Raiders of the Lost Ark | Harrison Ford, Karen Allen | Raiders of the Lost Ark

Raiders of the Lost Ark | Harrison Ford, Karen Allen | The Adventure Begins

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Raiders of the Los...

	Raiders of the Lost Ark Harrison Ford, Karen Allen Paramount Pictures average customer review:based on 171 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Raiders of the Lost Ark - Review

Plot
Indiana Jones races the Germans to find the Lost Ark.

Quick Review
Raiders of the Lost Ark is case study in the construction of an action movie. Intelligent enemies, great pace, tremendous attention to detail in the action scenes, and outstanding characters all add up to overwhelm the simple plot, negligent character development, and structurally weak ending. Simply put, this is one of the best action movies ever made.

Full Review
On many movie sites, Raider's of the Lost Ark is often cited as the best action movie of all-time. It's easy to see why. Even after 27 years, Raiders of the Lost Ark shines as if it were made yesterday. This movie should be required viewing before making an action movie today. It's a perfect example of how to emphasize the critical elements of escapist entertainment.

It's interesting to note the weak elements of Raiders first. There is little character development, a simple plot, and an average script. Steven Spielberg, the director, said that he considered Raiders of the Lost Ark a B-movie as he was making it, and I'm guessing it was the weakness of these elements of the film that led him to believe this film was destined for mediocrity. But Raiders of the Lost Ark proves that character development, plot, and script are secondary in a great action film, and to a degree can actually hinder an action film. Raiders of the Lost Ark strikes a perfect balance with regard to action and plot, and gets the most important elements right. So, in all, WHO CARES?

The pacing in Raiders of the Lost Ark is flawless. The movie opens with a tense and exciting romp through a jungle temple, stops for a few minutes to set the story, then rockets along from that point on, stopping just enough to flesh out and explain the minimalist plot. Just as important, the movie never jumps ahead of its pace. The editing balance here is exceptional, and the film does each scene justice.

The characters in Raiders of the Lost Ark are unique and instantly likeable, and the acting is more than adequate to make them believable. Harrison Ford plays Indiana Jones, the nerdy, tough, and sensitive archaeology professor/action hero. The humanness of his character makes him so easy to relate to. He's an ordinary guy on an extraordinary mission, who defeats his enemies through persistence and cunning. More movies would do well to copy this model for an action hero, rather than the aloof, macho type that Hollywood often uses to fill the hero role.

Supporting Indiana is Marion Ravenwood, played by Karen Allen. Allen nails the female sidekick role. She hits the balance between femininity and feistiness to perfection. She can drink men under the table one minute, and tend to Indiana Jones' injuries the next. Her character is vibrant and charismatic, and she plays the role perfectly. The rest of the cast is adequate if not exceptional. John Rhys-Davies is noteworthy in his an above average job as Sallah, Indiana Jones' friend in Egypt.

Although it's more accurate to say that the villain in Raiders of the Lost Ark is the entire German army, the main villain in is Dr. Rene Belloq, played by Paul Freeman. I found him relatively weak as a villain. He doesn't have the force and presence of a truly outstanding villain. However, Raiders of the Lost Ark goes to show you that a key element to getting a villain right in an action movie is not the character, but the intelligence. Raiders of the Lost Ark is a perfect example of a movie that achieves greatness by the strength of the strategies employed by the villains. Like Die Hard, the Germans in Raiders of the Lost Ark show resourcefulness and sense in their actions. The result is a frantic game of give-and-take as Indiana Jones and the Germans struggle for possession of the Ark of the Covenant. More action movies would do well to emulate this critical element in achieving greatness in an action film.

Action movies live or die by the quality of their action, and it is here where Raiders of the Lost Ark rises to the top. The action in this film is simply superb. I could talk in length about how brilliantly edited and constructed a half dozen scenes are in the film. Of particular excellence, however, is the truck chase scene in the back half of the movie. The scene took six weeks to shoot but was well worth the investment. The back and forth action here is thrilling, crisply shot, and stays within its premise to near perfection. This scene is of such outstanding quality that it merits inclusion in the Best Scene in Action Film History Competition. There are other scenes that nearly equal the excellence of this scene: the opening sequence, the fight in the bar, the fight around the airplane. It's hard to think of a movie that has so many outstanding action sequences.

