Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

I'd previously seen some of the more famous scenes from the Indiana Jones movies, but never actually sat down and watched one from the beginning. I figured I should really see the trilogy, even though I don't have a plan to see the new one or anything. The idea of Indiana Jones fits in quite well with George Lucas' penchant for making entertainment franchises in the style of old serials from the beginning of Hollywood. He started it with Star Wars, his take on science fiction which he admits borrowed from many earlier classic films, and the Indy movies are the same thing with adventure, going on action-packed journeys around the world without taking themselves too seriously. There's something a bit strange about them, because they're definitely aimed at families yet there's some stuff in them that I would be surprised to see in something with a similar audience today.

Raiders of the Lost Ark is a fun movie, filled with iconic and memorable scenes. The whole opening sequence with the golden idol and rolling rock, then the escape to the plane, the confrontation with the swordsman, the Well of Souls, the truck chase, opening the ark. Lots of entertaining moments. Harrison Ford is a great, charismatic protagonist. The character is an interesting one, having two sides; the knowledgeable historian and reckless adventurer. There's a decent supporting cast around him. The female lead can be a bit silly sometimes, but John Rhys-Davies is a good ally, and a couple of the villains are pretty solid. Steven Spielberg admitted it was basically a B movie when he made it, and it's fine being that - it's definitely aimed to keep kids happy, but still has plenty of action and intrigue for older viewers, if you can handle some goofiness. The whole ending is really good, with a slightly shocking climax and cool, if somewhat hard to believe final shot. Pretty good movie.