Raiders of the Lost Ark Review: Snakes, Why’d It Have to be Snakes

The Raiders of The Lost Ark is a great movie. The action is really good, and the plot flows almost seamlessly.

---

Well, we have once again reviewed one of my top 20 films of all time in the form of Raiders of the Lost Ark ,which was the first film to introduce us to the famous archeologist himself, Indiana Jones.

What Happens in Raiders of the Lost Ark?

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark opens with the iconic scene of Jones stealing a priceless artifact, only to be stopped by his rival René Belloq. The movie then flashes forward a few years. Jones is teaching at a university but is then approached by the American military. From there, he is sent to Nepal to find the headpiece of Ra. This mystical medallion was to reveal the location of the Ark of the Covenant. After saving Marion, the two head to Cairo to find the lost treasure.

Raiders of the Lost Ark Review

I remember watching this movie when I was a kid and just loving the iconic action, the memorable theme music, and the iconic fedora and whip. This movie starts with a bang with one of the most iconic openings in film history, the boulder scene.

We are then introduced to the man himself. Indiana Jones, played by Harrison Ford, is an archeologist who splits his time between being a college professor and a field archeologist. Harrison Ford kills it as Indiana Jones with many quotable lines, memorable moments, and character traits.

The characters in general are all pretty different and interesting, whether we are talking about Marion or Belloq; they each have personalities that make them memorable. Marion Ravenwood, played by Karen Allen, is a fiery spitball who is a smart counterpart to Indy though they have some history. She isn’t afraid of a fight and she does what she can to help the mission.

The story is quite interesting, and as a history buff I love to see stories about historical artifacts and the ark of the covenant definitely has that status. The level of detail in this film is astounding as nothing is just mentioned and everything happens for a reason. The film is set in the 1930s, which means we can have Nazis as villains and who doesn’t like seeing them get defeated.

This movie is super action-packed, and the stunt work is amazing with many memorable fight scenes sprinkled throughout in which Indy barely makes it through. The practical effects in this movie are really well done. Whether it’s exploding trucks, snakes in a temple, or real fire, the practical effects give it a sense of realism lost in many films today. There are moments where punches clearly don’t connect, I would say 80% of the time it looks good.

For the most part, the film is not too violent or scary for kids, but there are a few moments that are on the edge of being intense for some viewers. I would also be amiss if I did not mention the iconic score by John Williams, whose music for this film amplifies the whole experience and is still remembered to this day. If I had one criticism, it would be that some of the special effects don’t hold up, but I can’t really fault the film because that’s what they had to work with at the time. 

All in all, this is one of my favourites that I love revisiting and would recommend this to everyone. So hop on Disney Plus and check it out!