Those lovable buffoons from Monty Python weren’t the only with an interest in the historically coveted Holy Grail, the bejeweled cup filled with the promise of everlasting life. Famed archeologist turned adventurer, Indiana Jones, had his own sites set on this easy to carry, hard to find, fountain of youth - an obsession that simply ran in the family.

In this third installment of the Indiana Jones franchise, the story begins in the early 1900s, where audiences get a glimpse of a teenaged Indy (River Phoenix), an inquisitive boy scout with a love for ancient artifacts. When he discovers a band of thieves trying to steal an archeological treasure, a bejeweled cross, he feels it his duty to see that this important find make it safely to a museum. And so, he does what any good boy scout would do, he proceeds to steal it. He takes off on a perilous journey that leads him through a circus train, complete with rhinos, lions, and a room full of vipers that will eventually lead to his lifelong fear of snakes. He finally makes it home to his comically overbearing father (played memorably by Sean Connery) who is too preoccupied with the boy’s attention to his Latin studies to realize the danger he is facing. The sheriff shows up and forces the boy to hand over the cross to one of the thieving treasure hunters, who, in exchange, gives Indy a fedora to wear. And so begins the adventurous life of Indiana Jones.

Flashing forward to 1939, the era of the Nazis, and Indy is still trying to steal the cross back. Although it once again eludes his grasp, he soon has a much more serious problem to contend with, as he learns that his father has disappeared and is likely being held by the Nazis. It would seem that Hitler has a few evil plans for the grail and dad is the only one that can lead the way to the fabled cup. Or is he? It turns out that he leaves behind his beloved diary, which provides Indy with the clues necessary to not only locate his father, but the coveted grail as well. But the journey is not a simple one. Along the way, he will have to contend with the rodent-filled catacombs of Venice, a group of ancient guardians who will kill to protect the grail, an Austrian castle, infested with Nazis, a book burning rally in Berlin, and finally the graves of the Knights of the Round Table and a series of life or death tests that lead to the Holy Grail. In other words, business as usual for the famed adventurer.

Filled to the brim with horses, tanks, dogfighters, boats, zeppelins and, of course, a gaggle of Nazis, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was everything an Indy fan could hope for. But for all the nonstop action that fans have come to expect from the franchise, it was the comical and endearing chemistry between father and son that made this film a big hit with audiences around the world.

The buzz surrounding the third film was so strong that Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade set a new box office record for ticket sales in a one week period (at least until the release of Tim Burton’s Batman.) And in the years that followed, this biggest question that haunted the loyal fans of Indiana Jones was “Is this the last film?” They would have to wait all the way until 2007, when it was announced that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg were indeed teaming up yet again for a fourth installment to be released in Spring 2008. Apparently the Holy Grail did grant a bit of everlasting life to the famed archeologist after all.