I was about to turn nineteen when Last Crusade came out nineteen years ago in the summer of 1989. It had been five years in between Indy movies and this was the first movie when I experienced nostalgia. I thought nostalgia was something for older people. Maybe it was because I knew this was the last Indiana Jones movie (at least we thought), more than likely it was the time when the movie experience changed for me.
Before, I watched movies with kid eyes soaking up every scene and enjoying every frame. For me it was the experience of being transported into another place. It didn’t matter if it was a well made gem of a film or low-budget piece of junk movie, I just loved all of ‘em. Mark it down as childhood innocense. During that summer of ‘89, I found myself less entertained and more critical watching movies. I started playing Monday night quarterback or in this case director, thinking of different and better ways the film should be. I couldn’t help myself, it just happened and it happened with Last Crusade.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved this movie then and still do. The Young Indy stuff with River Phoenix was amazing and for the most part I liked Sean Connery as Indiana’s father. The stuff that bugged me then and still does today are the scenes with Marcus and Sallah. It was great seeing them again, but not as comic relief. Also, that Zeppelin scene was not good, the effects were terrible. (At least ILM would redeem themselves with the Zep in The Rocketeer).
I did love the cliche riding off into the sunset scene. It was a great way to end the series and for me it really felt like it represented the true end of my childhood.
3 comments:
Last Crusade is my least favorite of the first 3 too. Actually I like them in the order they were made. My biggest prob with Crusade was Sean Connery. I love the guy as James Bond, but as a dottery grumpy old man he just had to go. I was actually glad to hear he didn't want to be in Crystal Skull.
And I find it absolutely ridiculous that anyone can find Temple of Doom to be a not worthy entry in the series. I've heard many people say this and aside from a couple silly Shortround moments, I have no clue what they're even referring to. "It's too dark and violent..."
Oh shaddap, ya big babies.
Compared to the new one, the first two sequels are classics!
I liked the latest Indy. It was what I would have expected from an Indiana Jones movie, only a little bigger, faster and more ... imaginative? I didn't find it any more improbable than the first three, and I enjoyed seeing Indy adapt to the late fifties.
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