Grab bag of artistry and thrills

Rating: 9/10 (9 May 2003)

There are some incredible moments in "Raiders of the Lost Ark", but then there are some that make you feel cheated.
(HUGE SPOILERS FROM HERE ON! SKIP TO THE END FOR FINAL ANALYSIS) Pros: John Williams' score is incredible. No doubt it is one of the Top 10 themes of all time.
Some great artistic shots: predominantly during the action scenes. Thankfully the movie begins and ends on good notes (I dig the ending with the Ark in the warehouse).
Harrison Ford: Honestly, who else could have improvised like he could or done the cavalier, rugged Indy attitude as good as him.
Whatever additions Lawrence Kasdan made to the script: I will be honest, Lucas, like Cameron, can't write worth his weight in sand. This is all too heavily proved in Return of the Jedi and the new Star Wars movies.
Cons: Vapid Plot. People say if you take out the 'action' in Saving Private Ryan then you have no movie and just a bunch of talking. Sadly, if you take out the action in Raiders, you have nothing but Ford in a tacky suit and some really bad dialogue.
The Mummy Scene: Every time I see it I just wonder "What was Spielberg thinking when he included that?" He builds up all this promise of zombie ghouls--then Indy comes by and briskly carries Marion off like nothing had happened. What a rip off!
Boring Exposition: As said, without the action, this movie would be dirt. And much of the character exposition (except for Indy explaining the Ark to the audience) fairly stinks, thankfully Spielberg throws in the action to keep us from turning this off.
Overall, a rather overrated flick that is still enjoyable to varying degrees. Your opinion will probably be different, though. Just don't crunch the plot in your mind or you'll wind up ridiculing its stupidity. That or ghoulish ghosts will zap you with lightning... 3.5 out of 5 stars.