Classic, stands the test of time

Rating: 9/10 (21 April 2016)

Remember when movies were fun and lasted under two hours? You get it all with Raiders of the Lost Ark, the adroit and adept movie that introduced us to the iconic, whip-happy archaeology professor who would rather eat dirt than be stuck in a classroom teaching.
We get tarantulas, traps in tombs, golden-monkey idols, snakes, a mix of religion with the occult, all while we fight Nazis with the specter of WWII looming large. The primary villain is Paul Freeman as Belloq, one of the smarmiest and sleaziest tools ever seen on film, who seems to have the upper hand only because he has more money and manpower behind his efforts.
There are several unforgettable scenes, starting from the opening tomb raid, to the fist fight near the running airplane, to the very end when the Ark of the Covenant is perfunctorily boxed up for storage in a nameless, faceless warehouse (cue Raiders March). There is never a dull moment, never a wrong beat. We get well-timed wry humor to counteract the seriousness of finding the Ark, which promises to hold such power that it would make any army possessing it invincible.
The melting faces look trite and corny now, and maybe they did then, too. But it's all in good fun, and if you don't want your face to melt, just close your eyes. Close your eyes and think of a time when movies dealt raw entertainment.