"Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark" -- a classic eighties movie reviewed

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The first and still the best of the series as many critics and fans state, “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark" features amazing talents like Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, Karen Allen as Marion Revenwood, and Paul Freeman as Dr. Rene Belloq.

The action is set in 1936, when Hitler was still around. Indiana Jones is a man with multiple skills: he’s both a tomb raider and an archaeology professor. He receives a mission from the government asking him to retrieve an artifact called the Lost Ark before Hitler’s men do it. Right as he begins his quest he gets himself a partner: Marion, a girl with whom he seems to have a past. Together they will go to Cairo, and meet one of Indy’s old friends, Sallah (John Rhys-Davies). From here on it’s plain adventure and I don’t want to spoil it for you.

The special effects in “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark" are really fantastic especially considering that we are talking about a 28 years old movie here. Steven Spielberg has proven his directing talents once again with this one.

The story is both fun and dramatic with all kinds of little twists around the edges, but I would lie if I said it was flawless. There are some obvious holes in the storyline (e.g. in the opening scene Indy brings along two guides when he is just a couple of steps away from the river), and quite a bunch of stones left unturned. An example would be Indiana’s past relationship with Marion which seems to be an important subject to touch, but it’s never made quite clear.

Overall, I would say this movie is a must-see for the adventure type enthusiasts. It is on a higher level than most modern films, including the last installment of the series, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”. The Internet Movie Database has rated it 8.7/10 which sets it number 18 in top 250 movies of all time.

“Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” is rated PG for violence and brief language. If you are interested in buying it online, here are a few choices you have:

Buy the DVD at the official store: http://shop.indianajones.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=1219490