Movie Review: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Action, story, acting

Cons: Dated special effects, some graphic images

The Bottom Line:

Classic adventure

Worth watching.  Beware of any

Thing that slithers

"Why Does It Have to be Snakes?"

Most film historians agree that the evolution of the summer blockbuster began in the 70's with films such as Jaws and Star Wars. But you can't ignore the importance of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, released in 1981. It's got everything a typical summer movie needs, action, stunts, special effects, and a big name star.

Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) doesn't just teach about archaeology. When the right opportunity comes up, he goes in search of the lost ancient treasures of the world. And he specializes in the supernatural and occult.

That's why he gets approached by the US government to go in search of the ancient Jewish Ark of the Covenant. They have received intelligence that the Nazis have located its probably burial place. And, while we aren't at war with them yet (it is 1936), we don't want that power to fall into their hands.

And so, Jones is off to Egypt to beat them to the ark. But first, he has to stop in Nepal to get a needed item from Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), his ex-girlfriend and the daughter of his mentor. When the Nazis show up at the same time, Marion decides to go with Jones.

But the danger has just begun. Can Indiana Jones find the ark before the Nazis? If so, can he steal it away under their very noses? And just how many times can he use his bull whip to get out of a tight spot?

So what makes this movie so successful even today? You can start with the action. While this movie has a few slow spots, mostly used to explain the story, there is one action scene after another. It starts off with one right from the start and continues until the end. The adrenalin is flowing the entire time as you wonder just how Indiana will get out of his current tight spot.

Now this isn't to say that the story doesn't hold together. I often complain about an action film failing to tell a coherent story, but this one actually works. About the only plot hole I can see is why the Nazis think that the God of the Bible would help them persecute the Jews if they have His Ark. But that's just me thinking too hard about a fun movie.

The characters aren't necessarily anything new. Maybe it's the fact that they've often been imitated since, but they feel like real people here. That's help tremendously by the good acting. Harrison Ford makes Indiana Jones come to life. And Karen Allen had to have lots of fun playing Marion. Her spunk and attitude are absolutely great in many of the scenes. Paul Freeman makes an excellent villain, one that you just love to hate. And John Rhys-Davies brings some fun to the movie as Sallah.

The biggest flaw with the movie is the special effects. And, frankly, that's just because of the movie's age. There are a couple scenes, especially the climax, that are laughable by today's standards. I'm sure that in 1981, they were very impressive, however.

Another side note about the ark. They talk in the movie about the ark destroying mountains and stuff like that in various Bible stories. I don't know what Bible they are reading, but that wasn't the case in mine. In fact, when Israel tried to use it as a talisman, it backfired on them. Okay, I know, its fiction. But I did want to make mention of that.

Despite the PG rating, parents will want to think about it before they let their kids watch this film. Frankly, I think it belongs in the PG-13 category. Some of those images are rather gruesome and the violence can get graphic. Of course, back when this film was releases, PG-13 wasn't an option. Still, it's worth noting that this isn't a typical PG film.

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark has many imitators, and some of them are very fun. But it's hard to top the original if you are looking for a great action flick.