Line #32 YMMV/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade


1	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Due to [[TheMole her role]] and [[spoiler:giving Donovan the fake Grail]] Elsa's character is open to a lot of interpretation, with some seeing her as a pragmatic opportunist, others as a selfish villain, and others as someone who started out selfish but grew to love Indy and tried to cut ties with the Nazis for good.
2	* AluminiumChristmasTrees:
3	** Panama Hat's villainy seems like another example of the series' dramatic use of the AdventurerArchaeologist trope to lend unrealistic excitement to archaeology and antiquities. In the real world, illicit trade in antiquities ''really is'' a criminal enterprise with billions in annual revenue, much of it carried out by very dangerous criminals who would be a threat even to someone as badass as Indy.
4	** High-ranking Nazis ''were'' interested in finding mythical Christian artifacts like the Holy Grail, but only as a means to validate their racial beliefs. Although there were some who ''actually believed'' in the occult, they were strongly in the minority and Hitler wasn't one of them; he himself was only interested in the propaganda value of such artifacts.
5	** Hatay may seem like {{Qurac}}, but it was a real country in 1938. Historically known as the Sanjak of Alexandretta, it had been part of the Ottoman Empire but when that disbanded after WWI it became part of French-mandated Syria although it was claimed by Turkey due to its mostly Turkish population. In 1938 it became its own state, but that was a transitional phase prior to it becoming part of Turkey the following year. Although it appears to have a princely ruler in the film, it was actually a republic (and is identified as such by a caption in the film).
6	* AngstWhatAngst: Elsa is severely traumatized, screaming her head off, as Donovan dies right in front of her eyes, from something she deliberately did to him no less (though she probably didn't expect the gruesome RapidAging, to be fair), and yet in the next scene she acts as if nothing happened.
7	* ContestedSequel: ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' is commonly regarded as the best film in the series due to its action scenes, our introduction to Indy, the incredibly popular Marion Ravenwood, and plain old FirstInstallmentWins. There is, however, a not-insubstantial group of fans who consider ''The Last Crusade'' to be even better than ''Raiders'' due to its tighter pacing, the more emotionally involving story, and the dynamic between Creator/HarrisonFord and Creator/SeanConnery, whose comedic dialogue provides a large number of iconic lines.
8	* CrossesTheLineTwice: Indy's encounter with Hitler in Berlin is equal parts horrifying and hilarious, as Hitler mistakes Indy, who's still disguised as a Nazi soldier, for a fan, and the Grail diary for an ordinary one and very matter-of-factly autographs it before moving on.
9	* DiagnosedByTheAudience: Elsa has an almost monomaniacal obsession with the Grail, [[spoiler:which results in her death]].
10	* EnsembleDarkHorse: The Grail Knight and Fedora are very memorable despite only appearing briefly.
11	* {{Fanon}}:
12	** For a while some fans thought (or hoped) that [[spoiler:drinking from the Grail at the end gave Indy immortality, or at least an extended lifespan and slower aging]]. An older, slower Indy in ''Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' ruined that idea. Then again, ''The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles'' shows that Indy lived to at least his early nineties in the early 1990s, so perhaps [[spoiler:drinking from the Grail did give him an extended lifespan]], if nothing else.
13	** At the beginning of the next sequel, Indy also [[NoOneCouldSurviveThat survives]] being right in the middle of [[spoiler:a nuclear explosion]] - albeit in a [[spoiler:lead-lined fridge]], and sailing through the air in it for quite an impressive distance before crashing. Hard. Several times over. Whlie it's not ''exactly'' bringing Indy BackFromTheDead, it's quite the PlotArmor - which could have its in-universe explanation in Indy drinking from the grail giving him a bit of unlikely ContrivedCoincidence divine protection?
14	* FanPreferredCutContent: A lot of fans wish that the creators had stuck with the original plan that the treasure hunter "Fedora" (Garth) was actually Abner Ravenwood (Marion's father) rather than an unrelated third party, as it would have nicely set up his established mentor relationship with Indy that was briefly mentioned in, but already long gone by the time of ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'' and introduced a nice little tie-in between the two stories.
15	* GeniusBonus:
16	** The first trap someone has to get past to reach the Grail, is ''The Breath of God'': "Only the penitent man shall pass." Several Hatay mooks get decapitated by the razor-sharp blade when they don't know what to do, and even Indy himself only figures it out at the last moment: a penitent man ''kneels before God''. The bonus kicks in when just as he kneels, Indy has to also do a forward roll to avoid a vertical blade. At first this might seem weird, because the diary passage did not read "Only the penitent man does a diving commando roll before God", it makes sense when you consider that the Knights set it up that way so that a Christian would pass (since he or she would only kneel with a bowed head), but a Muslim would be killed (since a Muslim kneels ''and'' bends forward to place their forehead against the floor).
