How good is this movie really?

If it weren't for the elaborate sets and location scenes there would be nothing here worth watching... The acting, directing, cinematography and story were rather plain. Maybe in 1981 it was something special but that was in 1981...

My favorite part was last 10-15 minutes.

Best film in 81 was The Road Warrior or Possession...maybe Blow Out. But I prefer many more from the year over Raiders, such as: Evil Dead II, Das Boot, Scanners, Escape From New York, Heavy Metal, Excalibur, Thief, Time Bandits, Knightriders, Rasputin, etc.

10/10
no question.

not to diminish Ford or anything but it takes much more than a leading man to make a movie.
-----------------
i just love movies.

It's possible for there to be great action movies made now if they're written well enough. Most of them simply aren't. That said, I think it'd be more difficult in this generation compared to Raiders' generation because the ideas have been reused that much more in the the time that's passed, and it's going to be harder to produce films that appear original and fresh. I mean just try to imagine action films 10 years from now. If today's movies are lacking, what are those ones going to be like? Of course I speak as an 80's/90's child, so maybe a kid in the 2010's will see it differently.

Raiders seems to just nail everything. The pacing, the action, the soundtrack, the characters, the script, the cinematography, the storytelling, it's very hard to fault any of it. And even the special effects hold up well considering its age. Speaking of which, it's a shame that the protocol for special effects these days is to overly rely on CGI and shun the use of practical effects, real stunts and real costumes, when they can often look preferable. I'm guessing Ender's Game is no different.

just watched this movie. my opinion is this movie is definitly superb and it deserves its position at top 250.

what best from this movie is its pace, cinematograpy, and action/stun, also very good sense of humour.
this movie is simple and will not decrease its sense to entertain people even nowadays. again, spielberg made a masterpiece.

then if we compare this movie to modern action, of course the visual effect and the technology will blow away ROTLA. but dont get it wrong, visual effect is just a "small part" of things that made movies to be greatest of all time. but if we compare this movie by its story, pace, genuinity, shot, etc, man.. its above average..

"It stands to reason that the scripts Harrison Ford took an interest in and accepted thirty years ago would be similar to the ones he chooses now,"

Track the pictures of Christopher Lee, or even Lawrence Oliver, and tell me that their later films were equal to their earlier ones.





Hitler! C'mon, I'll buy you a glass of lemonade.

Well the film only had 3 or 4 really memorable moments, the rest of it having a fight in a bar, having a fight on a plan, having a fight in a city, having a fight on a boat a few car chases and a woman who spends all film screaming.

The music doesn't quite sync with the action, the editing is really bad it feels like many senses were just chopped short and there's nothing special with the acting.

I like the film i guess but in reality its a bit poor over all.

It's really, really good.

I used to be a big fan of it--seen it so many times I can probably recite every line by memory. King Kong was my favorite, then Raiders, then King Kong resumed the top spot.

My view of it has changed a lot. The ending is still amazing--its really the heart of the film. The Ark itself is the star--everyone else is just a prop for the Ark.

But last time I watched it I didnt enjoy it like I used to. Mainly because the story itself and the characters are very thin--it is more of a musical action parody than a real movie. It doesnt take itself seriously, and there isnt enough slow moments.
This hurts my appreciation of it now. At the time no film had such a never-ending series of stunts, but it is a caricature of a film.

Not to mention, Indiana Jones is ripped off from Secret of the Incas. There can be no doubt about it when you watch the Heston film. They took many ideas from it (his costume, getting ripped off by a rival, using the sun to reflect into a golden object to reveal a treasure). So much so that it is shocking they kept quiet about it as they did.

The Ark sequence is still amazing though, and having it end with it buried in a warehouse.

There's a joke to the theme of the film--Indiana Jones likes pillaging underage girls and ancient temples, but in the end he gets *beep* by Uncle Sam.

Last Crusade has more characterization, but the treasure just doesnt have the zip of the Ark and this is what has plagued every attempt to do another IJ movie--you are hard pressed to find a treasure as amazing as the Ark so it can only go down hill.