Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Global archeological adventure awaits!
Presentation:
The film utilizes nostalgic anamorphic lenses and classic lighting, resembling similar epics like Lawrence of Arabia. The settings are nearly as vast, though this movie has a much lighter tone with humor and action. What makes this film so iconic is it encapsulates everything we expect from adventure films today: Exotic vistas, action sequences, humor, romance and the hunt for some treasure with some adversarial villains. In tone, it will feel very similar to Star Wars as it is as a Lucas Films production, but it diverges in some ways with darker nearly horrific imagery. The film presents itself quite seriously but the tone is lighthearted and humorous, leading to a split feeling. What makes it more jarring is a lot of the jokes and antics are over the top and cheesy by todays standards. But that may not be what you remember, as the lasting impression of this film will be its influential adventure sequences that should be eternal references for the future.
Conclusion:
A very predictable and formulaic script by today’s standards, this was considered iconic for its time. If you watch today, the whole atmosphere could feel a bit too silly as if it were a parody as you can see the clear references in satires like Naked Gun. But for the less modern audiences, this should be a nostalgic trip down memory lane, the glory days of cinema and early blockbusters with adventure in the 80s. Just hold onto your hats, put away the whips and try to not take it too seriously.
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Recommendations
Cinematography as sharp as samurai steel.