I don’t think there has been quite a action adventure summer blockbuster series that has made an impact on moviegoers across the globe like the Indiana Jones films. And why wouldn’t they be with there impressive set designs, international locations and action that is edge of your seat awesome, The creative collaborations of Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and the brilliant creators at Lucasfilm made something that is truly special and it all started with the first movie in the Indiana franchise titled Raiders of the Lost Ark.
In 1936, archeology professor Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) fails at retrieving an artifact after being betrayed by his partner. Soon afterwards Indiana finds out from other professors about another rare artifact called the The Ark of the Covenant. Indiana finds himself traveling all over the world to find this artifact and even manages to bump into his old acquaintance Marion (Karen Allen). However, Indiana and Marion aren’t the only ones looking for the ark as Rene Belloq (Paul Freeman) and his lackeys are also searching for the ark to obtain fame and fortune.
The storytelling is a great mix of down to earth adventure mixed with high flying action that breaks up the more serious character building moments. The film always knows how to pace itself to create tension and awe inspiring moves into unpredictability. There are certain tones and rules established in the movie and they are pulled off rather flawlessly as the more magical elements of Indiana Jones don’t in anyway jump the shark into becoming totally ridiculous. The movie has new locations in store so the audience doesn’t feel stuck in the same place for a long time and the its really cool to see international locations being represented in a major blockbuster motion picture. The only things I felt like could have been better are the character’s background stories mainly with Indiana and Marion and Indiana and the main antagonist as I felt like there could have been a little more establishment that could make their characters feel more well rounded. This is a summer blockbuster at its finest and the writing plus adventure is well worth being a part of.
The characters are for the most part memorable and they make the adventure all the more interesting in their performances. Harrison Ford plays Indiana Jones and his charisma plus his character quirks make him one of the most memorable explores put to film. Mairon is one part Damsel in Distress and another part free spirited women. I wouldn’t say her relationship with our main star is flawless as I felt there was some untapped potential to explore her likeness to Indiana, but she nevertheless does great in her role even despite the fact that she needs saving from time to time. The rest of the characters are in all honesty kinda forgettable. I didn’t remember that much about the main antagonist and the friendly characters who help Indiana Jones along the way. These characters are well acted and well executed, even with their short comings they have so much to offer in there performances.
The cinematography looks amazing. It really feels like the film had a huge budget to make the settings as eye catching as possible. There is a good amount of time when there is so much happening in the background such as when the antagonist’s men are digging for the ark or the beautiful landscapes of Cario Egypt. It’s very impressive that they managed to get real animals such as snakes and monkeys to be in the background because if this movie was made today you the filmmakers would obviously turn to using CGI. the action is also spot on as the editing makes the action quickly paced and make you feel like you’re on the edge of your seat. The Filmmakers at Lucasfilm sure did make the visuals as intriguing as possible and the compliment the already well told story very well.
The music was composed by the legendary John Willams who would later go on to score some of Spielberg’s other films like Jurassic Park and E.T. Willams score for this movie is iconic and it makes use of every intrusment to create a thrilling experience with variety.
While it’s debatable as to weather or not this is the best Indiana Jones film, I think most of us can say that Radiar of the lost ark is really something special with it’s adveturous and unpredictable storytelling, likable characters, beautiful visuals and a iconic music score from a composer that needs no introduction. This was one of the movies that defined the summer blockbuster and I’m happy to say that even after all these decades later that it still holds up as a timeless action packed story that is fun for everyone.
(Final Grade: A-)