Raiders of the Lost Ark (A or 4/4 stars)
'Raiders of the Lost Ark' (directed by the great Steven Spielberg) is a marvelous, rip-roaring 1981 fantasy/adventure epic starring Harrison Ford - fresh off of his superstar turn in Star Wars - as professor of archaeology & treasure-hunter, Indiana Jones. "Action movies" were a different beast before 1981. Really, the only template from which this film could follow would be the aforementioned Star Wars or the James Bond films. And Indiana Jones is as close to an 'every guy' as you're likely to find in a huge movie like this. He's tough, but not indestructible; he wears lived-in clothes, not tuxes; he doesn't drink martinis - shaken, stirred, or otherwise; he is frequently beaten up; romance doesn't always come easy for him; and he's not built like an Olympian.
The movie opens in 1936 with a wonderfully tense sequence inside a ruined Peruvian temple as professor/archeologist/explorer "Indy" tries to avoid a plethora of pitfalls & booby traps en route to recovering a priceless gold statue artifact. Tarantulas, poisoned darts, deep pits, deadly spikes, & a huge rolling boulder are just a few of the dangers he encounters & overcomes ... only to lose the artifact to his nefarious rival, Rene Belloq (Paul Freeman). Indy escapes relatively unscathed, but comes home with greatly disappointed at being unable to claim the prize. His only solace, however, is that the U.S. government wants him to track down the Ark of the Covenant before Hitler does and, they are willing to pay quite a bit of $$ for him to do so.
Indy's search of the Ark {a gold-encrusted chest said to contain magic powers from fragments of the Ten Commandments} starts in Nepal, where he reunites with Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), a feisty old flame of his who can pinpoint the Ark's location to a long-buried temple in Egypt called the Well of Souls. From there, he teams-up with savvy old pal, Sallah (John Rhys-Davies), who gives him info on a Nazi dig site, supervised by, who else? Belloq. After assassination attempts, a kidnapping, & a grand escape from a trap in which our heroes are confined with thousands of hissing snakes {and Indy hattttes snakes}, Indy still isn't down for the count. After escaping, the plot comes down to a race btwn. Indy & Belloq for the grand prize and, a chase follows involving planes, trucks, ships, & even a submarine. Chaos ensues as the fate of the Ark falls to one faction; in one way or another.
What. A. Movie. 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' established a new benchmark for films of its ilk to come. It is spectacular, breathless, ambitious, & fabulously paced. Even though the film comes in under 2 hours in length, there is somehow more than enough time in-between the copious action scenes to provide the requisite exposition & ample character development for us to understand what's going on & engage with the relationships formed between everyone. To that, there is none of the frantic editing that has since become a staple of action flicks {thanks to brilliant editor, Michael Kahn}. And Steven Spielberg knows how to arrest us viewers for the duration. If only today's paiiinfully serious action movies shared this one's sense of fun.
Fresh off of his turn as Han Solo, Harrison Ford is completely at ease in Indy's skin; the rogue scoundrel with a heart of gold. We like him because he's not indestructible, he owns his various faults, & has a self-deprecating humor to accompany his oozing charm. While Karen Allen sure can scream for Indy when in jeopardy of her life, she's not your typical damsel in distress. She's tough, resourceful, quick-witted, can take a punch, & can deliver one! Allen is spirited, fiery, & the chemistry btwn. she & Ford is palpable. Jonathan Rhys-Davies is wonderful as Sallah, Indy's the imposing, but good-natured desert cohort? Paul Freeman is excellent as the outwardly cultured, but slimy villain whose deviousness cuts through. I enjoyed Alfred Molina as Indy's companion on the initial temple heist. And as Indy's mentor, Marcus Brody, Denholm Elliott would lovingly return in subsequent sequels.
'Raiders ...' is also just a technical wonderment. Douglas Slocombe's cinematography, the period sets/costumes, & the sound work are all aces. Though there are many special effects in the film, it was made in an era when practical effects & stunt work were utilized more so; and to better effect! Ford did many of his own stunts, including an intense fight on a truck that ended up with Indy being dragged along the ground behind it; this is just one of the many thrilling sequences that enthralled ... and without the aid of computer animation. And John Williams' ICONIC, rousing music score is enough to raise you out of your seat with excitement. I don't think there is another action/adventure movie in cinematic history that actually comes close to it.
