THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
There are many adventures out there we make in our lives and sometimes, people will forget how much they impact us.
PLOT
Raiders of the Lost Ark takes place in 1936 follows archaeologist Henry ‘Indiana’ Jones Junior. The story begins with him retrieving a Golden Idol from a booby trapped Peruvian temple, it is quickly taken from him by rival archaeologist René Belloq. He is able to escape with his life and when returning to the United States, he is debriefed by the Army Intelligence that Nazis are excavating in Tanis, and one of their telegrams mentioned his mentor Amber Ravenwood. Off of this information, Indiana deduces that Adolf Hitler is seeking the Ark of the Covenant, a golden chest used to carry around the Ten Commandments. With it, Hitler has the possibility to use it to build an invincible army. Thanks to Jones knowing the dangers of the Ark, he is recruited to recover it first. In Nepal, he reunites with Avnet’s daughter Marion who he used to have a relationship with. He goes to her to achieve a medallion once connected to the Staff of Ra. Not only does Jones discover her father to be dead, but Gestapo agent Arnold Toht seeks the medallion as well. It leads to a fight that would lead to her bar being caught ablaze. Although Indy & Marion keep the medallion to continue searching for the Ark, Toht has the image of it burnt onto his hand. At Cairo, the pair meet up with an old friend named Sallah who warns him that Belloq is assisting the Nazis and have an incomplete replica of the medallion made off of Totht’s hand mark. When choosing to explore the city, the pair gets attacked by Belloq’s mercenaries, abducting Marion, leaving Jones presume her for dead. After being mistaken to have lost someone he cared about, Jones would encounter Belloq again who warns him to stay out of his way to pursue the Ark. Sallah would then take his friend to an imam who would decipher the medallion. One side bears a warning against disturbing the Ark, whereas another reveals the accurate measurements for the staff which can be used to locate the artifact. Realizing that the Nazis are digging in the wrong place, Jones & Sallah decide to infiltrate the dig site, using the medallion and the staff to locate the Ark’s resting place, the Well of Souls. They would find the well and retrieve the Ark from the snake filled cave, but would get discovered by the Nazis who would steal it from them. Although Sallah would get out, Jones gets sealed inside with Marion, but both find a way out. Once they’re out, Sallah warns them that the Ark will be transported. Jones stops that from happening by stealing the truck and evading Nazis. Once he succeeds, he arranges to have the artifact sent to London, while he and Marion board a tramp steamer. However, they get intercepted by a U-boat, leading to the Germans seizing Marion and the Ark. Indy would sneak into the same U-boat, as it will take him to an island in the Aegean Sea where the Ark’s power will be tested before Belloq tends to present it to Hitler. When both parties reach the island, Jones threatens to destroy it, but Belloq sees right through him, knowing he truly wouldn’t do so. This would result in him being restrained at the testing site with Marion. When the Ark is opened, it only unleashes spirits, flames and bolts of energy that would kill all present Nazis including Belloq and Toht. Indy & Marion would survive due to keeping their eyes closed. When Jones returns to Washington DC, he is rewarded by the US government for securing the Ark and the film would end showing the artifact being moved to an undisclosed warehouse, stored among other crates.
