It runs in the family. After five movies spread out over more than 40 years, it seems we’re done with Harrison Ford’s version of Indiana Jones for good. What started in 1981 as a riff on the serials Steven Spielberg and George Lucas loved so much as kids became a cultural phenomenon chronicling Indy’s adventures from the 1930s through to the ‘60s.
While every entry has its merits (yes, even the ), it’s that represents the best of what the franchise has to offer. It’s not necessarily the best movie of the bunch; offers outstanding adventure storytelling, and is one of Spielberg’s best directorial efforts. , though, has much of charm but a little less self-seriousness, making it the platonic ideal of an Indy movie.
, which follows Indy as he’s recruited to track down both the Holy Grail and his father, plays as a two-handed road movie, and Sean Connery proves to be Ford’s perfect foil. Connery could have easily played some version of Indiana Jones 20 years before Ford got the part, but while his Henry Jones Sr. is just as brilliant as his son, he has none of his knack for adventure.
Adding Connery to the mix changes a straightforward action adventure into something closer to slapstick comedy. Together, father and son manage to set the room they’re being held prisoner in on fire, shoot down their own plane, and bicker throughout the entire film. While they’re searching for an important historical artifact with mystic powers, just like in every Indy movie, t.
