One of the Best Films Ever Made, Inspired the Action Genre

Rating: 10/10 (10 March 2016)

Raiders of the Lost Ark is directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, a brave adventurer who just so happens to be in a race against the Nazis to uncover the Ark of the Covenant, an item that comes straight from the Bible. Indy must gather friends in order to beat enemies, and overcome his foes against all odds, to prevent them from parading the Ark around as a weapon.
Raiders is one of Spielberg's first big films, behind Jaws (1975), and he nailed it. This film is loved by children and adults alike, and will never be forgotten. He brought terror like never seen before to the big screen with Jaws, and with Raiders he created, as well as popularized, a new genre of film: action. This movie has inspired many action films, such as Die Hard (1988), The Matrix (1999), or even T2: Judgement Day (1991). Thanks to this movie, we get to see action movies regularly, whether they're good or bad.
The best thing about this movie is of course one of the most iconic film characters of all time, Indiana Jones. It's crazy that this movie came out 35 years ago, and one can still pick up an Indiana Jones figure at your nearby Walmart. Harrison Ford does amazing as Indy, showing that audience that he can play more that just one awesome character. Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood is also a good casting choice, and Marion is still my favorite Indy love interest today.
The direction Spielberg handled this movie in is amazing. All of the action is filmed so nicely, with not too many cuts, and clean transition when there are some. The best part of this film, the truck scene, is filmed absolutely perfectly, with no disturbances whatsoever, thanks to the fantastic camera work. This nicely shot action is also due to Harrison Ford doing his own stunts. Unlike most actor working today, save for Tom Cruise, Ford did all of his own stunts, assuring that Spielberg could get close ups of his face during the action scenes. These two elements combined make for some white knuckled action, very abundant throughout Raiders of the Lost Ark.
The last thing I'll say about Raiders is the villain. There's an old saying that goes, "a movie's only as good as its villain." Although the viewer doesn't receive much backstory about the villain, he's still very intimidating, thanks to his army of Germans doing his dirty work for him. Paul Freeman's Belloq is a great character, that supposedly goes a long way back with Indy, however this is all we really know about him. Even though the audience doesn't know much about his background, he's still fleshed out as a character, and his tension with Indy is phenomenal.
Overall, Raiders of the Lost Ark is easily one of the best films ever made, thanks to its acting, villain, and incredible action. I'm going to give Raiders of the Lost Ark an A+, or a 10 out of 10.