One of the biggest box part hits of 1989, Indiana Jones and the Final Crusade is widely considered to be the greatest follow-up to Steven Spielberg's pulpy masterpiece Raiders of the Lost Ark. After Temple of Doom took a dark turn with child slaves and ritualistic sacrifices, Last Crusade returned to the fun, lighthearted action-adventure tone of Raiders.

From Indy's father-son dynamic with his estranged dad to the breathtaking applied stunt work, there are enough of elements in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade that still hold upward today.

10 The Prologue Acts As Its Own Young Indy Prequel

The opening fix piece of Indiana Jones and the Last Cause features River Phoenix as a immature Indy breaking away from his Male child Scouts' field trip to face up a band of ruthless grave robbers. This sequence fills in the character'due south backstory, explaining where he got his whip, his fedora, and the scar on Harrison Ford'southward chin.

This prologue acts as its ain fiddling Indiana Jones prequel, but the inclusion of Indy's stern, emotionally afar male parent at the end sets up the main conflict for the residuum of the movie. Information technology's 1 of the about unforgettable openings of any sequel.

9 Harrison Ford And Sean Connery Share A Surprisingly Tangible Father-Son Dynamic

After the previous ii movies shrouded the character in mystery, it was a bold motion for Spielberg and Lucas to round out Indiana Jones' backstory. Only telling that part of Indy'due south story through his human relationship with his estranged begetter was a unique, emotionally resonant style to explain his origins.

Sean Connery'due south casting may take been a gimmick since Indiana Jones was inspired by James Bond and Connery was the original Bond, but he and Harrison Ford shared a surprisingly tangible father-son dynamic in the roles of Indy and Henry, Sr.

8 Practical Stunt Work Is Timeless

These days, CGI-ridden activity scenes can age poorly within a couple of years, but practical in-photographic camera stunt work from decades ago is still timeless. The activity scenes of The Road Warrior, Law Story, and the Indiana Jones movies all withal concur up today, because daring stunt performers did them for real and all the director had to do was betoken and shoot.

The Last Cause'south stunt team pulled off wild feats like a motorcycle hunt, an surreptitious explosion, and riding a speedboat through the narrow gap between two larger ships.

7 The Story Moves Along At A Nice, Brisk Pace

Much similar the James Bond movies that influenced the Indiana Jones serial in the first identify, the fast-paced storytelling of The Last Crusade jumps all over the globe to such exotic locations as Venice, Berlin, and Hatay.

The plot points are all driven forward past activeness, while the Nazis' concurrent search for the Holy Grail gives the threequel a nail-biting ticking-clock element.

six John Williams' Oscar-Nominated Score Walks The Line Between Action-Run a risk Thrills And Hostage Sentimentality

Just like in George Lucas' other franchise Star Wars, John Williams' music in the Indiana Jones movies has arguably contributed every bit much to the feel of the series every bit Lucas' storytelling. His Oscar-nominated Last Crusade score walks the line of the moving picture's tonal residue perfectly.

In The Concluding Crusade, Williams brought his usual loftier-octane orchestrations to the activity scenes, but he also equanimous some slower, more emotional pieces to punctuate the father-son drama.

5 The Holy Grail Is The Ultimate MacGuffin

Par for the course, Final Crusade has a MacGuffin for Indy to search for. After tracking downward the Ark of the Covenant and the Sankara Stones in the first two movies, he went out looking for the Holy Grail in the third i.

As a magical loving cup bestowed upon humanity by God himself to grant eternal life, the Holy Grail is the ultimate MacGuffin – and letting it go is the ultimate lesson for Indy to learn after years of seeking fortune and glory.

4 Steven Spielberg's Kinetic Direction Still Packs A Punch

It's a shame that Steven Spielberg is stepping downwardly from the director's chair for the latestIndiana Jones sequel because his kinetic direction harking back to the archetype westerns and hazard serials that inspired him as a kid is a huge office of what fabricated the original movies so much fun.

His vivid lighting in Final Crusade scenes like the speedboat chase and the tank assail reflects the art of pulp magazines. Spielberg's command of tension ensures there's a refreshing clarity in all the motion-picture show's activity scenes.

3 The Tank Sequence Is Just Equally Roughshod Today

When the Germans capture Indy's father and best friend and trap them on a tank, he hops on the back of a equus caballus and catches up with the tank. His daring rescue mission is cut short when the goons overpower him.

Indy getting dragged beyond a rock face up while precariously dangling from the tank'southward cannon by the strap of his satchel is just equally rough and agonizing today.

ii It Recaptures More Of Raiders' Pulpy Spirit Than The Other Sequels

After Temple of Doom took an Empire Strikes Back-mode plough into darker territory, Final Crusade returned to the fun tone established in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Over again, Indy finds himself on an exciting globetrotting take chances getting in and out of ridiculous situations similar running through a circus train and facing a horde of rats in a sewer and hanging off the cannon of a moving tank.

1 Riding Off Into The Sunset Is (Or Was) The Perfect Ending For Indy'south Story

Subsequently Indy'southward dad inspires him to permit the Grail go, he realizes that what's really important in life is the people he loves. And then, as John Williams' iconic "Raiders March" theme kicks in, Indy and his friends ride off into the sunset, fix to close the book on their adventures.

Riding off into the sunset, like the final scene of so many archetype westerns, was the perfect catastrophe for Indy'southward story. Spielberg later followed information technology upwardly with a fourth pic – and a fifth is in production – but the definitive finale of Terminal Crusade still holds up today.

NEXT: 10 Ways Raiders Of The Lost Ark Even so Holds Up Today

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About The Writer

Ben Sherlock (3520 Articles Published)

Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, contained filmmaker, and Burt Reynolds enthusiast. He writes lists for Screen Rant and features and reviews for Game Rant. He'south currently in pre-production on his first feature (and has been for a while, because filmmaking is expensive). You can catch him performing standup at odd pubs effectually the Great britain that will give him stage fourth dimension. Previously, he wrote for Gustation of Cinema, Comic Volume Resources, and BabbleTop.

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