You may be wondering why I am reviewing Raiders of the Lost Ark now. It's an established classic, most people have seen it, and if they don't like it, then they are most likely crazy. So why review it now? Well, I have two reasons. First off, there is a whole generation of movie watchers growing up now that actually have NOT have seen it, as shocking as they may sound. My wife is a teacher, and when Kingdom of the Crystal Skull came out, she asked her students what they thought. "Meh," they replied, "it was just a ripoff of National Treasure with an old guy."
"A ripoff of National Treasure with an old guy."
I was horrified. Not so much that they didn't like Crystal Skull, because that film was downright awful, but because their response implied they had not seen the other Indiana Jones adventures. Really?! What kind of parents do these kids have?!?! How can they not have introduced their kids to Indiana Jones?! So this column is for those kids. Maybe one of them will read the review, be inspired to go rent the film with their friends, and therefore be enlightened with the magic of a true adventure masterpiece, and hopefully someday show their own children. That is the circle of life the way it was meant to be.
The second reason I am writing this review now is because I just received the BluRay as a gift. A few days later, I was with a friend, and we were planning on watching a different film. But first, he wanted to see the Raiders transfer so he could decide whether or not to buy it himself. We plopped it into his projector, and about two minutes into the film, he turned to me and said, "Do you kinda just want to watch the rest of this?" And I answered, "Yeah, I kinda do." It doesn't matter how many times I've seen it. If Raiders is on, I'm not going to move from the couch for two hours. And I'll just say right now - the work done on the film is marvelous. It looks and sounds truly stunning in HD, and is definitely a worthy upgrade from the DVD!
So here is a short synopsis. On the eve of World War 2, word reaches U.S. army intelligence that the Nazis are searching for religious artifacts of great power that might give them the upper hand in the war everyone knows is about the erupt. Their latest target is the the Ark of the Covenant, the golden box where the ancient Hebrews kept the pieces of the Ten Commandments. U.S. agents ask Indiana Jones to go to Egypt and find the Ark before the Nazis do. I kind of don't want to say anything else because for those who have not seen the movie - the less you know about this roller coaster, the better the ride is going to be!
Sometimes with older films, I worry if nostalgia is tinting my affection. This is really not the case with Raiders. This film is lightning in a bottle. Watching the movie again, I really paid attention to it as a film. And it really is almost a flawless piece of work. The script is tight, without an ounce of fat or wasted time. The cinematography by Douglas Slocombe is superb and gave me easily a dozen shots that have been branded into my brain for all time. John Williams' score is among his best and of course includes a main theme every bit as iconic as his intro to Star Wars. Harrison Ford found the role of a lifetime and he has never been better. The rest of the cast, including Karen Allen (Star Man), Paul Freeman (The Long Good Friday), John Rhys-Davies (Lord of the Rings), and Denholm Elliot (Cuba), are truly excellent. Director Steven Spielberg was at the top of his game as a filmmaker. And alongside Spielberg, look at who else contributed to the story - George Lucas, Lawrence Kasdan and Phillip Kaufman. That's one helluva writing team there.
How good is Raiders of the Lost Ark? It's so good that there are actually a number of glaring plot holes that you completely 100% forgive. Minor spoilers here: How did Indiana Jones stay on the Nazi submarine as it traveled to the Nazi base, especially once it submerged? How did he know that the Ark would do that at the end of the film? The movie never says, and we don't care. Because our answer to these questions is always the same: "I don't know. He's Indiana Jones! He figured it out." And I'm okay with that as the answer to any and all plot questions you might be able to think of. He just figured it out.
Enough said. Raiders of the Lost Ark is a true classic. National Treasure may have been diverting enough, but it doesn't even deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence. Shame on you, high schoolers, get your damn priorities straight. Your homework is to go see Raiders and now.
BEST LINE:
Which line should I choose? So tough. How about this. "It's not the years, honey. It's the mileage."
MVP:
Another really tough call. Do I reward Spielberg for his terrific direction, Lawrence Kasdan for giving my childhood some its most memorable lines, or John Williams for that infectious music? I think in the end I have to go with Harrison Ford. This is one of those rare roles where the actor and character so seamlessly blend, there is no way anyone else could have done it. Tom Selleck was originally cast in the role, and I think he would have been fine, and the movie certainly entertaining enough. But it wouldn't have been as perfect. And I don't think Selleck could have done what Ford did (just like I think Ford would have been an inferior Magnum P.I.). Ford has done a lot fine work in a lot of great films, but in those movies, he is Harrison Ford playing a character. But even when I watch Raiders of the Lost Ark today, I am surprised how the line between character and performer just doesn't seem to exist. He IS Indiana Jones. And for that, Harrison Ford gets the MVP.
TRIVIA:
Lots of great trivia with this one! But how about we go back to those plot holes I mentioned earlier. What is weird about the plot holes is that in the first cut of the movie, they were not plot holes at all. Indiana Jones knew about the Ark's power at the end of the film because the old wise man in Cairo warned him about it. And when the submarine traveled to its secret base, Indiana Jones survived the trip by using his whip to tie himself to the periscope, which I actually remember seeing in the comic adaptation when I was a kid and wondering why it wasn't in the film. I am not sure why these scenes were cut from the movie. It's kind of strange because they do provide crucial information for the plot. Other deleted scenes include a German officer almost executing Sallah, but that scene was deemed too long and too serious for such an adventure (though the acting was supposedly superb). There was also a massive set piece fight scene between Indiana Jones and the swordsman in the Cairo market. The rumor is Ford was feeling sick and couldn't finish filming the sequence. So they ad libbed the scene where he just shoots the swordsman instead - easily one of the funniest moments of entire franchise!
OSCARS AND NOMINATIONS:
Nominated for:
Best Picture (lost to Chariots of Fire)
Best Director (lost to Warren Beatty, Reds)
Best Cinematography (lost to Vittorio Storaro, Reds)
Best Original Score (lost to Vangelis, Chariots of Fire)
Won:
Best Art Direction
Best Sound
Best Film Editing
Best Visual Effects
Special Achievement Award for Best Sound Effects Editing
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