Echoing a variety of beloved movie genres, from 1930s action serials, to full-blown westerns, to derring-do swashbucklers, to fantasies & beyond ... this epic contains ALLL the ingredients that make up a true classic: Spielberg's astute direction, an intelligent script {thanks to Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas(!) & Philip Kaufman}, an extremely likeable hero, dastardly villains, a dash of romance, character camaraderie, death-defying escapes, light comedy, stylish visuals, exotic locales, loads of perilous action, and most of all ... FUN! I think I'll go watch it again right about now.
The movie opens in 1936 with a wonderfully tense sequence inside a ruined Peruvian temple as professor/archeologist/explorer "Indy" tries to avoid a plethora of pitfalls & booby traps en route to recovering a priceless gold statue artifact. Tarantulas, poisoned darts, deep pits, deadly spikes, & a huge rolling boulder are just a few of the dangers he encounters & overcomes ... only to lose the artifact to his nefarious rival, Rene Belloq (Paul Freeman). Indy escapes relatively unscathed, but comes home with greatly disappointed at being unable to claim the prize. His only solace, however, is that the U.S. government wants him to track down the Ark of the Covenant before Hitler does and, they are willing to pay quite a bit of $$ for him to do so.
Indy's search of the Ark {a gold-encrusted chest said to contain magic powers from fragments of the Ten Commandments} starts in Nepal, where he reunites with Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), a feisty old flame of his who can pinpoint the Ark's location to a long-buried temple in Egypt called the Well of Souls. From there, he teams-up with savvy old pal, Sallah (John Rhys-Davies), who gives him info on a Nazi dig site, supervised by, who else? Belloq. After assassination attempts, a kidnapping, & a grand escape from a trap in which our heroes are confined with thousands of hissing snakes {and Indy hattttes snakes}, Indy still isn't down for the count. After escaping, the plot comes down to a race btwn. Indy & Belloq for the grand prize and, a chase follows involving planes, trucks, ships, & even a submarine. Chaos ensues as the fate of the Ark falls to one faction; in one way or another.
What. A. Movie. 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' established a new benchmark for films of its ilk to come. It is spectacular, breathless, ambitious, & fabulously paced. Even though the film comes in under 2 hours in length, there is somehow more than enough time in-between the copious action scenes to provide the requisite exposition & ample character development for us to understand what's going on & engage with the relationships formed between everyone. To that, there is none of the frantic editing that has since become a staple of action flicks {thanks to brilliant editor, Michael Kahn}. And Steven Spielberg knows how to arrest us viewers for the duration. If only today's paiiinfully serious action movies shared this one's sense of fun.
Fresh off of his turn as Han Solo, Harrison Ford is completely at ease in Indy's skin; the rogue scoundrel with a heart of gold. We like him because he's not indestructible, he owns his various faults, & has a self-deprecating humor to accompany his oozing charm. While Karen Allen sure can scream for Indy when in jeopardy of her life, she's not your typical damsel in distress. She's tough, resourceful, quick-witted, can take a punch, & can deliver one! Allen is spirited, fiery, & the chemistry btwn. she & Ford is palpable. Jonathan Rhys-Davies is wonderful as Sallah, Indy's the imposing, but good-natured desert cohort? Paul Freeman is excellent as the outwardly cultured, but slimy villain whose deviousness cuts through. I enjoyed Alfred Molina as Indy's companion on the initial temple heist. And as Indy's mentor, Marcus Brody, Denholm Elliott would lovingly return in subsequent sequels.
'Raiders ...' is also just a technical wonderment. Douglas Slocombe's cinematography, the period sets/costumes, & the sound work are all aces. Though there are many special effects in the film, it was made in an era when practical effects & stunt work were utilized more so; and to better effect! Ford did many of his own stunts, including an intense fight on a truck that ended up with Indy being dragged along the ground behind it; this is just one of the many thrilling sequences that enthralled ... and without the aid of computer animation. And John Williams' ICONIC, rousing music score is enough to raise you out of your seat with excitement. I don't think there is another action/adventure movie in cinematic history that actually comes close to it.
Echoing a variety of beloved movie genres, from 1930s action serials, to full-blown westerns, to derring-do swashbucklers, to fantasies & beyond ... this epic contains ALLL the ingredients that make up a true classic: Spielberg's astute direction, an intelligent script {thanks to Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas(!) & Philip Kaufman}, an extremely likeable hero, dastardly villains, a dash of romance, character camaraderie, death-defying escapes, light comedy, stylish visuals, exotic locales, loads of perilous action, and most of all ... FUN! I think I'll go watch it again right about now.