Raiders of the Lost Ark appreciation thread

[TVC15]

It ended up being my inaugural DVD on the giant TV, and boy, I picked a doozy.

Now, I've always counted Raiders as one of my favorite movies ever, but for whatever reason, I think I went for an extended period without seeing it.  Like, I am fairly certain I had not watched it since college, possibly 1999.  It's not like I neglected watching the movie or anything, the cards just fell so that I didn't see the movie for a long ass time.  I obtained the Indiana Jones DVD collection last year, for like 30 bucks.  Since it was an impulse buy (I was shopping for something else and said HOLY SHIT that's cheap I need to buy it), it kind of sat on the shelf, and since it was an ol' reliable that I had seen a zillion times, it was never a priority.  While looking for something to watch, it jumped out at me, saying "Hey I have a lot of action scenes."

And Jesus fuck is the movie awesome and does it ever look great.  Totally organic special effects give me boners, and them old school matte paintings are so god damned charming.  I can't imagine how awesome this movie would have been to see when it first came out; the things you would have expected from both Spielberg and Lucas.  The movie is absolutely perfect, and it really is a great blend of the things that make Spielberg and Lucas's early movies great.  I can't imagine how the collaboration could have worked out more perfectly.  And the casting, also, is insanely great, from Molina to Ford to Karen Allen to Token Black Guy That Betrays Everyone Like Lando.

I mean, the movie is action sequence after action sequence, brilliant set piece after set piece, and unlike in the sequels, which feature a similar design mentality, it actually works as a full cohesive movie.

And I'm definitely late to the party on this one, and I feel like an idiot for it, but it totally does feel like a sister movie to Star Wars.  It's probably because although I had the "homage to old serials" thing hammered into my head without really knowing much about old serials at the time, but as an adventure movie, it has a remarkably similar feel to Star Wars.  Except it's significantly better than any of the Star Wars movies, jettisoning the slower bits totally in order to deliver balls to the wall Batman killing badassitude and shindigerous motherfuckery.

RAIDERS IS AWESOME! AWESOME IS RAIDERS!

[Phoenix Dark]

I bought that boxset for my dad, who saw Raiders in the theater when it came out.

Raiders is definitely awesome. What I really like is that it's perfectly paced. It never seems to drag. IMO it's a blueprint for how to make an awesome adventure movie.

Hmm...I guess I like it more than the Star Wars films; I haven't seen any of them in some time. Raiders is just on a different level.

Temple of Doom  :'(

[CajoleJuice]

Raiders is totally kickass. I'm going to end up watching it sometime this week now. I haven't watched it in a couple of years. Actually, I haven't watched any of the three in a long ass time. I need to see if Temple is really that bad.

[Mr. Gundam]

I haven't seen Raiders or Temple in ages, I think I saw Last Crusade a few years ago, though.

I know for sure that I saw Temple of Doom and Last Crusade in the theater.

[TVC15]

I saw Last Crusade in the theatre, too.  If I saw Temple, I was probably too young to remember.  That's like 1984 and I woulda been 3.

[Mr. Gundam]

I saw Last Crusade in the theatre, too.  If I saw Temple, I was probably too young to remember.  That's like 1984 and I woulda been 3.

I remember seeing Buckaroo Banzai and Return of the Jedi in the theater, and I have vague memories of seeing the mine car chase from Temple in a theater, too...

[DJ_Tet]

I remember Temple in the theaters, it caused a big stir by being one of the first PG-13 movies and everyone was anxious to find out why.

It's not that bad, certainly it's the weakest of the three, and well behind Raiders which is well ahead of Crusade. 

[Phoenix Dark]

I thought Temple was the first PG-13 film? There's a doc on the DVD where Spielberg talks about how he begged them not to give it an R rating, and petitioned for the creation of a middle rating

[Van Cruncheon]

i am so gonna watch raiders on the big screen tonight.

[Mr. Gundam]

I thought Temple was the first PG-13 film? There's a doc on the DVD where Spielberg talks about how he begged them not to give it an R rating, and petitioned for the creation of a middle rating

Everything I've ever read says that it was the first PG-13 film.

[TVC15]

I thought Temple was the first PG-13 film? There's a doc on the DVD where Spielberg talks about how he begged them not to give it an R rating, and petitioned for the creation of a middle rating

I think something else was the first, but Temple of Doom and Gremlins were the two movies that prompted the creation of the rating.

EDIT:  Wiki says Red Dawn was the first PG-13.

[Phoenix Dark]

Red Dawn? wtf is that about

[Mr. Gundam]

Red Dawn? wtf is that about

...........

You've never seen Red Dawn?

...........

Wow.

It's part of the Brat Pack taking on America-invading Commies.

[CajoleJuice]

Red Dawn? wtf is that about

...........

You've never seen Red Dawn?

...........

Wow.

