Adventure has a name...

Rating: 10/10 (10 January 2005)

"Raiders of the Lost Ark", to me, is as great a movie as anyone can find. Name an element and "RotLA" probably has it. Drama? Yep. Love story? Check. Comedy? You got it. Action? Without a doubt. Adventure? You couldn't miss it if you tried.
Some movies are carried by the story, by the acting, by the setting, by the star power, etc. "RotLA" is not carried by one of these, but all of them, making it more than just a good movie. Start with the search for the Ark of the Covenant and the history between Indy and Marion, combine it with the unbelievable performances of this talented cast, add Harrison Ford's box office appeal, throw in a dash of Spielberg/Lucas, and serve it up in places like Cairo and South America. That's the recipe for one of the greatest movies in history.
The beginning of this brilliant film (Indy in South America looking for the idol and ultimately being chased by a boulder) provides one of the greatest images in movie history...and it all happens in the first 20 minutes!! The fact that the movie gets better from there says it all.
To be honest, I think this movie being rated #17 overall (as of 1/11/05) is somewhat of an injustice. While #17 still represents high praise, it should probably be a little higher. Maybe drop the "7" off the end!!