What's interesting about Raiders of the Lost Ark is how well it stands the test of time. The action in this film is basic, mostly driven by simple stunts and great camera angles. The visual effects, which won an Oscar in 1981, are limited to the climax of the movie. Although they appear heavily dated today, they don't drag the film down substantially. With the vast majority of the action separate from technology, the movie feels (until the end, that is) as if it could have been made just a few years ago. While we're on the subject of the ending, it's worth noting that despite the stellar special effects for their day, the ending is a disappointment from a story-telling aspect. Indiana Jones plays an insignificant role in the final scene, and that simply shouldn't happen in a film this good.

I'd also like to mention the famous scene where Indiana Jones, when confronted by a dual-sword wielding Egyptian, proceeds to simply blow him away with his revolver instead of engage him in hand-to-hand combat. This scene goes a long way to showing how well the film stays within its premise. How many times have you seen a hero toss a pistol away out of some silly sense of pride instead of just shooting someone? How many times have you seen an army engage someone in sword combat instead of shooting him with arrows? This scene is such a long overdue, hilarious, and classic moment in action film history. This scene as well, because of its humor and attention to premise, deserves inclusion in the Best Scene in Action Film History Competition.

The attention to premise is on the whole outstanding in movie. Simply put, events and actions on the whole are believable and make sense. There are problems, however, and with a bit of scrutiny, the veil of perfection falls off Raiders of the Lost Ark. For example, in the truck chase scene, at one point Indiana Jones drives a German vehicle off the edge of an incredible cliff, but the entire chase happens on mostly flat ground. Where did the cliff come from? It's a jarringly out of place moment in this scene. Also, in that scene, wouldn't the Germans in the back of the truck that Indy is driving just shoot through the back of the truck? In another scene, Indiana clings to a U-Boat on what appears to be a journey of several days. How did he survive? I understand that U-Boats would likely not submerge, but it's a bit of a stretch to travel that way. Lastly, at the end, Indiana is left to live when captured by the Germans. Wouldn't they just shoot him? On the whole however, these issues can be explained to a degree, and don't detract greatly from the overall attention to detail in this film.

The amazing thing about this film is that it could have been awful with any less attention to detail. In the desert dig scenes, for example, the scenes carry just enough sense of confusion and chaos to make it believable that Indiana Jones could do what he does inside the dig. If these scenes were created with the wrong mood or slightly less chaos, the sense of believability here would be lost.

With regards to Babes and Hunks, the film shines behind the charisma and energy of Harrison Ford and Karen Allen. The sensuality of this film is minor, but there is solid charisma between the two actors, and this drives the Babes and Hunks ratings in this film fairly high, despite the family entertainment flavor to the film.

Lastly, it can't be stated enough how fitting and enhancing the dramatic musical score is in this film.

On the whole, Raiders of the Lost Ark is case study in the construction of an action movie. Intelligent enemies, great pace, tremendous attention to detail in the action scenes, and outstanding characters all add up to overwhelm the simple plot and negligent character development. Simply put, this is one of the best action movies ever made.

Fun Fact
The conversation between George Lucas and Steven Spielberg that initiated the process to create the film occurred while Lucas and Speilberg were making a sand castle in Hawaii. LOL...

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The Adventure Begins

Whether a person likes the results or not, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas revolutionized the movie industry as seen in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Supposedly while vacationing in Hawaii in 1977 to avoid the hoopla of the opening of STAR WARS, George Lucas discussed with his good friend Steven Spielberg the idea of making an action adventure movie similar to the Republic action adventure serials and Scrooge McDuck comics of their youth. Thus the idea of Indiana Jones was born.

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK was a throwback to the adventure serials of the 1950s, but it was also a great deal more. The film is an excellent example of one of the Steven Spielberg's great gifts: taking pieces of nostalgia and unifying them into a tapestry of cinematic wonder for more amazing, entertaining, and complex than the sum of its parts. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK introduced the world to Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), a professor, archaeologist, and finder of rare antiquities. Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Biblical Ark of the Covenant and retrieve it before the Nazis get it and deliver it to Hitler. The quest takes Indy to Nepal and Egypt and eventually to an unnamed island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along the way Indy meets back up with the love of his life, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen); gets in a bar fight; is trapped in a buried tomb with all kinds of snakes; finds the Ark; loses the Ark; finds the Ark again; and eventually looses it again.

Full of adventure, action, and a little bit of romance; masterly directed; and wonderfully acted, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK is a movie that everyone should see in their life at least once.

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Strap into Your Seats Boys and Girls...

You are in for the ride of your life! If you love adventure, romance, murder, mystery and intrigue this movie is for you. It has it all.

