The ultimate adventure protagonist

Rating: 8/10 (17 March 2009)

Okay, so there's a ton of remarks already on how this movie is one of the greats, how it's the perfect action/adventure movie, etc. While I don't necessarily disagree, my particular affinity for Raiders (and, to a lesser degree, its sequels) stems from the character himself.
Indy's basically an un-super superhero. He has the traditional superhero accouterments: distinctive costume, unique weapon, mild-mannered secret identity - and yet he's far from superhuman. He wounds, falls, and fails just as much as any of us.
Here we have a guy who's basically just as weak and fallible as any real-life human, who is constantly thrust into larger-than-life situations that are consequently a little too much for him. Unlike most action heroes, Indy always manages to prevail not because he's super-strong, prescient or invincible, but because he's canny, stubborn, and just plain lucky enough to make it through.
This, in my opinion, may be one of the reasons that Indy is so likable and memorable a hero. He's as iconic and mythical as any superhero, yet in the end he's just one of us. He doesn't have the the superpowers of Superman, the endless resources and training of Batman, or the infallible intuition and instincts of James Bond; he's just a real-life guy thrust into a larger-than-life scenario, winging it the best he can. And furthermore, the movie wisely treats him as such. Through all the action scenes of the movie, there's nary a moment where the audience groans and thinks 'that could never happen' or 'there's no way he could survive that.' The movie pushes Indy's limits and the bounds of reality without ever outright breaking them.
And so while the movie may be remembered and acclaimed for its legendary stunts and set-pieces, and not improperly so, I would say credit should also be given to Indy himself for being a character who captured the imagination of viewers everywhere, myself included, by being a perfect mix of comic book hyperbole and real-life humanity.