As exhilarating as a rollercoaster ride...and twice as much fun!

Rating: Null/10 (6 May 2001)

When I was a kid, the adventure classic of all time was 'Gunga Din' (and seen today, it's still a fun-filled classic full of suspense and adventure). But not until 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' did another film take its place alongside that gem. This stands as one of the cinema's greatest comic-strip type of adventures. If you really believe any of this could really have happened you've gotta be out of your mind. But it doesn't matter--the story is told with such tongue-in-cheek style and flourish for comic effects (even at the most dangerous moments)--that you know you're just supposed to sit back and enjoy it for the Saturday afternoon treat it is.

Biggest asset--aside from the casting of Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones--is the magnificent musical score by John Williams. He never ceases to astound me with his talent--probably the finest film composer heavily influenced by the great scores of the '30s and '40s (by Erich Wolfgang Korngold)-- rich in texture and symphonic sound. Truly a master at making a film seem even better than it is.
The villains are splendid, the heroine is gutsy, the chases are memorable and the look of the film is extraordinary in its attention to period detail. The Nazi menace makes it all the more riveting. Well worth your time--you won't be disappointed. And watch for that marketplace shooting--it's the film's biggest howl.