Indiana Jones Revisited: The Last Installment

So I saw The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull this weekend. Before I get to that (mañana, amigos), I also finished my DVD project, rewatching all of my now obsolete boxed set. So, I watched 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade this weekend. I like this one second (after Temple of Doom) for so many reasons, a major one being Sean Connery. Yes, we know he’s sketchy (after telling Barbara Walters “You have to schmack a women with an open fisht,”) but I still think he’s great with Harrison Ford in the movie. The banter between them is great, and the casting for Henry Jones Sr. could not have been more perfect. I also love the opening with River Phoenix, as young Indy. He not only does a dead-on Harrison Ford impersonation (maybe all that time spent together on the Mosquito Coast, an awesome movie if you haven’t seen it), but I’m a sucker for an origin story and we get the fear of snakes, the hat, the scar, and the whip all explained. Last, but not least, in full geek disclosure, was a little bit of a King Arthur buff in my youth, so I loved this pre-Davinci Code tale of the Holy Grail (though every time I hear the knight say “You have chosen wisely,” at the end, I think of the Burger King/ collectible cup movie promotion for which they used that sound clip). Yes, there’s a ton of implausibility and continuity issues, like in all the movies (such as the tomb flooded with kerosene, can you open your eyes under that?), but you have to sit back and enjoy the camel ride. Tomorrow, my thoughts on Crystal Skulls.