17	** The Brothers of the Cruciform Sword are a rather subtle allusion to the Priory of Sion, a hoax/conspiracy theory about an ancient order of knights who protected the ''symbolic'' Holy Grail, actually the supposed bloodline of Christ, (if that sounds familiar, it's the basis for ''Literature/TheDaVinciCode'') while the Cruciform brotherhood protects the Grail as a physical artifact. Also, their specific cross--comparable to that of the Knights Templar or the Hospitallers or any other monastic order--is actually the Grail, not "really" a cross--notice how the topmost arms of it curve upward, just like a cup.
18	** During the Castle Brunwald rescue, Henry Jones, Sr. expresses dismay at Indiana inadvertently bringing the diary into enemy hands, saying that he "should have mailed it to Creator/TheMarxBrothers". Harpo Marx revealed in his autobiography ''Harpo Speaks'' that he once actually had to smuggle a journal of important documents out of Russia to keep them from falling into enemy hands.
19	** One of the false Grails is a plate. In the medieval Arthurian novel ''Perceval, the Story of the Grail'' by Creator/ChretienDeTroyes, which is the first story ever featuring the Holy Grail, the item is a plate. In context, the word "grail" (notice the lowercase) was a common noun referred to a dish to serve fish.
20	* HarsherInHindsight:
21	** Marion's absence from this film becomes this in ''Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' when it's revealed that she was pregnant when Indy left and didn't tell him, meaning that while he's repairing his relationship with Henry, Marion is carrying his child and he is completely unaware.
22	** The scene where Indy flies and crashes the plane becomes a bit winceworthy when, in March 2015, Creator/HarrisonFord was injured when he crashed his plane, which was also a WWII-era plane. Not helping is the line "Fly, yes. Land, no...", which Indy utters when asked if he knows how to pilot the plane.
23	** Two years later, Harrison nearly caused a very bad accident when he landed in front of a plane about to take off, causing an investigation about whether he could keep his pilot's license.
24	** While fighting on top of the tank, there's a scene played for laughs where Indy shoots a Nazi soldier and the bullet passes through him and three other soldiers taking them all out with a single shot. Then a few years later Steven Spielberg memorably had a similar moment during the horrifying liquidation of the ghetto scene in ''Film/SchindlersList'' making this scene a lot less funny when rewatching.
25	* HeartwarmingInHindsight:
26	** Shortly after this film, which is about Indy patching his relationship with his estranged father, Creator/StevenSpielberg rebuilt his own relationship with his father, in part thanks to the influence of his wife Creator/KateCapshaw.
27	** Robert Eddison, who played the Grail Knight, was constantly doubting his performance between takes. Not only were his fears put to rest, but in a way, he really did achieve immortality.
28	* HilariousInHindsight:
29	** Creator/StevenSpielberg and Creator/GeorgeLucas originally planned to make five Indy films but decided to cap it off at three. It would take decades, but two more movies would eventually get made.
30	** Dr. [[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 Elsa]] Schneider dies because she couldn't "let it [the Holy Grail] go." She even looks similar to Disney's Elsa! And with their purchase of Lucasfilm, Dr. Schnieder is technically ''another'' Disney Elsa!
31	** The scene where Henry Sr. subdues a Nazi soldier by spraying his face with ink from his pen, leading Marcus to say "The pen is mightier than the sword!", has gotten funnier in light of the ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' "Celebrity Series/{{Jeopardy}}" sketch where Creator/SeanConnery, played by Darrell Hammond, [[TheProblemWithPenIsland misreads "The pen is mightier" as "The penis mightier"]].
32	** Creator/JohnRhysDavies had a recurring role as Macbeth on ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' (for which he did a ''very'' accurate impression of Connery) five years after ''The Last Crusade''--in which Rhys-Davies and Connery co-starred--was released.
33	** Rhys-Davies also did a Connery impersonation for his role as Kassim in another Disney property, ''WesternAnimation/AladdinAndTheKingOfThieves''...another third installment of a popular adventure series, in which the hero is reunited with his estranged father, who has chased an artifact all his life to the detriment of his relationship with his son, only to realize in the end that his son is more important than the treasure he's been after all his life.
34	** Creator/JulianGlover's turn as Walter Donovan would not be the last time a former [[Film/CasinoRoyale2006 Bond villain]] would have a turn as [[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheDialOfDestiny an Indiana Jones]] [[Creator/MadsMikkelsen villain.]]
35	** The gun that Donovan uses to shoot Henry is a a Walther PPK, much like the one that Connery used as Bond. [[Film/{{Skyfall}} Two films after]] Mikkelsen's appearance, Creator/DanielCraig would receive a gun that only he can fire.
36	* ItWasHisSled: Elsa is a FemmeFatale working for the Nazis.
