Was Anyone Let Down By Raiders of the Lost Ark?

Raiders is great and I'm normally quite blunt about movies that seem to get overrate. Crusade is a heck of a lot of fun too and although Temple isn't bad it suffers from too much...everything as does Crystal Skull.

In fact, even the 4th Indy isn't that bad if you watch the movies back to back, people act like the original trilogy doens't have any silly bits in it, as if falling from a plane in a rubber dinghy is not nearly as much bs as hiding in a fridge as a nuclear bomb goes off miles away. And plenty other silly moments.

The reason it worked so well in the original trilogy is that Ford was younger and could carry off the charm and physicality of the role and the dated special effects just give it a feel good, cheesy feeling, not to mention some terrific set design. The overused CGI in the latest installment was so drab and fake and shiny it made the whole thing look like a cheap PS2 video game.

I guess Indy is very much a movie icon of his time.

__________________
"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn"

"I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle"

There, I fixed it for you. (;

I agree entirely with the rest of your post, particularly about Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Yes, I hated Shia LaBeouf, and his vine swinging scene is absolutely horrible (if I made a list of scenes that make me cringe the most, this would definitely be near the top), but I believe that a good 60-75% of that movie is actually a fairly good follow-up to the trilogy.

This from Big Bang Theory certainly belongs in this thread....

That was great.

__________________
Movie Reviews | Anime Reviews
Top 100 Action Movie Countdown (2015): List | Thread
"Well, at least your intentions behind the UTTERLY DEVASTATING FAULTS IN YOUR LOGIC are good." - Captain Steel

Raiders is my favorite movie. I can see how some thin it's boring, but I do not.

It has the best and most iconic sequences that form Indiana Jones

The idol/Boulder intro
The amazing bar gun fight everyone forgets about
The lost city reveal with the staff
The Village Chase and Indy shooting the swordsman
The Epic Uncovering of the Ark in the Well of Souls during the lighting storm
Indy getting trapped and going through the wall with Marion
The airplane fist fight
The truck chase
The face melt

I don't know, it's pretty uncomparable to any other Indy film IMO.

Also many have said there is a copy of Raiders in black and white? Done like the 1930 serials it pays homage to, would love to see it in black and white

It is my favorite film as well. BORING? Every thing in that film is perfection, every breath compelling. Every time someone moves a centimeter, it is enthralling. Every grain of sand in the desert is as compelling as anything I have ever seen. Indy is not only compelling, but the greatest character, the greatest man ever put to film. And that's all I have to say about that.

Eh, it's not that bad. If Indy never got involved, then the Nazis would have tracked down Marion to grab her medallion and, if the scene we saw was any indication, then in all probability they would have tortured and murdered her in order to get the medallion and tie up a loose end.

__________________
Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0

I didn't mind her, she was a looker back in the day lol

I was referring more so to her shrill screams throughout the entire film. I know they wanted Willie to be different than Marion, and I think Capshaw did what was asked of her well, but I was just not a fan of the character.

You're far from alone.

Her screaming didn't bother me. I found the campfire scene rather funny. I also enjoyed her rather antagonistic relationship with Indy.

__________________

There's antagonistic and then there's "Indyyyyy~yyyyyyy!!!"

If I'd just discovered that I was on an airplane that had no pilot, I might scream too.

After a certain point, I have no empathy for you. Some of us are ALSO in danger, Willie.

Just turn the colour off on the TV.

__________________

I think what you are missing here, is that it is first of all an adventure film, meant to thrill and make you have a great time.

I'm not saying adventures can't be filled with great character development and whatnot, but it isn't obligated to have it either, to be a great film.

Like Swan said (I think), Indy is very much a template hero. An all-around likable good guy that saves the day. But the great thing is that he's not a superhero. We se him suffer, be afraid of something (snakes and such), he gets beat up too. He's human in the end and we can relate to him.

Raiders is more or less the definition or an adventure movie. The clichés that are there are definitely intended that way, while some clichés weren't even clichés in its time. And I'm definitely not bored whenever the action isn't there, I don't know how you can be that to be honest.

But it's perfectly alright if you don't like it. Last time I watched The Terminator I was pretty bored. I think it's rather boring, but you would probably tell me otherwise. That's the great thing about film; we all see it differenly.... But Raiders is a very popular movie and if you don't like it you are definitely in the minority. Not that there's anything wrong with that though.

Sometimes. If we all saw things differently we'd never agree on anything.

You know what I mean.

I wouldn't say I was let down by it...I don't think the film has a lot of re-watch appeal...I think I've only watched it twice in my entire life.