A scenario similar to this can be found at the beginning of “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” in which director Steven Spielberg is likely to be browsing through old copies of Boys’ Life and Thrilling Wonder Tales in his basement office.

Because contemporary Hollywood escapist films have grown too jaded and cynical, I found myself genuinely delighted as I watched it, because they have lost the sense that you may stumble into amazing adventures just by going on a trek with your Scout group.

Using the bold, simple colors of old pulp magazines as a backdrop, Spielberg sets the tone for the action. A golden glow appears over the features of the swarthy men as they kneel over their find, which appears to be emitting a unique light of its own. When a situation arises like this, a comment like It’s mine can truly be justified! Although Spielberg did not go quite that far, I believe it is all mine.

The young Indiana Jones is, of course, one of the two children hiding behind the boulder. His location is found by explorers searching for an old treasure and he is able to escape in time. The sequence comes to a close with an adult slapping Indiana’s head with a tattered hat, and then we jump forward to the World War II era.

Only the opening scene of this third Indiana Jones film feels really fresh – or perhaps I should say that it recycles images from 1940s pulp and serials that Spielberg has not before used in other Indiana Jones movies. The rest of the film will not come as a surprise to fans of Indiana Jones, but then again, what would be? In recent years, the Jones films have come to define a familiar universe of death-defying stunts, virtuoso chases, dry humor, and the pursuit of unattainable aims in unimaginable locations.

Upon its release, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” set a new level of excitement for adventure films; the film was an unstoppable milestone. But there was no way for Spielberg to surpass himself, and it’s probably for the best that “Last Crusade” will actually be Indy’s final picture before retirement. Wouldn’t it be too tragic if, like the James Bond films, the series grew old and stale?

In fact, several of the main features from the first two adventures appear in this third adventure as well. This time, Indy’s goal is to track down the Holy Grail, which is believed to be the cup that Jesus Christ used at the Last Supper (the Last Supper cup).

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