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"Harrison Ford
Looks A Film Critic
Straight In The Eyes" |
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Directed by Steven
Spielberg - Written by
Lawrence Kasdan
Starring Harrison Ford,
Karen Allen, Paul
Freeman, John
Rhys-Davies
Distributed by Paramount -
1981 - 115mins - Rated
PG |
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The ultimate here in the ultimate adventure... |
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*WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS. IF YOU ARE ONE OF THE THREE PEOPLE WHO
HAS NOT SEEN THIS, TURN BACK NOW.*
What makes a great film? An awesome script? Outstanding directing? A
moving and powerful main actor? At first glance, "Raiders of the Lost
Ark" has none of these. On a second glance, you catch what you didn't
see before: a film that appears to be a fun action film, but is in
fact, a bold statement in film. So few films dare to entertain. So
many are so desperate to shock you or to change your life, that they
miss a vital factor: entertainment. Sure, not every great film has to
be entertaining (I would not call "Schindler's List" and entertaining
movie), but often, entertainment ranks supreme over over power, simply
because we are having fun.
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" introduces Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), an
archaeologist who's just as handy with ancient clues as he is with his
trusty whip and his pistol. He'll search for artifacts that others
only have dreams of looking for. Clad in a leather jacket and an
awesome fedora, Indy is the definition of cool. In the first 10
minutes of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," Indy fights off an assassin,
avoids giant spiders, sneaks by an impaling trap, jumps a large gap,
sneaks by more traps, steals a gold idol from a temple, causes a self
destruct, runs back through all the traps, deals with his partner
betraying him, is chased by a giant bolder, is confronted by his arch
enemy Belloq (Paul Freeman), is chased through the jungles by natives,
meets his partner in a plane, and flies off. Indy then notices a snake
in his seat and yells, frightened, "What's a snake doing in here? I
HATE snakes!" His friend replies, "C'mon, show a little backbone, why
don't you!"
Wow, what a first 10 minutes! We head back to America where Indy
teaches a college class. Soon, he is recruited by the government for a
special task. It's the 1930s and the Nazis are collecting sacred
objects from around the world. Indy has to locate the Ark of the
Covenant (which holds the Ten Commandments) before those pesky Nazis.
So Indy's off to find the discovery of the century, and along the way
meets up with an old love (Karen Allen) and takes on the German Army.
He meets new friends (including John Rhys-Davies in a memorable role)
and encounters old enemies (you didn't think Belloq would just be in
the beginning, did you?). The story is told in the style of the old
serial shows. There is almost non-stop action and excitement. There is
some wonderful humor, brilliant suspense, scary images, and, yes, even
some romance. It's all so wonderfully over-the-top. Simply said,
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" is the best action film ever made.
Director Steven Spielberg has made a real accomplishment here. A film
that works so well on so many levels deserves this praise. The fight
scenes look fantastic (thanks to great stuntmen) and the visual
effects (before the age of computers) are still astounding. Actually,
many of the best scenes were created at a moment's notice. The now
famous Flying Wing fight was created very quickly by Spielberg (it's
one of the best fight scenes in history). Lawrence Kasdan supplies a
witty, and surprisingly intelligent script. John Williams' creates his
best score, a thundering a powerful theme that has become
internationally known. It's invigorating and exciting and can make
even the most hardened moviegoer break out in goosebumps.
Still, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" would still be just another action
fil, if it wasn't for one person and one character: Harrison Ford as
Indiana Jones, the greatest hero of all time. Quick witted, brilliant,
strong fast, romantic, good looking, and a dry, sarcastic sense of
humor. What other hero would calmly shoot his opponent after he waves
around a big, threatening sword for 30 seconds? Any other hero would
engage in hand-to-hand or sword-to-sword combat, but Indy hasn't got
the time. It's actually one of the funniest scenes EVER to appear in a
film. Indy's trademark fedora, his whip, everything about him adds to
his character. He's the first hero in years to be a real hero. An
unstoppable force of good. Sure, he kills many, many people, but here
also, the film borrows from those old serials. The villains are either
so evil that we want them to die, or they are nameless thugs who
simply want to kill Indy. Therefore, we have no relations with the
villains, so the often brutal humor of the film turns into clean fun.
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" is not my favorite film, but I still have no
complaints. Every time I watch it, I enjoy it more and more. It's not
only a fabulous action movie, but a milestone in cinema. It's a film
that dares to do what so few dare to do: entertain without question. |
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© Written by Jacob Hall -
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Me! |
TC Candler's Comment
This is as
fun a film as you will ever see. A classic in
the adventure genre, 'Raiders' has as many
memorable scenes and more quotable lines than
any other movie of its kind. The opening scene
in the cave, that culminates in the rolling
boulder, is one of the best moments in cinema
history. Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones is one of
the most likable characters ever to hit the big
screen. This is a classic!
Richard Propes' Comment
n/a
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