37	* MagnificentBastard: [[NobleDemon Garth]] is the leader of a gang of treasure hunters who pursues the young Indiana Jones when the boy steals the Cross of Coronado. Unlike his men, Garth [[WouldntHurtAChild never tries to harm young Indiana]], even [[VillainousRescue rescuing him from getting mauled by a lion]]. While unable to prevent Indiana's escape, Garth instead gets the sheriff on his side who forces Indiana to hand the relic over. Garth then [[PetTheDog gives his rival a pep-talk over his loss]] and even gives the boy his fedora, which would become Indiana's iconic hat. This memory even appears to spur Indy to sway the battle against Panama Hat in his favor.
38	* MemeticMutation: [[https://www.deviantart.com/paxdomino/art/Let-It-Go-Elsa-624633101 Elsa]] couldn't "let it go." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Elsa dies by falling down a pit, because she couldn't let go of her obsession for the Holy Grail. It also doesn't help that after Indy almost succumbed to the same temptation, Henry Jones Sr. straight up tells Indy to "let it go." Her name being Elsa combined with the infamous 'Let It Go' song is more than enough for everyone to make ''many'' jokes related to ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013''.[[/labelnote]]
39	* MoralEventHorizon: Walter Donovan doesn't appear to be the monster that the Nazis and the Thuggees were for most of the film, coming off as charming and witty even after he's revealed to be collaborating with the Nazis. Then Indy refuses to find the Grail for him, and Donovan takes a running leap over the horizon.
40	-->'''Indy''': (''at gunpoint'') Shooting me won't get you anywhere.
41	-->'''Donovan''': You know something, Dr. Jones? You're absolutely right.
42	-->(''Donovan turns the gun onto Henry Jones Sr. and shoots'' him ''instead'')
43	* OneSceneWonder:
44	** The Grail Knight only appears briefly in the movie's final act, but he's still one of the most most memorable characters in the film, if not the ''franchise'', as explicit, living, and ''benign'' proof of the supernatural.
45	** Also, Creator/MichaelSheard as ''UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler'', for somewhat obvious reasons.
46	* PolishedPort: Although the Graphic Adventure is best remembered for running through the Apple, Amiga, and MS-DOS compatible systems, the FM-Towns version is considered the better version through the use of a simpler interface, 256-color graphics, and Redbook Audio based on the film score. The game is still in English despite originally being released for Japanese consumption.
47	* RetroactiveRecognition: Nick Gillard, who was the fight coordinator for the ''Franchise/StarWars'' prequel trilogy, is the Nazi who watches Indy fighting through the periscope, and is knocked out after he mocks him.
48	* SignatureScene:
49	** The motorcycle escape serves as a spectacular capper to the first half that sticks with the viewer thanks to the excellent vehicular stunt work.
50	** The fight scene on the tank, which mixes comedic moments with a brutal fist fight for one of the franchise's most memorable action sequences.
51	** Donovan drinking the wrong grail provides a gruesome death scene and the Grail Knight's signature line of "He chose... poorly."
52	* SpecialEffectsFailure:
53	** The ChromaKey in the airplane chase is pretty shoddy, at least by current standards.
54	** The python young Indy encounters on the circus train looks extremely fake. Especially egregious since Indy falls into a crate full of actual snakes almost immediately after that.
55	** The DrivingADesk is incredibly obvious when the ocean liners close on the boat chasing Indy and Elsa in Venice.
56	** When Vogel and the Tank fall of the cliff, the blue screen effects during the fall is pretty obvious.
57	** The bookshelf behind Indy when he says "X Marks the Spot" is a remarkably cheap prop that has to be seen to be believed.
58	** The rats in the burning tunnel are obviously immobile dolls.
59	** If you look closely, when Elsa falls into the chasm you can clearly see her land on a mat of some sort. This was supposed to hidden by all the fog at the bottom but it doesn't quite work.
60	* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: Generally seen as a big improvement over its predecessor, with some even arguing that it's an EvenBetterSequel than ''[[Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk Raiders]]''.
61	* TearDryer: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np4OojYGixI Indy goes over a cliff in a Nazi tank.]] His father, Marcus and Sallah are all looking over the cliff in horror and shock, completely missing that Indy made it out and is climbing back up, then joins them to see what all the fuss is about. Sadly Indy's just too late to hear Dr. Jones Sr. realize he'd never really spoken properly to his son.
62	* ValuesDissonance: Indy forcefully kisses Elsa when they meet up after the boat chase, which leads to her getting mad at him before devolving into passionate sex. As societal standards have changed, this is viewed as outright sexual harassment, possibly even sexual assault.
63	* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The concealment of the bridge in the LeapOfFaith scene is ''very'' convincing.
64	* WinBackTheCrowd: ''[[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom Temple of Doom]]'' had a decidedly mixed reaction, with Creator/StevenSpielberg and Creator/GeorgeLucas admitting they let their personal problems interfere with their work. They explicitly sought to go back to the roots of the first movie - return to a more light-hearted adventure, as well as bringing back such elements as Marcus, Sallah and the Nazis. By all accounts, the duo succeeded.

Context YMMV / IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade