Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

1981 • 115 minutes
4.7
3.87K reviews
93%
Tomatometer
PG
Rating
Eligible
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About this movie

Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is no ordinary archeologist. When we first see him, he is somewhere in the Peruvian jungle in 1936, running a booby-trapped gauntlet (complete with an over-sized rolling boulder) to fetch a solid-gold idol. He loses this artifact to his chief rival, a French archeologist named Belloq (Paul Freeman), who then prepares to kill our hero. In the first of many serial-like escapes, Indy eludes Belloq by hopping into a convenient plane. So, then: is Indiana Jones afraid of anything? Yes, snakes. The next time we see Jones, he's a soft-spoken, bespectacled professor. He is then summoned from his ivy-covered environs by Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott) to find the long-lost Ark of the Covenant. The Nazis, it seems, are already searching for the Ark, which the mystical-minded Hitler hopes to use to make his stormtroopers invincible. But to find the Ark, Indy must first secure a medallion kept under the protection of Indy's old friend Abner Ravenwood, whose daughter, Marion (Karen Allen), evidently has a "history" with Jones. Whatever their personal differences, Indy and Marion become partners in one action-packed adventure after another, ranging from wandering the snake pits of the Well of Souls to surviving the pyrotechnic unearthing of the sacred Ark. A joint project of Hollywood prodigies George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, with a script co-written by Lawrence Kasdan and Philip Kaufman, among others, Raiders of the Lost Ark is not so much a movie as a 115-minute thrill ride. Costing 22 million dollars (nearly three times the original estimate), Raiders of the Lost Ark reaped 200 million dollars during its first run. It was followed by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1985) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), as well as a short-lived TV-series "prequel."
Rating
PG

Ratings and reviews

4.7
3.87K reviews
Ryan Cox
March 12, 2016
This is a revolutionary film, for multiple reasons. The love-child of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, is a masterpiece. It starts off with the single greatest face reveal in cinema. The action is great, the special effects (especially in the opening of the ark) are top-notch, and the story is timeless. This movie is classic and timeless scene after another, and filled with great dialogue. I love all 3 films in the trilogy, and this is my second favorite one. Anyone who hasn't seen it must.
13 people found this review helpful
Samuel Courliss
September 11, 2016
Yes, there are good treasure hunting movies. But none like this. Harrison Ford gives the role an appealing feel, and the story is amazing. The action sequences manage to be fun, superbly staged, and cheesy, all at the same time. Seriously, one of the greatest movies of all time. If you want to watch a great movie with lots of action, look no further. This is a mixture of Ethan Hunt and Jason Bourne, turned into the best treasure-hunting killing machine! Go Jones!
Bernhert 2257
August 18, 2015
This movie is my favorite outta all of the other Indiana Jones movies. For those never seeing this; you're missing out. Greatest movie ever! Indiana Jones is a legend what gotta me to watch all of his other films. If you want to see how the nazis got their butts handed to them by a hero, it's Indiana Jones!
16 people found this review helpful