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Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

EMAILPRINTParamount Pictures

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade reviews
65
7.9 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 14 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 28 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Adventure

Written by: George Lucas (story and characters)
Philip Kaufman (characters)
Jeffrey Boam
Menno Meyjes (story)

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Release Date:
Theatrical: May 24, 1989

Running Time: 127 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: PG-13

Starring Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott, Alison Doody, John Rhys-Davies, Julian Glover, and River Phoenix

Chapter 25 in the complete adventures of Indiana Jones has it all: the fedora, the bullwhip, the ophidiophobia (fear of snakes)! This time, Indy (Ford) is on a perilous hunt for the Holy Grail with none other than his cantankerous dad (Connery). Father and son have rarely seen eye to eye. But if the adventure they share can't bridge the generation gap, nothing can. (Paramount)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

It's a beautiful machine, thought out and revved up to the last detail, with no other purpose but to delight - and it delights. [24 May 1989, Daily Notebook, p.E1]

90

Variety Staff (Not Credited)

The Harrison Ford-Sean Connery father-and-son team gives Last Crusade unexpected emotional depth, reminding us that real film magic is not in special effects.

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90

The New York Times Caryn James

Though it cannot regain the brash originality of ''Raiders of the Lost Ark,'' in its own way 'The Last Crusade' is nearly as good, matching its audience's wildest hopes.

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88

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

It is just as well that Last Crusade will indeed be Indy's last film. It would be too sad to see the series grow old and thin, like the James Bond movies.

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88

USA Today Mike Clark

The relaxed and confident Crusade is the first Jones outing to benefit from actual characterizations. [24 May 1989, Life, p.1D]

80

Washington Post Desson Thomson

Start lining up now, bring a bullwhip -- and maybe some d-Con. Indiana will do the rest.

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75

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

Also predictable is the film's simplistic treatment of themes from religion and myth… It's curious that Spielberg and Lucas see these venerated objects not as symbols of divine inspiration but as repositories of a blind, undiscriminating force that can be wielded (like the three wishes from a genie or a magic lamp) by whoever gets their hands on them. [13 June 1989, Arts, p.11]

75

Chicago Tribune Dave Kehr

Fully up to, as well as virtually indistinguishable from, its predecessors… The guarantee of Indiana Jones is that the pace never varies and the tone never changes; when you've had enough, you can feel free to leave. [24 May 1989, Tempo, p.1]

60

The New Republic Stanley Kauffmann

More amusing than exciting. [19 June 1989, p.28]

60

Los Angeles Times Sheila Benson

You can't roll monstrous boulders straight at audiences any more and have a whole theater-full duck and gasp with fright--and pleasure. We may be plumb gasped out. And although Harrison Ford is still in top form and the movie is truly fun in patches, it's a genre on the wane. [24 May 1989, Calendar, p.6-1]

50

The New Yorker Pauline Kael

The action simply doesn't have the exhilarating, leaping precision that Spielberg gave us in the past... The joyous sureness is missing. [12 June 1989]

50

TV Guide Staff (Non Credited)

Despite strong acting (the slapstick energy between Ford and Connery is wasted), obligatory chases and stunts and splendid art direction, the virtuoso technique evident in every frame remains formulaic--unaccompanied by revelation, epiphany or surprise.

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40

Washington Post Hal Hinson

The first of Spielberg's films to make us feel heavy in our seats, the first to leave us sitting, passive and uninvolved, on the outside. Watching it, you feel that nearly anyone could have directed it.

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20

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

Mechanical, soulless.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 7.9 (out of 10) based on 28 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Celia A. gave it a0:
Not my type, doesn't even hit the spot, it gets me thinking that this should be one of the TV episodes. Its that cheesy.

Philip C. gave it a0:
A discovery that looks for the surreal, superb mystery of theoretic discoveries of the holy grail, what holy grail? I never realized that the grail was involved ever since the title said it was a crusade. During the crusades, nobody was looking for any holy grail, not in WW2.

Lincoln C. gave it a0:
When Dr. Henry Jones Sr. suddenly goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail, eminent archaeologist Indiana Jones must follow in his father's footsteps and stop the Nazis in this adventure of a lifetime. But this adventure truly does nothing, a soulless atmosphere and dull shit.

Andy gave it a10:
The 2nd best Indi movie after Raiders. I'm surprised it doesn't fair well with the critics, this is a classic in my opinion.

Brandon L. gave it a10:
'Radier's of the Lost Ark' was good. 'Temple of Doom' was awful. The third in the Indy series, 'The Last Crusade,' is, by far, the best in the trilogy. Sean Connery is great as Indy's father and Harrison is, of course, awesome as Indy Jones. An excellent movie.

Allison gave it a10:
Simply fantastic. Harrison and Sean are absolutely fantastic on screen. I just loved it.

Roger V. gave it a10:
Harrison and Sean together were just magic on the silver screen. The chemistry was just great. And don't call him Junior. I hate snakes.

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