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"The Last Crusade" tried so hard to be what the first one was that it was formulaic and forced. It really lost me with the chinzy and predictable tank-falling-off-the-cliff scene.
"The Crystal Skull" was more like the first one. Lots of ridiculous action sequences, goofy character interplay, and inside references to other films and traditions. Like the first one, it teased the audience. The most famous scene in "The Lost Ark" was where Jones shot the swordsman, because it mocked so many other films, and I saw more of that type of humor in "The Crystal Skull" than any of the others of the series. Little stuff, like at the end where the hat blows off, and Shia's character picks it up and starts to put it on, and the whole audience expects a "Passing of the torch" scene, and Jones takes the hat back from him. That's the type of stuff that made the first film a masterpiece, and exactly the type of stuff that was missing from the next two, which took themselves too seriously and tried to hard to imitate the first one.
Not that "The Crystal Skull" was as good as the first one. The action sequences weren't creative enough, and the directing and production were just too visible. But it was better than the other two sequels.
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