Almost perfect

Rating: 9/10 (26 May 2008)

Raiders of the Lost Ark will always be, along with the first Rambo film First Blood, the beginning of a new era of action film. With its constant forward motion of action/story/action/story, the film gives you very little in character, yet you never need it. It feels exactly like the serial film that it is intended to be. Harrison Ford is Indy through and through. The use of mostly physical stunts and actual locations set the standard that Hollywood all too soon forgot about, but has returned to through the Bourne films and the recent reboot of James Bond.
There really isn't much to nitpick here. Performances across the board are fantastic. Karen Allen is the perfect woman for Indy. She is strong yet not star struck like his many female students. Yes, she was at one time, but the Marion we meet in Raiders is wiser and stronger. As mentioned before, there isn't a lot of character study done in this film, but through the fantastic performances of Ford and Allen we know all we need to know. Supporting cast assembled is some of the best ever, persons, who at the time, were not household names in America, but fill out all the roles as if they were born to play them.
There will never be another Raiders.