One of the BEST movies ever made

Rating: 10/10 (22 February 2006)

Who would have thought that taking Han Solo and putting a wide brim, extra tall brown fedora on him, giving him a whip, a PhD and placing him in the 1930s as an archaeologist with a zest for adventure and history would make one of the greatest movies of all time? Truth be told, the thought had occurred to me several times. Raiders is one of the greatest films in the history of cinema, and is a great tribute to the serials of the early film industry. I love Indiana Jones, and you should, too =) Perhaps one of my personal favorite scenes from Raiders is of course, the very beginning sequence, where Indy is in the jungle, along with a young Alfred Molina in tow. For the early 1980s, this film was simply amazing. If you have seen the recent release of DVDs for the film, and have paid attention to the bonus DVD with feature comments, then you know that Spielberg and Lucas tried to do all of the stunts, gags, and other effects and tricks without using special effects, in order to be true to the serials of the past. Today, if there is a scene where it involves a few thousand snakes slithering across the floor, more than likely, a director will want to digitally produce those creatures. In Raiders, no. They brought in asps, cobras, and all sorts of snakes for the Well of the Souls scene. One thing that I never noticed until the bonus DVD pointed it out was the fact that in the scene where Indy falls on his face and ends up having a stare-down with a hooded cobra, there was a glass plate between the two actors. You can see barely a glint of the cobra's reflection in the darkness right in front of Harrison Ford's face. I was stunned, but I laughed a little bit. Every time I see the movie, that scene still unnerves me, but now, I know that one of my favorite actors was not in any real danger. Forever this movie shall live-on in my heart, especially the thrilling score and soundtrack produced by the master of movie music - Mr. John Williams. "Johnny," as Lucas likes to call him, was a perfect choice for this trilogy of adventure flicks. His crescendos are among the best, and his use of thematic music is unparalleled. The Raiders March is the ring tone on my cell phone, as a matter of fact. In short, if you have never seen this movie, watch it. Then, after you watch it, and are hooked, watch Temple of Doom. Then watch the Last Crusade, which is perhaps the most-loved Indiana Jones film of all-time. I hope to God that Raders 4 comes out soon. It is February 2006, and from what I understand, a script has been approved and accepted by Lucas and Spielberg. Let's all cross our fingers and hope that the thrilling sounds of the Raiders March and the silhouette of that famous figure and fedora'ed head and profile light the silver screen once again!