The expectations were high when George Lucas and Steven Spielberg got together to make this movie. They set the bar a couple of notches higher with this film.

What boy or man hasn't dreamed of finding lost treasure? And what girl or woman hasn't dreamed of a dark mysterious man who literally sweeps her off her feet and takes her for an adventure she never forgets.

From the opening scene where Indiana Jones finds a small gold statue and almost gets crushed by a giant bolder to finding of the lost arc of the covenant we follow our hero and his romantic interest through caves, tombs and wild car chases that rival any movie ever done.

Harrison Ford is exceptional as the hero who thrives on adventure. His quick mind and Critical Thinking skills get him out of many a tight situation throughout the movie. A boy at heart with the knowledge as deep as the tombs he explores. One minute he is teaching a class in archeology. The next minute he is being dragged under a truck in the desert. As he says in one telling line to Marion "It's not the years, it's the miles!"

Karen Allen plays the heroine Marion with the right mix of spunk, sexiness and the girl next door look that men desire. She can take care of herself in tough situation, but has a kind and vulnerable side as well. Her unwilling attraction to our hero provides the sparks for romance and arguments that make the movie just plain fun!

Overall this is the "Gold Standard" for adventure movies!

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

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He was good....he was very very good.

What a treat to finally have this movie on dvd!What the wizard of oz and gone with the wind is for an older generation,this movie is to me and most of mine( I would dare say).Running fun from start to finish,the action is always there.The native indians of Peru,the love crazy students at Marshall university and the nazis....of course the nazis,this movie has it all,and all the more for the fans of Indy.adventure,excitement(yoda won't like it though),love...I can't remember the last movie that had this much clean fun for the whole family to enjoy.I couldn't pin point one favorite part of the movie because the whole movie is great.One of my favorite scenes,though,is the opening sequence at the temple in the jungles of Peru.Little by little we get introduced to our hero,and then the action starts!The chase across the jungle,the wonderful flying sequence with the aid of the red line on the map!The fight in Marion's bar and her rescue.Digging in the desert to find the well of souls,those snakes!The drinking game between Marion and Rene.The fight on top of the plane.One of the best parts in the movie,the truck scene.Indy sliding under the running truck with help from his whip!The action is almost non-stop and breath taking.It's to bad there aren't adventures like this to be found in these modern times,WOW!I love raiders of the lost ark the best of the three,although the other two are good also.This motion picture will make you glad to be a movie fan again!I can't wait for my nephews to get old enough so they can watch it for the first time!Who dosen't like Indy and his adventures?This is a real gift from Lucas and Spielberg...Thank you,like Indy says....He was good,he was very very good!

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A Beloved Film In A Not-So-Special "Special Edition" DVD Release

Although it would be difficult to describe as a masterpiece, THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK is easily one of the most beloved films of its era--and has proven unexpectedly influential, spawning three other related films and laying the ground work for such fanciful, action-heavy, and hero-driven films as DIE HARD and NATIONAL TREASURE. Not bad for a film that few expected to do much in the way of box office when first released!

The story is famous and as such needs only a bare description here. Set in pre-World War II 1930s, RAIDERS finds archeologist-adventurer Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) pitted against the Nazis in a search for the lost Ark of the Covenant. In order to locate the Ark, Jones must obtain an artifact from former lover Marion (Karen Allen), who demands to be included in the search. Created by George Lucas and Stephen Spiellberg as an homage to 1940s and 1950s serials (SPY SMASHER, JUNGLE GIRL, THE DRUMS OF FU MANCHU, THE PHANTOM, and THE CRIMSON GHOST come to mind), the set pieces are spectacular: South American booby traps; exploding airplanes; elaborate fist fights and chase sequences; one right after another and piled on top of each other with a rapid pace.

But special effects and flashy action aren't enough to keep a film fondly remembered for close to thirty years. Unlike many other similar films, RAIDERS actually has a sense of humanity--and it owes much of that to leads Harrison Ford and Karen Allen. Their situations might be wildly improbable, but they themselves are not, and whether it be action, comedy, or romance the two twinkle, sizzle, and strike sparks off the clever script and each other to tremendous effect. They give the film heart.

That said, there isn't really much special about the so-called "special edition" DVD released in connection with the theatrical debut of the 2008 INDIAN JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL. The picture has been cleaned up and the transfer is good, but the bonus materials are trivial, with only "The Mystery of the Melting Face" of any real interest. A pity: if ever a film was ripe for a double disk release with audio tracks and detailed making-of documentaries, it is one, which remains the best in the popular series.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

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