One of the most original films ever made!

Rating: 10/10 (20 October 2000)

I don't think there was a decade where more original movies were made than the 1980s. This was the one that sparked classics like "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", "Dick Tracy", "The Neverending Story" and , of course, the other "Indiana Jones" movies. It is both a satire and a tribute to the old adventure serials shown on TV that Steven Spielberg hated and George Lucas loved. It is a very politically incorrect film with cartoony visuals (that I hope never get changed!) and a brilliant musical score.
I have seen this movie a million times and find it just as entertaining as when I first watched it on a Saturday afternoon in place of a matinee film. It truly is unlike any film I had seen before. Who on earth would have dreamed up an archaeologist as an adventurer? That is the basis for many things to come.
It is a strange sensation trying to put this film into words. It is dry, silly, nutty, constantly loaded with action and yet it remains one of the greatest films of all time. I'll see what I can do in describing it:
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" is set in Pre-World War II times when the Nazis, apparantly, were obbsessed with religious artefacts and tried to take possession of the fabled Ark of the Covenant which contains some vast power. It really exists in a universe of its own (think "Being John Malkovich") and not ours which is what makes it such great escapism. The man who has been assigned by the U.S. government to track the Nazis down is an archaeologist named Indiana Jones. What follows is an epic set in several locales of weird beauty and surprisingly good places for chase scenes and fight scenes.
This movie is set in South America, North America, Nepal, Egypt, Tunisia (I think), the Atlantic Ocean and some unknown deserted island. It has fight scenes and "temple scenes" involving Nazis, drunken Nepalese men, swordsmen, marksmen, traitorous jungle men and one big, bad Nazi soldier. It also has the best chase scene ever in a movie involving numerous vehicles, weapons and endlessly creative opportunities. What I have just described is what is on the surface level.
The subtext in this movie comes from the universe it creates - and rips off. The sets look as though they have been built for destroying, the costumes look like they have been taken out of the circus, the make-up is deliberately bad, the acting is over-the-top and sentimental and the special effects are cheesy, tacky and meant to be that way. I hope they never update this film!
What makes this film convincing is the brilliant camera work, editing, direction, sound effects and music. They make the cartoony universe all the more convincing and it provides a balance for the sometimes biting subtext. The other side of the balancing act is done on the entertainment scale. I believe this film to be the best pure entertainment ever!
(One other thing. The character of Indiana Jones. Harrison Ford IS Indiana Jones. The most original anti-hero ever made. That "shooting-of-the-swordsman" scene shows just what kind of a character he is!)
I said before that Steven Spielberg hated adventure serials and George Lucas loved them. I found this out from a book on Lucasfilm's CV. This is what I think made the film such a spectacular success. This is one of my favourite films. a genuine original in the tradition of "Forrest Gump" and "The Truman Show". Never change it, Mr. Spielberg. You have done an amazing job! 10/10!!