Raiders of the Lost Ark: “Return of the Great Adventure.”
Back in the early 2000’s, I was in Walt Disney World along with my family. We were in Disney Hollywood Studios, known back then as Disney MGM Studios, and were in line for The Great Movie Ride. In the line queue, there was a room that was designed to look like a movie theater and on the screen, it was playing trailers for classic films such as Alien, The Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, and Mary Poppins. One trailer that played started with a series of titles, “1975, Jaws, 1977, Star Wars, 1981, Raiders of the Lost Ark.” After that, a series of sequences began playing from Raiders of the Lost Ark and I was intrigued by what I saw (Above is the trailer that I saw in that line). Some time in the afternoon, we saw the Indiana Jones Stunt Show Spectacular (briefly as it was stormy as it usually is in Florida) and everything started to click in my mind for what I saw in that trailer. Years later, I borrowed the Indiana Jones Trilogy (Before Crystal Skull) from friends and fell in love completely with what I saw on my TV, and it all began with Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Most people are familiar with this beloved film, but I have a huge place in my heart for Raiders and I consider it to be my second all-time favorite film. When I think of the classic action films, Raiders of the Lost Ark almost always appears at the top. Three elements make this film a masterpiece in my opinion, the collaboration between Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, Harrison Ford, and John Williams’ legendary score.
Steven Spielberg and George Lucas intended for Raiders to be a huge tribute to old 1940’s serial adventure films, some included Zorro and Treasure of the Incas (Starring Charlton Heston) and later the character of James Bond. Both the settings of the serials and James Bond’s wits and fearless attitude were fused together to make one of, if not, the greatest adventure hero ever developed, Indiana Jones.
George Lucas originally did not want Harrison Ford to be Indiana Jones, because he was already popular as Han Solo in both Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, but soon after that, Harrison Ford was cast as Indy and the rest was history. No one else but Harrison Ford can pull off such a character like Indiana Jones, he’s fearless and has a sense of adventure, he’s quick to think of crazy solutions to get out of dangerous situations, he sports a fedora with a leather jacket and a bullwhip whenever he goes on his adventures, and overall he is a completely likable character. Indy even has some of the best quotes like “Snakes, why’d it have to be snakes?”, “I can only say i’m sorry so many times.”, and “It’s not the years honey, it’s the mileage.” Within Raiders of the Lost Ark, you are shown everything you need to know of Indy and how he reacts to situations like escaping a rolling boulder or fighting a huge giant Nazi (who’s actor appears multiple times in the film and in most of the trilogy).
Other elements of notability are the action sequences, which are some of the best choreographed and stunt performed in cinema history. The chemistry between Indy and Marion is always fun to watch both as a couple or when they bicker. The films production design is remarkable, most of the film was shot on location in Hawaii, Tunisia, and other locations. Also, you have to commend ILM for the films Visual Effects, the best is saved for the Boulder Chase and when The Ark of the Covenant is opened by the Nazis. The last I would say is the comedy. In my opinion, you won’t find better timed-comedy in this trilogy than other action films.
The final element that brings it all home is John Williams, this man has written so many classic themes of my childhood and Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of his absolute best scores. My favorite pieces from the score include The Raiders March, the main theme to Indiana Jones. The Basket Game, takes place in Cairo during a fight scene. The Map Room Dawn, takes place as titled and is pretty much the theme for the Ark of the Covenant. Dessert Chase, takes place during the scene where Indy is chasing a truck that holds the Ark. The Miracle of the Ark, plays after the Ark is opened and when the Wrath of God occurs. Marion’s Theme, plays during any love scenes with Marion and Indy, and so much more.
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a film that is timeless, it has some of the greatest adventure elements in Cinema, it is one of Steven Spielberg’s classic films, it has all the ingredients needed to make a fine action film, and it is re-watchable like there’s no tomorrow. People who grew up with this film need to show this to their children, when their at the right age, this type of action film-making hasn’t really been seen in quite some time. It’s another one of my favorite films of all time and it gets my highest rating.
10out of 10
1 thought on “Raiders of the Lost Ark: “Return of the Great Adventure.””
The final element that brings it all home is John Williams, this man has written so many classic themes of my childhood and Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of his absolute best scores. My favorite pieces from the score include The Raiders March, the main theme to Indiana Jones. The Basket Game, takes place in Cairo during a fight scene. The Map Room Dawn, takes place as titled and is pretty much the theme for the Ark of the Covenant. Dessert Chase, takes place during the scene where Indy is chasing a truck that holds the Ark. The Miracle of the Ark, plays after the Ark is opened and when the Wrath of God occurs. Marion’s Theme, plays during any love scenes with Marion and Indy, and so much more.
It’s a great movie!