greatest heroes, someone whose valiant efforts to preserve history and prevent priceless artefacts from getting into the wrong hands has entertained audiences for nearly half a century now, only getting better with age, much like the character himself.

There was criticism around Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom for being too dark and sinister, and while I personally appreciated the radical shift in tone and narrative (as well as the more intricate details, such as setting it within one location), there is certainly value in the belief that this character works best in a more lighthearted, but not any less thrilling, environment. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade aims to return the character to the roots established by Raiders of the Lost Ark, which was a captivating film that combined rollicking action with deadpan humour and wall-to-wall entertainment, which likely allowed it become such an effective introduction to the character. We don’t always notice how impactful such decisions can be until we look at these films in comparison, and realize how much of a difference is made by this shift, which proved to be a divisive risk, and one that was partially rectified with this film, taking us back to the roots, while not entirely abandoning the complexity introduced by the previous film. Spielberg’s work is most impactful when he is able to direct with a certain sense of narrative elasticity, which is why he and Lucas found themselves becoming such strong collaborators, where even their disagreements had a positive outcome, since the rejection of their individual ideas ultimately allowed for a happy medium to be found, which was far more compelling than either of the alternatives. There is a complexity that drives Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade that we don’t immediately notice, but which becomes clear the more we immerse ourselves in this thrilling adventure, which has been carefully put together by Spielberg, whose consistency as a director has never been more well-utilized than in these films, with this one in particular being a standout in every conceivable way, and all the proof we need to understand the extraordinary and undeniable appeal of this series, which is unquestionably one of the best in film history.

It goes without saying that in a career that has seen him traverse every conceivable genre and play several different kinds of characters, Harrison Ford’s most iconic role is Indiana Jones (although an argument can be made for Han Solo, but that’s another discussion entirely), which is by far the performance that has held the most significant cultural cache over the years. By the time he took that wide-brimmed fedora and bullwhip off the shelf to make Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, he was already extremely comfortable in the role, having become neatly nestled within the character’s unique quirks, having spent the past few years developing the role to fit his unique style, and making it quintessentially his own, to the point where no one else could ever conceivably play this role quite as well as he did, which is an astonishing achievement and deservedly the source of a lot of acclaims. His performance in this film is exactly what we’d expect – upbeat, charismatic to a fault and often very funny, with his blend of humour and pathos being reflected well throughout the film. There isn’t any reason to once again acknowledge how good Ford was, especially since he had formed a reliable connection with the character, which meant quite a bit as the story developed. Instead, we can look at the new additions to the franchise, with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade bringing back a couple of characters, while introducing a few new ones at the same time. John Rhys Davis and Denholm Elliott reunited with Ford after being absent from the previous film, and turn in wonderful supporting parts that help anchor the film. In terms of the new characters, the incredible Sean Connery plays Jones’ pernickety but equally as a valiant father, his chemistry with his onscreen son being wonderful. This may not have been a particularly complex character (and we don’t watch Indiana Jones for intense, groundbreaking performances), but everyone involved gives everything they could to these characters, setting a foundation for this thrilling and compelling adventure.

However, as much as we would like to wax poetic about how Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade returns us to the origins of the character in terms of plot, or how it develops Indiana Jones further than the previous two films, as well as introducing new characters, we also can’t ignore the very clear fact that the aspect the drives us to enjoy these films are unsurprisingly related to how they adhere to action film tropes, often becoming the gold-standard for adventure films. We’ve spoken about it previously, but the aspect that made Raiders of the Lost Ark so popular was that it was a throwback to the genre in its golden years, being able to bring such stories to modern audiences without the burden of having to make them too overtly current, which is one of the many false beliefs that studios hold when making genre films. Audiences respond to films that are consistent and entertaining, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade offer absolutely everything we could ever want from this kind of story. Granted, it does require us to suspend disbelief, since some of the plot developments are beyond absurd, but watching a film like this and expecting it to maintain a strict level of logic is an immediate indication of the viewer not knowing how to temper their anticipation, since these films were never designed to make sense, not any more than the many pulpy adventure stories that inspired it. Instead, we have two hours of action-packed, comedically-charged storytelling, which finds Spielberg once again making a masterful adventure film that reminds us of precisely why we appreciate these stories so much, without ever needing to resort to convention or cliche, or at least not to the extent where it drives the entire film, but rather maintains a level of consistency that we don’t often find in the more intellectual attempts at navigate this genre.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is the midpoint for the titular character – it is the third in a series of five films that span roughly half a century, both within the world being explored in the films, and in terms of how long it took them to reach that fifth milestone. There are some moments where I feel like this is the best film of the series – it has the heart of the first film, the complexity of the second and the ambition of the latter two, all condensed into a single magnificent and daring adventure story that takes us on yet another journey with this iconic character. It isn’t difficult to be entertained by this film – the filmmaking is impeccable (and this film contains some of Spielberg’s most daring directorial choices, even if they are slightly more subtle than we may have initially imagined in comparison to the other films), and the overall narrative is brilliant, with the globe-trotting adventures of Indiana Jones and his team being the source of a lot of valuable entertainment. What many may not realize is how this is so much more than just a genre film – there is a deeper meaning behind this film, looking not only at the virtue of history (which has always been the prime motivation behind these stories), but the value of friendship and the importance of family, which is most evident in this film, even if it isn’t always as obvious as it may seem. There is a lot of meaning underpinning this film, which helps me Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade a far more engaging experience, with its humour, pathos and genuine charm all working together to create such an engaging and wonderfully succinct film that remains the gold standard for adventure filmmaking.