| ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. | |
| OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents need to know that kids will see hand-to-hand combat, action-filled chases and gun fights. Jones Sr. is shot point blank and almost bleeds to death. This movie is best suited for teens, although some intense scenes might disturb more sensitive among them.
It's 1912 and young Indiana Jones (River Phoenix) risks his life to save Coronado's Cross. But his father (Sean Connery) is not impressed. We jump to 1938 and Indie (Harrison Ford) discovers that his father has vanished while searching for the coveted Holy Grail. Off to Venice, where Indy is followed by a secret brotherhood dedicated to maintaining the secret of the Grail. Indy finds his father, but Nazis kidnap them both. They escape to Berlin to find a missing diary and (literally) run into Hitler. After fleeing an airship and engaging in a dogfight, father and son head to the desert to beat the Nazis to the Grail. After a remarkable chase with a tank, Indy's dad is shot and Indy must get to the Grail in order to save his father's life.
The chemistry between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery is fun to watch. Both actors have impeccable timing and are obviously enjoying themselves. While some of Indy's previous sidekicks were annoying, Connery's character is a worthy companion and foil. Since father and son have a past, you care about their relationship.
This installment also includes the return Indiana Jones' milder mannered side -- a hero who can be tremendously awkward when not battling bad guys or untangling ancient mysteries. Much of the movie's success is due to a tongue-in-cheek attitude that begins when young Indy -- played by an intense River Phoenix -- can't find the rest of his Scout troop and loudly declares that "everyone is lost but me." Ahh, that's the Indiana Jones we know and love.
Families can talk about the effects of the frequent use of cartoonishly evil Nazis as "bad guys" in action movies. Does it trivialize or obscure their real atrocities, especially the Holocaust?
| Studio: | Paramount Pictures |
| Director: | Steven Spielberg |
| Cast: | Harrison Ford, John Rhys-Davies, Sean Connery |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Run time: | 128 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | May 24, 1989 |
| DVD release date: | October 26, 1999 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | violence |
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