THOUGHTS
When I grew up watching classic blockbusters like Star Wars, I felt like I reached the creme of the crop by the time I got to this one in particular because thrilled me in more ways than I was prepared for. Director Steven Spielberg and the writing group George Lucas, Lawrence Kasdan & Philip Kaufman exceed expectations by making the most exciting adventure film I've ever seen. Chase after chase, I get glued to the story so much my predictions would be far off on what would happen next. Adding John William's energetic score and Douglas Slocombe's smooth cinematography, you would feel like you've become part of the adventure so much to the point you would think you're being chased by a boulder. With every second passing by, I become more and more attached to this story because it inspires you pursue knowledge. Knowledge is an important part of our lives because the more we learn, the smarter we become. And the more we learn about the past, the better we choose to respect it. I would've not been able to feel this way had it not been for the protagonist who appreciated history more than anyone around him. Harrison Ford has us fall in love with Indiana Jones because his passion for history makes him a brave individual. He proves it when putting his life on the line for these artifacts and the Ark was nothing different. Even when afraid of snakes, he does his best to work with his surroundings. And he outsmarts everyone when we least expect it. The best example has to be shooting a swordsman rather than wasting time with a sword fight. The will he shows at every instant encourages me to never let anyone stop you from doing what you believe in. And with him retrieving the Ark by the end, it was all worth it. Lucky for him, he also found his way back to love without even trying. At first, you would want to mistake Marion as a damsel and despite being put in distress now and then, Karen Allen assures us she's as independent and tough as her star crossed lover. She hated Indy for leaving her hanging, not taking her with him in Connecticut when his apprenticeship concluded. Whatever the reason, he wasn't lying when he said he regretted it. These two fell for each other because they share the passion towards history and with Karen knowing her dad was pursuing the Ark before he died, there was no way she wouldn't finish what he started. I say Indy is lucky because this adventure rekindles what they lost. Although it took a while for them to tie the knot, it didn't change how strong their love was. Apart from having a great love, Indy definitely had the benefit of a great friend that is Sallah. John Rhys-Davies makes a memorable impression for portraying his character to be the most jovial yet reliable companion. Like Marion, the bond with Indy comes from appreciating the past and together, they found one of the breathtaking artifacts out there. Even if they wouldn't be able to find things like the artifact, I don't think anything about their friendship wold change a bit. With protagonists who appreciate the time that came before them, there is no doubt there were villains that would study for their own gain. While Ronald Lacey stood out for making Toht a ruthless Nazi, Paul Freeman made Belloq stand out portraying him as who arguably acts as Indy's polar opposite by being provocative and greedy within each time he chooses to pursue the past. When he and Toht died in such graphic fashion, it was them learning the hard way that just because you found something does not immediately mean it belongs to you. Indy knew that unlike them and allowed the government to have it because it'd be safe in their hands. Seeing how big the warehouse is with the various crates, there is no doubt it is. I don’t kid when I call this film a stunning experience, but it doesn’t excuse some issues I caught onto upon re-watching. For example, Indy’s whip is definitely one of the best weapons ever used onscreen but how is it sturdy enough to be swung three times on a log? Indy and the traitor Satipo (Alfred Molina) definitely weight differently, so it’s crazy how the whip isn’t untied from their different masses. Indy is even pretty fast to outrun the natives, especially since he had a head start, but how come they didn’t shoot their darts? Even if they miss with arrows, it’s like they’re afraid of trying. I did think it was funny for one of Indy’s students to write “Love You” on the eyelids, but god that had to be for the eyes because whatever gets put on the eyelid can leak into the eye. Even if she was using eyeliner for the writing, it ain’t worth it. Also, was it really a smart idea for Indy to talk to the Army Intelligence on campus? I would prefer safer grounds like his house because no one would walk in on accident listening to classified information. It is kind of the point for the rivalry when Indy finds out Belloq is in the area with the same goal, but how? We know Hitler wants the Ark for power hungry purposes, but Belloq can’t be the only other archaeologist with a respectable resume. Sallah was smart to save his friend by having his kids interfere in the standoff involving Belloq, but why his kids though? Those mercenaries could’ve shot them all and not give a damn. And why the hell wasn’t the map room guarded? I bet there were a lack of German guards, but at least one should’ve covered the map room if they didn’t want Indy to sneak in. That’s more baffling than them taking until the next day to see Indy recruit the workers to dig in the right area. On top of that, how did no one Indy takes someone else’s uniform after knocking him out? He does this when Germans are patrolling on a walkway and it’s insane how the villains lack being observant when it matters. I hate continuity errors, so I found myself confused when one of the henchmen during the car chase was kicked off a Cliff in one shot, only for the next to reveal he’s in a whole new terrain. This was not the best way to reveal the area to be jungle-like. It even got weirder when seeing a take of Belloq inadvertently swallowing a fly when talking to Indy. Ignore this, then you’ll still have a blast. In conclusion, Raiders of the Lost Ark is the best adventure movie ever made for thrilling you in more ways than you’re capable of imagining. If living adventurous is your thing, see this now.
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