A movie that manages to be silly and thrilling at the same time.

Rating: Null/10 (3 January 2004)

After watching Raiders of the Lost Ark probably a hundred times, I have come to the conclusion that it is a movie that contains a number of truly entertaining scenes with at least an equal number of silly ones. The best scenes are so individually memorable that they could outclass many full length action/adventure films on their own. The silly scenes just seem to become sillier with each viewing. I am not really a fan of Steven Spielberg due to his infuriating need to use excessive sentimentality and lightheartedness in his pictures, but Raiders for the most part avoids that tendency. The violence is oftentimes fairly brutal (he really seems to savor killing off Nazis) and the lead character, Indiana Jones, is not exactly a man of stellar morals. But there are some parts in the movie where Spielberg does become annoying. I've always listed this movie among my favorites, and I always will. To some degree, an appreciation of the old cliffhangers that inspired Raiders of the Lost Ark might make the film more entertaining, but there alot of great moments that should entertain just about anyone. It doesn't quite inspire the awe in me that it once did, but Raiders of the Lost Ark is still a great deal of fun for those with a sense of wide-eyed adventure.