Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Steven Spielberg is back, better than ever! After the dismal failure that was 1941, the acclaimed director teamed up with George Lucas, coming off his Star Wars fame to create one of the most memorable heroes of all time. Raiders of the Lost Ark is my favorite movie from 1981 and is in my top 20 films of all time. This movie gives everything you could ask for. Strong, memorable characters, witty dialogue, fantastic set pieces, exotic locations, great action, and a John Williams musical theme you could never forget. Indiana Jones is my favorite fictional hero and this movie is the example why I believe that.

This movie has fascinating origins. George Lucas was writing this movie the same time he came up with the idea for Star Wars. He decided to pursue his space adventure instead to great success. In 1978, while on vacation in Hawaii, he ran into Steven Spielberg, who was coming off Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Spielberg expressed his idea of creating a James Bond movie. Lucas showed him his character, which was named Indiana Smith at first, thus creating a collaboration which would lead to this movie and two sequels and a prequel. The film also takes influence from the works of Edgar Burroughs Rice, 1930’s serials, and a 1950’s comic about a globe-trotting duck named Scrooge McDuck.

This movie really has it all. With Spielberg and Lucas at the head, screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan joined the project to help polish the script. Together they created memorable heroes in Indiana Jones, an archaeology professor who travels the world to protect or find ancient artifacts and his former girlfriend Marion who is strong female character who is able to protect herself. For villains, we have the horrible Nazis, drunken Sherpas, Frenchmen making alliances with the Nazis, and Jones’s favorite animal, snakes! He hates snakes! For locations: we have the sands of Egypt, abandoned submarine bases, the jungles of Peru, the mountains of Tibet, and so forth. If you want a travelling experience from your own living room, look no further than this movie.

I was impressed with the plot. The plot is simple and really is a framework for all the impressive action scenes and stunts there are. But in the end, everything is coherent and makes plenty sense. It is the year 1936. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) learns from his good friend, Brody (Denholm Elliot) that the Nazis are searching for the Ark of the Covenant, a golden casket that was used to house the Ten Commandments. It has also been known that this arc is able to give power to those who wield it. Jones’s mission? To reach the Ark before the Nazis do. He goes to Tibet to pick up Marion (Karen Allen) who has a medallion that has a secret to the location of the Ark. Together, they head to that location where they will try to beat the Nazis-and scheming Frenchmen at their own game.

The performances are all excellent. What is funny that when Spielberg/Lucas did the casting, Spielberg wanted Harrison Ford from the get-go, but Lucas was against his casting because he did not want Ford to be is “Bobby De Niro” which is in reference to Martin Scorsese always casting Robert De Niro in his films. In retrospect, I do not think anyone could have pulled this role off like Harrison Ford did. Ford was brilliant and created a memorable character with his iconic performance. He is kind and intelligent character, but he can be ruthless at times. However, he is charming. Charm may be the one word that can describe Indiana Jones. I really dug Karen Allen’s performance. A strong-willed character with the ability to protect herself. I liked the villainous performances from the slimy Nazis. Paul Freeman as Dr. Rene Belloq as the scheming Frenchman who happens to be Jones’s rival, and Ronald Lacey as the incredibly slimy Nazi, Toht.

Even in today’s cinematic world, the visual effects and the action sequences stand out. I honestly cannot say what I liked the most since everything was so well-done! The opening sequence set forth what to expect in this movie. That boulder chasing Jones is an amazing sequence. That chase scene is great as well, and it makes good use of an old, classic joke! Another sequence that stood out to me is when Jones and Marion are holding on to dear life in the pit of snakes. That was a scene that let you feel real horror. And don’t get me started on the face-melting sequences! I am still in awe what the special effects team did with this film.

Raiders of the Lost Ark is a true classic that spawned a franchise that is still going strong today. Adventure stories with some history mixed in are my kind of stories. I like travelling to these exotic locations through these characters. This film has a unique balance of comedy, action, stunts, and adventure. When Nazis are your villains, this is how they should be used. As slimy creatures that can get their butts handed to them by Indiana Jones.

My Grade: A+