Old-Time serial brought to excellence by Spielberg...

Rating: 10/10 (4 March 1999)

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, the best of the Indiana Jones trilogy, is a throw-back to the old cliff-hanger serials of the 30's and 40's as we all know. It's just how well it is done that is absolutely awe-inspiring.
Spielberg is a master technician, filming some of the most difficult stunt sequences ever put onto celluloid. His themes of Naziism and his obsession of WWII appear blatantly for the first time (not including 1941). There are great images of the swastika being denounced. Blood is sprayed on it from a boneheaded brawler and the ark burns it from the box it is enclosed in. Indy even escapes from the map room with a rope tied together with a Nazi flag.
The small touches of humor add to the incredible sense of excitement: a mischievous monkey solutes the Nazis, Marion's drinking game, "It's not the years, it's the mileage" - What a perfect action/adventure film. John William's score helps a lot as well. The break-neck pace and non-stop scenes of pursuit make these 'raiders' something to remember.