Raiders of the Lost Ark

⭐ 8.0/10

(Originally written by Tim)

A classic that I feel like I have seen a million times, but this is probably my first time watching it end to end. Hard to compare this to anything modern, because I don't think they really make anything like this any more. Felt like I was watching a live action cartoon, with wall-to-wall action sequences and minimal exposition.

Indy is a pretty great character, but only because he is kind of a blank slate that you can project onto. He's a archeology professor who moonlights as an action hero grave robber (relatable), but he kind of just goes where the conveniently laid out breadcrumbs lead him. I don't love tons of exposition, but it kind of felt like we were jumping around so fast I couldn't track why a character was in one place or what they wanted.

Regardless, fun and adventure are the goals of this movie and is succeeds. There are several memorable and impressive action scenes, almost all of which had me wondering how they pulled this off in the 80s. Spielberg directed this, so I am sure a film nerd could rattle off some cool moments, but I did notice there is a lot of foreground/background play, where the camera shifts focus abruptly to show you a villain sneaking up or a stealthy knife grab. Pretty cool stuff, and it makes an older movie like this hold up by feeling dynamic and suspenseful.

John Williams did the score, so it is obviously timeless, but again the action is the star here. They always put Indy in a disadvantageous position and we get to watch our character use competency and friendship and luck to beat the odds.

Also, there are several pretty scarring moments of violence in this one, was not prepared for that in what I assumed was a fun family flick. Anyways, I probably won't rewatch the rest of them, but I am glad I gave this one another shot.