Raiders of the Lost Ark

If you're seeing the movie for the 100th time, you can peel off any piece you want and still enjoy it. Last time we watched the movie we watched it through the lens of when is the last time Indiana washes up throughout the entire movie. If we assume he showers at Omar's after he's learned the length of the cane from the old man, the last time we see him smelling good (apart from the Washington epilogue) is when he and Omar infiltrate the Nazi camp in disguise. We can't blame him, of course, for not showering in that camp, or during the all-night dig, the subsequent escape from the closed crypt, the battle at the airplane, or the subsequent car chase (so far a pretty intense 2 days), but the fact that he says the hell with it even in the safety of a friendly pirate ship and then just takes a sporadic sea bath while chasing a submarine only to continue chasing Nazis to the center of the island gives the film a whole new reading. The most nerve-wracking scene in it is the one where Indy climbs into the white linen bed in his disgusting sweaty shirt, and Marion's silent agony at the final ritual is definitely grounded in who she has to be chained to the same bedpost with. Yuck. Well, as the popular rapper Tyler Durden says, "I wonder what we're gonna learn tomorrow." (2021-08-30)

I was lucky enough to see this film for the first time as a little kid at the Czech premiere in a completely packed cinema (people were sitting on the stairs), during the deep totalitarian era, when everybody was happy to see something other than a Soviet film (despite the many years of delay). The audience togetherness and the incredible burst of laughter of the whole cinema during Indy's duel with the swordsman is something I will never forget. Beautiful fun. (2003-04-12)

I didn't get to the first Indy adventure until 42 long years after the film's premiere, and my average rating is based on that. I didn't grow up on Spielberg's film, nor do I have a nostalgic attachment to it, and now that I've seen it for the very first time, I have to say that the ravages of time are quite visible. It's most noticeable in the special effects scenes, which is understandable given the year it was made, but the same can't be said for the action and fight scenes, which look laughable (in the negative sense) to the point of being artificial. The scene with the snake's lair or the final confrontation with the Ark of the Covenant had a solid atmosphere, I don't deny that, but for most of the film I felt like I was watching some kind of still undeveloped Indiana Jones prototype. (2023-07-01)

Raiders of the Lost Ark was and will probably remain the best adventure movie. No wonder, when two of the most ingenious and most talented filmmakers of their era, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, stood behind its inception. They created the character of Indiana Jones, a slightly unorthodox archeologist who went down in history in a short time. First we meet him in 1936 when he is commissioned by the US to find the mythical Ark of the Covenant which Adolf Hitler, obsessed by the occult, is desperate to acquire. The first part of the Jones Trilogy is without doubt the best. The mystical powers of the Ark, along with the enrapturing music by Williams manages to evoke fear of the unknown even now after so many years. The ending in the warehouse has an indescribable atmosphere that makes your hair stand on end. (2006-12-02)

During its filming, it was undoubtedly a groundbreaking film that redefined the genre and became iconic. It is possibly only surpassed by Pulp Fiction in terms of the number of imitations and copycats. Today, signs of wear and tear are apparent - the special effects have aged, the pace is weaker compared to the subsequent films, and there are far fewer lines and jokes than those remembered by the old-timers. However, Spielberg's traditionally precise direction, great cast, and entertaining, charismatic characters are still present. Last but not least, there is John Williams' music with its famous theme, which has become the signature of the entire series. For a long time, I believed that this movie "must" be impressive for anyone who hasn't forgotten their childhood and adolescence associated with dreams of romantic adventures. Then, through my children, I became acquainted with the perspective of the new generation and experienced disillusionment. For them, the world of Indiana Jones was only tolerable, as they looked for their favorite heroes elsewhere. Overall impression: 75%. (2019-01-07)