Typical American Mainstream Cinema in the Early 80s

Rating: 3/10 (19 July 2004)

This adventure flick, which mixes the Western movie formula and special effects in their infant days, represents the American mainstream cinema in the early 80s in many ways. The protagonist Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is a scholar and an action hero; this combination is unique but the uniqueness has nothing to do with the character development and seems to be the result of the filmmakers' thoughtless decision. The portrayal of the heroine Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) is also inconsistent; sometimes she is tough and independent, while frail and dependent on Indiana Jones in the other times. Along with a dragging optimistic story, overly stretched action scenes may be beyond the audience's attention span. The Reaganomix overshadows the plot, where the Americans can do whatever they want in foreign places (South America, Nepal, and Cairo). The sets of Nepal and Cairo look nothing but sets, while John Williams' score, with a catchy melody line by brilliant brass in the Late Romanticism taste, annoyingly accentuates every single action.