It's part of the Brat Pack taking on America-invading Commies.

Well, I haven't seen Red Dawn in its entirety, but I sure as hell know what it's about.

[Mr. Gundam]

Red Dawn? wtf is that about

...........

You've never seen Red Dawn?

...........

Wow.

It's part of the Brat Pack taking on America-invading Commies.

Well, I haven't seen Red Dawn in its entirety, but I sure as hell know what it's about.

I'm now waiting for PD to ask what the Brat Pack is...

[Phoenix Dark]

Sinatra, Dean Martin, and that jew dude

[CajoleJuice]

<3 PD lolz

[Van Cruncheon]

red dawn >>> temple of doom

[TVC15]

Temple of Doom >>> Transformers, though

[Van Cruncheon]

of course. temple of doom is just a plain ol' honest bad movie with a couple great set piece sequences. transformers is a bad movie that is also a marketing exercise of the most insulting order.

[TakingBackSunday]

Raiders is my favorite movie

I'd say more, but everyone else said everything needed to be said.

[Gay Boy]

Raiders is indeed the best thing to come from George Lucas's head. Temple of Doom was a big mess other than a fucking great mine cart scene.  Last Crusade is not Raiders, but it's is probably the most well done buddy action/comedy film ever done.

[CajoleJuice]

Last Crusade is not Raiders, but it's is probably the most well done buddy action/comedy film ever done.

[Gay Boy]

Last Crusade is not Raiders, but it's is probably the most well done buddy action/comedy film ever done.

(Image removed from quote.)

Die Hard 1 is better than crusade, Die Hard 3 isn't. 

[CajoleJuice]

I was gonna count Al Powell a.k.a. Carl Winslow as the buddy in Die Hard 1, but I figured that would be pushing it.

NOW I WILL PUSH IT.



BAG IT

[TVC15]

Last Crusade is pretty great too, but I think it's too far in the other direction from Temple of Doom.  It's too sanitized.  It has lots of Nazis and all that, but it just doesn't have the tension that Raiders has.  Still has a ton of great sequences and classic bits.  I can understand why some people name it their favorite.  Sean Connery makes the movie, too.  

Problems, Elsa isn't a great Indy girl.  Whereas Kate Capshaw probably gave too much of an impression what with her screaming and overacting, Elsa doesn't give much of an impression at all.  Luckily, overall the movie is less about the girl than the others, so it is cool.  As much as I like the end sequence, the rules of the Grail don't really make logical sense.  Why would the power of JESUS MAGIC be confined to that Temple?  Was Jesus really as weak as I thought?  His mojo can't compare to the Moses mojo present in the Ark, which apparently has destructive power everywhere?  Moses > Jesus?  Moses > Jesus > Transformers?

The opening bit with River Phoenix is also really great.  He would have been a great actor if he survived, and I kinda get bummed every time I see him in something.

I could probably find other nitpicks, but overall, the movie still has that Spielbergian magic that is missing from, well, everything he's directed since.  I guess you can say the same for Lucas.

Do you think Carl Winslow sucked Bruce Willis's dick on the set of Die Hard?

[Mr. Gundam]

Sinatra, Dean Martin, and that jew dude

Oh, PD, don't ever change.

[DJ_Tet]

I thought Temple was the first PG-13 film? There's a doc on the DVD where Spielberg talks about how he begged them not to give it an R rating, and petitioned for the creation of a middle rating

If I remember correctly at the time, the rating was devised partly because of Temple, and it may have even been the first movie to GET the PG-13.  But some other film beat it out with PG-13, apparently it was Red Dawn.

Red Dawn did not age well, still, WOLVERINES!

[Gay Boy]

Doom didn't get rated PG-13. It was rated R till Spielberg begged the MPAA to change it knowing that R would kill it's chances box office wise.

It's kinda funny since that heart ripping out scene is rather tame by todays standards. I am curious what the "gross out" scene will be in 'Crystal Skull. I hope Spielberg pushes the pg-13 barrier and freaks people out with it like raiders and doom did (well pg barrier then lol).

[Phoenix Dark]

I love Last Crusade; it's a perfect buddy film, and truly a return to greatness for the Indy franchise. It was also the perfect way to end the franchise. Sadly Spielberg has been hanging around Lucas too much and will most likely make a poor film.  :'(

If it wasn't for It's a Wonderful Life I'd say Die Hard is the best Christmas film. It's easily the best film with black and white buddies

[Gay Boy]

I love Last Crusade; it's a perfect buddy film, and truly a return to greatness for the Indy franchise. It was also the perfect way to end the franchise. Sadly Spielberg has been hanging around Lucas too much and will most likely make a poor film.  :'(

You act like the idea of a fourth indy is something they just came up with. Spielberg has been trying to get one off the ground since around '92, only 3 years after crusade (and crusade was 5 years after doom!)