I'm just making this up as I go along.

Rating: Null/10 (18 November 2002)

Imagine an oldtime Saturday matinee serial like "Don Winslow of the Navy" given A-list status, a massive budget with the top craftsmen in the business involved, and you have the heart of "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Except for a few relenting moments to allow the audience to catch their breath and for exposition, this movie proceeds at a rollicking pace with one great action sequence closely followed by another. If any movie can be said to be packed with thrills and chills--laced with winking humor--it's this one. Steven Spielberg deserves much of the credit for transforming poverty row camp into cinematic gold, although he never quite matches his orginal effort with the sequels much less top himself. The Biblical arcana is hokum, but the powerhouse special effects are almost a religious experience by themselves.