For this movie review I watched Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark. I had seen this movie a couple of times when I was younger, but I decided to watch it again from a cinematic point of view, rather than just the awe-filled point of view of my younger self. The movie starts with an adventure in a jungle, in which Indiana Jones escapes from a native tribe. He then is recruited to find the Ark of the Covenant which is being searched for by the Nazis. He travels to Nepal to seek the assistance of an old flame, Marion. Then he travels to Egypt, where the Ark is suspected to be located. The Nazis, not having the complete information, are digging in the wrong spot, and Indy is able to locate the Ark, but the Nazis find him and lock him in the Well of Souls. He escapes, but he must race to save the Ark from falling into the wrong hands. Not knowing what’s in it, he fears it could be used as a weapon for Hitler’s army.

I definitely had a previous bias coming into this movie, but I tried to keep an open mind. However, my previous bias was right because this movie is absolutely amazing. There’s nothing I don’t love about it. If I could use one word to describe it, it would be iconic. For starters, the soundtrack is incredible. Beyond the “Raiders March” which is the classic Indiana Jones theme song, the rest of the score is brilliant. I particularly liked “The Basket Game” which plays during the marketplace chase scene. Another thing that was cool about this movie was the opening scene. Anyone who has heard of Indiana Jones knows the boulder chase scene, but even before that, the scene is great. The first shots of the dirty, sweaty, tired guys hiking through the muggy jungle is super evident, and the sounds in the background add to it immensely. The whole scene is great. I really liked the use of shadows and silhouettes in this movie. They were used pretty frequently, almost too much, except that each time they were used, it was totally awesome. I especially liked Indy’s shadow on the wall at Marion’s bar. It’s an extremely recognizable outline, with the hat and the whip. Another thing I really liked was the final scene with the worker pushing a box containing the Ark marked Top Secret Army Intel Do Not Open into a warehouse full of hundreds of thousands of similar boxes. What I like about this is that we know what a crazy story this artifact has, so we are left wondering if all the rest are as crazy, and why the US Government is keeping all of them. There is one downside to the movie. Indiana Jones plays no real role in the outcome of the movie. With or without him, the Nazis end up with the Ark and open it on the island, all dying. However, he does save Marion’s life. And I believe that it’s very easy to ignore this and just appreciate the movie.

I would absolutely recommend this movie to anyone and everyone. It’s a great action movie that’s iconic and unique, and Harrison Ford just kills it as Indy. I am of the opinion that his role as Indy is better than his role as Han Solo. Maybe that’s just me. Either way, he does a phenomenal job, and the character of Indiana Jones carries us through a fun, action packed, well scored, at times humorfull, at times dramatic, thriller of a Spielberg-Lucas lovechild that’s one of my favorite movies of all time.