Raiders of the Lost ArkThe best adventures are timeless classics--struggles of heroes embodying good versus evil. Raiders of the Lost Ark--later called Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, after its protagonist, Dr. "Indiana" Jones (Harrison Ford)--is an action film set in 1936, where Indiana Jones is recruited by the United States government to discover the whereabouts of an ancient, mythical antiquity--the legendary Ark of the Covenant--before the ascendant Nazi party beats them to the punch, and attempts to claim the unfathomable power of God to make their tyrannical army invincible.
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Raiders of the Lost Ark is designed to be an homage to the classic serial action films that played in the matinees in the Forties, which also accounts for the setting. The film is jam-packed with action set pieces, and is never sluggish or dull, even in the rare quieter moments. But even with an abundance of riveting moments piled on top of one another, Raiders of the Lost Ark also tells a rich story with adventure, heroism, and religion, all set in the volatile period of pre-World War II. Raiders of the Lost Ark sets the stage with a slice from one of Indy's adventures through a jungle--raiding tombs before it was cool--and establishing the adventuring archaeologist's skills in perilous situations. This prelude also introduces Indiana's arch-nemesis, a fellow archaeologist with a dearth of scruples called Belloq (Paul Freeman). Yet for all of Indiana Jones' prowess at evading death at the hands of angry tribal warriors, one of his few fears is also revealed: snakes. This man of action in his trademark fedora, leather jacket, and armed with a bullwhip pulls a Clark Kent when he is later revealed as a scholarly professor of archaeology at a university alongside his friend and colleague, Dr. Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott). Indy's adventures take him across the globe, from the sweltering jungles of South America and Egypt, to the snowy mountains of Nepal, where he is reunited with an old flame, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen). Marion was the daughter of Indiana's late mentor, and he seeks her out less out of an interest in reconciling with the cynical barkeep to Sherpas, but because he suspects she possesses a relic of her father's--a medallion that will help him find the "Well of Souls" in the lost city of Tanis, where the Ark is presumed to rest. Their reunion leads to a team up in their mutual quest for the treasure, bringing them back together and reforging a bond after ten years apart. And except for a romantic dalliance in the desert, they are constantly besieged by the Nazis in a heated race for the Ark, including a slug-like Nazi interrogator with a penchant for unusual coat hangers named Major Arnold Toht (Ronald Lacey).
Directed by Steven Spielberg, Raiders of the Lost Ark has been described by some as the "perfect movie", checking all of the right boxes for what makes a movie entertaining. Indiana Jones is the quintessential hero--smart (he is a doctor), resourceful, athletic, handsome, courageous, and an overall good guy. His face is deliberately obscured during the opening credits to suggest that this capable explorer could be anyone--a technique that encourages audiences to apply their own attributes to the character and identify with him even more. Based on his conversation with Marion in her bar in Nepal, it is likely that Indiana Jones has made some unfortunate decisions in the past, but his efforts to claim the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis is motivated out of an altruistic desire to prevent the relic from falling into the hands of evil. Indiana Jones makes up for his sins of the past with Marion, and literally leaps to save her from the clutches of the amoral Nazis as they abduct her time and again. There is a real chemistry between Indiana Jones and Marion; yet even when she is kidnapped by the Nazis--twice, in fact--she proves to be far from a wilting violet. The first time Marion is introduced, she is winning a drinking contest against a burly barfly, and later she is unafraid of subtly trying to seduce Belloq to turn the tables against her captor.
Even when moments are at their most implausible in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the action is so constant and exciting that only the most jaded audiences will fail to suspend their disbelief. Consider the collection of assorted booby traps Jones must overcome, not least of which is the pinball-like rolling death ball that chases him all the way out of the tomb. The theme music by John Williams is so iconic and memorable that for those who have seen Raiders of the Lost Ark, you may already be humming the tune as you read this. Raiders of the Lost Ark has been so successful and become such a beloved and timeless action film that its impact has been felt on adventure films over the past thirty-five plus years--it could be said that it rewrote the rules for modern adventure movies. For example, a scene where Indiana is racing away from the angry natives in South America has been referenced in films like Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Raiders of the Lost Ark was so popular and profitable that it would go on to spawn several sequels, with the most recent one released in 2008, and another slated for 2020. Even moments where Indy shoots a scimitar-wielding assassin out of exasperation lend a welcome release to the tension of a constant swell of action and excitement. (The story goes that Harrison Ford had the flu at the time when a fight between him and the swordsman was to take place, and he improvised the now classic instance where he "shoots first".) But what makes Indiana Jones such a likable hero of the silver screen is that he stands for something good, even at great peril to his life, against the cold and cruel forces that threaten goodness, and strives to preserve the past in the face of their efforts to exploit it--the very definition of a hero.
Recommended for: Fans of one of the most exciting action films ever made, with tons of striking set pieces, interesting characters, and a compelling story. Raiders of the Lost Ark is a film which may have been made almost four decades ago, but remains as fresh and dynamic as any blockbuster today.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, Raiders of the Lost Ark has been described by some as the "perfect movie", checking all of the right boxes for what makes a movie entertaining. Indiana Jones is the quintessential hero--smart (he is a doctor), resourceful, athletic, handsome, courageous, and an overall good guy. His face is deliberately obscured during the opening credits to suggest that this capable explorer could be anyone--a technique that encourages audiences to apply their own attributes to the character and identify with him even more. Based on his conversation with Marion in her bar in Nepal, it is likely that Indiana Jones has made some unfortunate decisions in the past, but his efforts to claim the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis is motivated out of an altruistic desire to prevent the relic from falling into the hands of evil. Indiana Jones makes up for his sins of the past with Marion, and literally leaps to save her from the clutches of the amoral Nazis as they abduct her time and again. There is a real chemistry between Indiana Jones and Marion; yet even when she is kidnapped by the Nazis--twice, in fact--she proves to be far from a wilting violet. The first time Marion is introduced, she is winning a drinking contest against a burly barfly, and later she is unafraid of subtly trying to seduce Belloq to turn the tables against her captor.
Even when moments are at their most implausible in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the action is so constant and exciting that only the most jaded audiences will fail to suspend their disbelief. Consider the collection of assorted booby traps Jones must overcome, not least of which is the pinball-like rolling death ball that chases him all the way out of the tomb. The theme music by John Williams is so iconic and memorable that for those who have seen Raiders of the Lost Ark, you may already be humming the tune as you read this. Raiders of the Lost Ark has been so successful and become such a beloved and timeless action film that its impact has been felt on adventure films over the past thirty-five plus years--it could be said that it rewrote the rules for modern adventure movies. For example, a scene where Indiana is racing away from the angry natives in South America has been referenced in films like Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Raiders of the Lost Ark was so popular and profitable that it would go on to spawn several sequels, with the most recent one released in 2008, and another slated for 2020. Even moments where Indy shoots a scimitar-wielding assassin out of exasperation lend a welcome release to the tension of a constant swell of action and excitement. (The story goes that Harrison Ford had the flu at the time when a fight between him and the swordsman was to take place, and he improvised the now classic instance where he "shoots first".) But what makes Indiana Jones such a likable hero of the silver screen is that he stands for something good, even at great peril to his life, against the cold and cruel forces that threaten goodness, and strives to preserve the past in the face of their efforts to exploit it--the very definition of a hero.
Recommended for: Fans of one of the most exciting action films ever made, with tons of striking set pieces, interesting characters, and a compelling story. Raiders of the Lost Ark is a film which may have been made almost four decades ago, but remains as fresh and dynamic as any blockbuster today.