Review of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) by Bruce722 — 29 Nov 2012

This movie was just about what I expected in some ways but unfortunately it didn't live up to the hype in others. First with the good stuff, it was exactly what I thought in terms of actions sequences, whip cracks, and archeological hunts.

Those things were the strong elements of the film in my opinion. There were also plenty of funny scenes and the effects, while terrible in today's standards, were pretty darn good for a 30+ year-old film.

The reason I rated this movie so low, however, is for the few negative parts. Things like the fact that the Indiana Jones character might be the dumbest protagonist in action film history for example.

Or the corny scenes that mar so many films of that era. I honestly don't know what people were thinking back then to enjoy such tomfoolery. The other things that hurt the film weren't as major. The mystical/supernatural element was unfortunate but that's more of a personal thing.

I tend to zone out when ridiculous stuff comes on the screen in supposedly realistic settings. The acting also wasn't great but it wasn't all that bad either. I was disappointed though in the lack of charisma from Harrison Ford during the movie.

The same guy who managed to turn a douche bag smuggler into a fan favorite didn't have much opportunity to do the same here. I mainly blame the writing and directing. Still, the movie was enjoyable and I look forward to seeing the next two being that I've heard the series gets substantially better after the first one.