One of the best films ever made

Rating: 9/10 (13 May 2014)

I've known this film for about as long as I can remember, and the entire Indiana Jones trilogy for that matter. When I was a kid, all three of the movies were the same to me, but as I got older I realized that while the sequels do have their good moments (Not including Crystal Skull, yikes) there's really only one of the films that I personally believe still holds up to this day and is the best out of the trilogy. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is exciting, inventive, humorous and classic. Harrison Ford offers a ruggedness and an undeniable charm to the character of Indiana. He's much more three dimensional than my 7 year old self remembers. He's not a perfect hero, he gets hurt, he stumbles and he makes mistakes, which in my opinion, makes the character even more appealing. Karen Allen plays Marion, who I think is the strongest female lead of the trilogy, and Karen was by far the best actress in the series. Not quite damsel in distress material as she proves throughout the film that she can hold her own, and she refuses to be bossed around. Part of what makes this film so fantastic is the details. Spielberg has a great attention to them and despite the film's enormous stature, I found it's the smaller things that make it the success that it is. Every shot is positioned beautifully, particularly in the opening temple sequence. That's not to say that the film's riveting chase sequences and heart-pumping action aren't notable as well. All the elements fall into place beautifully like a perfect jigsaw puzzle. There's little left to be desired and hardly a thing to complain about. If you have not seen this film already, please watch it! I guarantee you won't be disappointed. I'd say that spending a weekend marathoning through the trilogy would definitely be worth your time!