No doubt about it.
Raiders is a little overrated . . . Temple is a little underrated . . . but Last Crusade is the best.
It's got Nazis, the Holy Grail, "No ticket!", ancient knights, the Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword, and Sean Connery!
I enjoy the whole series, but this is the one that I have returned to over and over throughout the years.
Many people share your opinion and for a second-sequel "Last Crusade" certainly has plenty to offer. "Raiders," though, relies less on the kind of on-the-nose comedy both "Temple" and "Crusade" cheerily embrace. Plus it's the only Indy outing with a dour ending -- at least compared to the sequels' sugar-coated conclusions -- which is why I suppose I rank it first.
shareWell why is a dour ending a positive thing and preferable to a happier one?
shareBecause I recently watched the Indy series again, starting at "Crystal" and concluding at "Raiders", and it was refreshing to see when I got to the first one that Spielberg once had it in him to resort to something other than a diabetes-inducing ending.
shareWell I feel like the happy-ish endings are a part of the fun of the series. You have to remember that Indy is a throwback to the pulp adventure stories of yesteryear and is not supposed to be a mirror of reality.
I think that Raiders is very good, but Spielberg had not QUITE mastered the art of directing a film at that point. There are a few scenes where I can feel his inexperience.
Temple is also good, and it was my favorite as a kid, but it does get a BIT too silly at times.
I think that Last Crusade strikes the proper balance between the more serious tone of Raiders and the more comical tone of Temple. I love everything about it.
Raiders feels more special, yet Last Crusade is also the one that has gotten the most re-watches from me.
I'm kinda torn between them, but to me this one does have everything an Indy movie is supposed to have. Plus, it's nearly perfect from a technical standpoint.
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I know a lot of people champion Raiders as the best, but when I watch it I feel like I can tell that Spielberg was still finding his footing as a director.
The comedic moments in Last Crusade are a big reason why I LIKE the film. I think it's the perfect blend of seriousness and comedy, the result of which is a film that you can take seriously but still have a lot of fun with. Kind of like Jurassic Park.
The Last Crusade is a grand escapist adventure, which i think is exactly what it was trying to be and is exactly what we all need from time to time.
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It's an adventure film. Why shouldn't there be comedic moments? That's part of the adventure.
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What was "too much" in this film? Name 4 scenes where they went overboard with the comedy.
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Half of those examples are exact examples of levity.
https://media.giphy.com/media/3Jt96ME8H1poA/giphy.gif
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lev·i·ty
ˈlevədē/
noun
noun: levity; plural noun: levities
humor or frivolity, especially the treatment of a serious matter with humor or in a manner lacking due respect.
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I copied and pasted, yet that's my "interpretation" of the word levity? You've mentally gymnastics yourself into a pretzel. LOL Quit wasting your breath. You've lost. Your opinion is invalid.
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Levity is comedy, by any definition.
But besides, what really is the difference between the moments you name and the scene in Raiders where Indy shoots the swordsman? None that I can see.
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Are you somehow drawing a distinction between humor and comedy? Because I don't see much of one.
You claim that levity is not comedy "by definition." Well let's look at definitions (no, I'm not making these up):
Levity: "humor or frivolity, especially the treatment of a serious matter with humor or in a manner lacking due respect"
Comedy: "the humorous or amusing aspects of something"
I'm not the first to tell you this in this thread. You clearly have carved out your own self-styled definition of levity which has nothing to do with the actual academic definition.
Do you know why levity lightens up a tense scene? Because it injects humor--comedy--into the scene. The sword scene is a perfect example, and yes, people laugh at that scene.
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I already defined comedy for you: "the humorous or amusing aspects of something"
You might as well just let it go. No sensible person is going to agree with you that levity is not a FORM of comedy.
You seem to feel like the only kind of comedy that exists is slapstick or the kind that is meant to get big laughs. It's not. Comedy is very broad.
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LOL.
You're just digging the hole deeper by trying to save face. You should've admitted your error when Mint Berry Crunch pointed it out to you.
Humility is the path to not looking like a buffoon in situations like these.
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Little Bitch is crying again, I see.
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I'll at least give you this much credit: You're smart enough to know that you provoked it by condescendingly calling me "son."
But troll on, brother. Because it's obvious at this point that's what your game is.
I'll just leave you with this: Let's imagine you approached Steven Spielberg and said, "Hey Steven, you remember the scene where Indy shoots the swordsman in Raiders? Was that meant to be a comedic moment?"
If you honestly believe that he would answer "No," then in all seriousness you really do need to study up a bit on what comedy is.
You don't have to respond to this. Just answer the question and know the answer in your heart. That's good enough.
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Agreed! The film wouldn't be nearly as good without the humor. Some people overreact and act like the movie was directed as an Adam Sandler film.
As I said earlier, I think it has the perfect balance of seriousness and humor.
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I've seen Last Crusade many times over the years and somehow have managed to remain cringe-free all this time.
Hmm. . .
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Yes, I know, it's quite clear from your behavior in this thread that you feel like only your view, your interpretation, your ideas are correct. Even on subjective subjects apparently.
shareI felt that Temple was the weakest one, I haven't watched it in ages maybe I'll give it a watch again sometime.
I usually put Raiders and Crusade on the same level, they each have their own strengths.
Agree with you on that ranking. I've got huge affection for Raiders as it came out when I was a kid, and I was already inclined to swashbuckling adventure through my Dad's collection of adventure fiction. It was like everything I loved came to life. I got to see a lecture by Julian Glover a couple of years ago, and then he hosted a screening of Crusade--so much fun!
But Temple...no, really don't like that one. Kate Capshaw didn't fit well for my taste, and I'm generally not a fan of the cute kid as a sidekick. I watched it on TV long after its release, and my roommate wandered through the room. We watched a scene with Short Round, it fell flat for us both, and I sighed and said, "They did a worldwide talent search...for that?"
Admittedly, YMMV, and lots of people may have enjoyed him.