Description: Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is no ordinary archeologist. When we first see him, he is somewhere in the Peruvian jungle in 1936, running a booby-trapped gauntlet (complete with an over-sized rolling boulder) to fetch a solid-gold idol. He loses this artifact to his chief rival, a French archeologist named Belloq (Paul Freeman), who then prepares to kill our hero. In the first of many serial-like escapes, Indy eludes Belloq by hopping into a convenient plane. So, then: is Indiana Jones afraid of anything? Yes, snakes. The next time we see Jones, he's a soft-spoken, bespectacled professor. He is then summoned from his ivy-covered environs by Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott) to find the long-lost Ark of the Covenant. The Nazis, it seems, are already searching for the Ark, which the mystical-minded Hitler hopes to use to make his stormtroopers invincible. But to find the Ark, Indy must first secure a medallion kept under the protection of Indy's old friend Abner Ravenwood, whose daughter, Marion (Karen Allen), evidently has a 'history' with Jones. Whatever their personal differences, Indy and Marion become partners in one action-packed adventure after another, ranging from wandering the snake pits of the Well of Souls to surviving the pyrotechnic unearthing of the sacred Ark. A joint project of Hollywood prodigies George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, with a script co-written by Lawrence Kasdan and Philip Kaufman, among others, Raiders of the Lost Ark is not so much a movie as a 115-minute thrill ride. Costing 22 million dollars (nearly three times the original estimate), Raiders of the Lost Ark reaped 200 million dollars during its first run. It was followed by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1985) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), as well as a short-lived TV-series 'prequel.'
Amazon.com Essential DVD: It’s said that the original is the greatest, and there can be no more vivid proof than Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first and indisputably best of the initial three Indiana Jones adventures cooked up by the dream team of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Expectations were high for this 1981 collaboration between the two men, who essentially invented the box office blockbuster with ‘70s efforts like Jaws and Star Wars, and Spielberg (who directed) and Lucas (who co-wrote the story and executive produced) didn’t disappoint. This wildly entertaining film has it all: non-stop action, exotic locations, grand spectacle, a hero for the ages, despicable villains, a beautiful love interest, humor, horror… not to mention lots of snakes. And along with all the bits that are so familiar by now--Indy (Harrison Ford) running from the giant boulder in a cave, using his pistol instead of his trusty whip to take out a scimitar-wielding bad guy, facing off with a hissing cobra, and on and on--there’s real resonance in a potent storyline that brings together a profound religious-archaeological icon (the Ark of the Covenant, nothing less than 'a radio for speaking to God') and the 20th century’s most infamous criminals (the Nazis). Now that’s entertainment. --Sam Graham
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Rating: - Not-so-Special Edition... great film, anemic extras
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" is universally considered to be an extremely entertaining action/adventure movie, so I won't waste your time reviewing the film itself. If you've already seen it, you know it's awesome; if you haven't... well, to quote Indiana Jones himself: "Trust me." It actually does live up to the hype. What's truly important for those thinking about purchasing this "special edition," however, is a discussion of the bonus material.
The extras on this disc definitely do NOT warrant purchasing this edition if you already own the previously-released Indy Trilogy DVD set. The extras can basically be summed up in a word: "meh." Each of the handful of featurettes is around 10 minutes or less, and there are no surprises. Some brief "making-of" clips from the filming of "Raiders" are semi-interesting, but are all very short. Another featurette is just a bunch of actors from the series making bland ... Read More
Rating: - This is the greatest movie ever!
Dude, if you have not seen Raiders of the Lost Ark yet, you have no life. No, let me tell you this movie is perfect. Good Story, Nice Action, not a lot of gore. And who doesn't like Harrison Ford, well, after the sucess of Star Wars I'm going to say nobody. And remember, this took place in 1936, so they had a bunch of stuff you don't see now. I mean this took place before the Wizard of Oz was made. (Gasp in horror) I know that's hard to beleive but that's what you get. So, Harrison Ford starred in one of the famous movies ever! So, see it if you have it. Stick around for my next review: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom!!!
Rating: - CLASSIC ACTION & ADVENTURE! FORD'S DEFINING ROLE!
I bought the original box set many months ago on sale for a bargain price. Reading all the reviews for the new Indy installment I have been wanting to watch the original 3 films before eventually seeing the new one.
Watching the original was quite fun as I haven't watched the film in years! The DVD transfer is excellent and the audio is more than adequate on the original 4 DVD box set release not the newest release. This film still holds up well and could be labeled the definitive action adventure film without any arguments.
Ford is perfectly cast as the elusive whip-cracking archeologist and Allen is great as his very capable love interest. It's a one of kind film that has been copied so much it's hard to remember when this was fresh and new! The first film is the best by a mile, but I will be reviewing all the films as I watch them!
Rating: - Still good after all this time.
Well it's Saturday morning movies again. Indiana Jones is the best of the action hero's and Raiders is still the best of these movies. Even after all this time, it still holds up. Settle back with a bag of popcorn and be prepared to have a great time.
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- Not-so-Special Edition... great film, anemic extras
