Only to Praise It

Rating: 9/10 (5 November 2001)

I used to run home after school to see those awful (technically) Flash Gordon episodes that were hosted by some guy from the television station who made an extra 25 bucks a week to pretend that these were real. It was exciting. It was gripping. But mostly, it wasn't that good. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is what those serials would have been with a great story and the money to do what needed to be done. I know so much has been said. My two cents' worth is. A great character, one with incredible determination but human failings, a wonderful female sidekick with whom he has a history. A series of magnificent "hopeless" situations. Nazis. A mystical object from the Bible. Pacing that is exquisite. One narrow scrape after another. Broken ribs. Carrying on with broken ribs. Just enough of the supernatural to make for a good conclusion (although, how do the heroes know that you're not supposed to look at things), though the majority of the film is about real people in the most insane maze of events. I saw this in the theater the second day it was out. It hadn't had the hoopla that the Star Wars movies had had. I came out of it feeling so excited that someone in the movie industry could spin such a tail and conclude it in the most satisfying way. I would love it if when adventure movies were made, that someone could keep a sense of humor once in a while and let these fine actors put life into wonderful characters.