THE Ultimate Adventure Movie

Rating: 10/10 (28 December 2007)

The 1980s were a dark time for cinema -- they didn't give us much to remember them by, unless you have a love of stuffy British dramas. However, the 80s DID do two things very well: adult-oriented comedies and adventure movies.
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" is THE ultimate adventure movie. There had never been one quite like it and I don't think there ever will be one to match it, not even its sequels. This was a case of everything working just right. Steven Spielberg is at the top of his craft when in playful mode like this; Harrison Ford, though you'd never know it from his wooden persona today, made a perfect Indiana Jones (I can't imagine anyone else playing him); Karen Allen was able to convince you that she could be a damsel in distress one minute and then take you out back and kick the crap out of you the next; and John Williams contributed one of his best and most memorable scores. The film simply races from one dazzling set piece to the next, and the joy is in seeing just how much more over the top the film can get with each passing minute.
Grade: A+