Colonel Vogel
Guest
The first film in the series, which I still think of as Raiders of the Lost Ark (even if it has been officially renamed to Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark to fit with the other two, the credits on the film still call it Raiders of the Lost Ark), was released in 1981, and became an instant classic. It blends comedy and action seamlessly, and even has a neat little love interest that doesn't interfere with the story flow. However I think it's the weakest of the three films, partly because it was made to be able to stand-alone. There a few movies as entertaining as Raiders and it?s a nice feel-good movie. Spielberg?s direction is splendid and the sets, special effects, original music, acting are all outstanding. This film does a superb job of blending Hitler's fascination with the occult, Biblical mythology and archaeology ? I don't know how much of it is authentic, but it doesn't matter, because we're willing to suspend disbelief and enjoy the ride. And it's quite a ride. However Harrison?s performance as Indy is his weakest; he?s not quite comfortable with the part (Harrison himself prefers Last Crusade to Raiders). I find the story to be similar to Richard Wagner?s Parsifal and Indy?s transformation follows Schopenhauer ideology e.g. did not believe that people had individual wills but were rather simply part of a vast and single will that pervades the universe. There are too many bloopers in Raiders for my liking, e.g. how did Indy not drown when the submarine submerged? Another thing that disappoints me about Raiders is that it doesn?t relate to complex numbers. Marion doesn?t have much to do except look scared. Belloq?s character is too cartoonish, just like the baddie from Die Hard was. The opening of Raiders is the best of the trilogy, however the last half cannot sustain that level of inspiration. The truck chase is poorly directed and should never have been left to a second-unit director. The fight under the flying wing also looks amateurish like it was rushed. I was wondering how well the special effects would hold up today, over twenty years later, after we've seen the world of visual effects develop so much. I'm surprised, and delighted, to see that they still look very good indeed. I'm not sure how many times I've seen this film, but I don't tire of it. However they should have kept the mine car chase in it and the film is missing the greatest character Short Round. So to recapitulate Raiders is one of the best action adventure movie ever made but my least favorite Indy movie.
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