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Monday, May 19, 2008
Looking back: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Reviews for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull are starting to roll in, and on the whole, they’re positive, although a few naysayers are griping. The general thinking seems to be that the film is of a piece with the flawed but entertaining sequels.
I’ll see the film Tuesday and will post my review early Thursday morning. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Instead, let’s get behind ourselves and discuss ye Indiana Jones films of olde.
As I mentioned last week, it would be foolish to hope for the new film to be the equal of Raiders of the Lost Ark. To my mind, it is the very best action-adventure film ever made, topping classics like The Adventures of Robin Hood or the early Bond films. Offhand, I can’t think of even a minor mis-step in the movie. It is my favorite first film of any series, overpowering Dr. No, Star Wars, Alien, The Terminator, Back to the Future, and even The Godfather.
What stands out in my mind most about seeing the film in 1981 is that it was one of the first movies that made me aware of how films can contract time. I remember looking at my watch after it was over and thinking “That was two hours? It felt more like 30 minutes!”
Another favorite moment was the ROAR of laughter that erupted after Indy blasted the obnoxious swordsman with one shot. That may be the single loudest sustained laugh I have heard in a theater to this very day.
I’ve gone on to see the film several times in a theater since, at an Indiana Jones marathon, as a double feature with The Mummy (which worked surprisingly well) and projected on an IMAX screen. It’s a movie that I never tire of - even though watching it sometimes drains me of energy.
What are your thoughts on/memories of seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark? What makes the movie hold up so well?
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