Introducing Indiana Jones

Rating: 9/10 (20 September 2016)

In 1936 the US Government has learnt that the Nazis think they have found the last resting place of the Ark of the Covenant at a remote location in Egypt. In order to prevent Hitler getting his hands on the Ark, which he believes would make his forces invincible, government agents ask archaeologist/adventurer Indiana Jones to find it first and retrieve it. Before going to Egypt he head to Nepal to retrieve an item he needs to locate the room that houses the Ark from Marion Ravenwood, the daughter of his former mentor. The Nazis know she has it and head their too. After fighting them off Indiana and Marion head to Egypt where they meet Indiana's friend Sallah. Marion is soon captured, and for a while presumed dead, leaving Indiana and Sallah to search for the Ark; inevitably he finds it and learns that Marion is still alive but he still has a long way to go before the adventure is over.
This iconic adventure film feels as fresh now as when I first saw it in the early eighties. The opening is one of the most memorable in any film as it introduces us to our protagonist by showing him retrieving a gold monkey idol from a booby-trapped South American temple only to have it stolen by is rival a rival we will see again working for the Nazis. Once the story proper gets started the action rarely lets up; Indiana and his friends are almost constantly under threat from some particularly unpleasant bad guys these Nazis are even nastier than most shown in such films. The action is impressive, and at times surprisingly scary given the film's PG rating we see blood spray when a man goes through an aircraft propeller, snakes emerging from the mouth of a long-dead corpse and, in the finale, faces melting! Harrison Ford is on top form as protagonist Indiana Jones and Karen Allen is a lot of fun as Marion and John Rhys-Davies impresses as Sallah. The bad guys are equally fun with Paul Freeman as Indiana's rival and Ronald Lacey as the vile Nazi Arnold Toht. Overall I'd say this is a great action adventure for all people looking for plenty of thrills and quite a few laughs. It might be too scary for younger children but apart from that can be enjoyed by everybody.