Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is no ordinary archeologist. When we first see him, he is somewhere in the Peruvian jungle in 1936, running a booby-trapped gauntlet (complete with an over-sized rolling boulder) to fetch a solid-gold idol. He loses this artifact to his chief rival, a French archeologist named Belloq (Paul Freeman), who then prepares to kill our hero. In the first of many serial-like escapes, Indy eludes Belloq by hopping into a convenient plane. So, then: is Indiana Jones afraid of anything? Yes, snakes. The next time we see Jones, he's a soft-spoken, bespectacled professor. He is then summoned from his ivy-covered environs by Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott) to find the long-lost Ark of the Covenant. The Nazis, it seems, are already searching for the Ark, which the mystical-minded Hitler hopes to use to make his stormtroopers invincible. But to find the Ark, Indy must first secure a medallion kept under the protection of Indy's old friend Abner Ravenwood, whose daughter, Marion (Karen Allen), evidently has a "history" with Jones. Whatever their personal differences, Indy and Marion become partners in one action-packed adventure after another, ranging from wandering the snake pits of the Well of Souls to surviving the pyrotechnic unearthing of the sacred Ark. A joint project of Hollywood prodigies George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, with a script co-written by Lawrence Kasdan and Philip Kaufman, among others, Raiders of the Lost Ark is not so much a movie as a 115-minute thrill ride. Costing 22 million dollars (nearly three times the original estimate), Raiders of the Lost Ark reaped 200 million dollars during its first run. It was followed by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1985) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), as well as a short-lived TV-series "prequel."

It's said that the original is the greatest, and there can be no more vivid proof than Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first and indisputably best of the initial three Indiana Jones adventures cooked up by the dream team of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Expectations were high for this 1981 collaboration between the two men, who essentially invented the box office blockbuster with `70s efforts like Jaws and Star Wars, and Spielberg (who directed) and Lucas (who co-wrote the story and executive produced) didn't disappoint. This wildly entertaining film has it all: non-stop action, exotic locations, grand spectacle, a hero for the ages, despicable villains, a beautiful love interest, humor, horror… not to mention lots of snakes. And along with all the bits that are so familiar by now--Indy (Harrison Ford) running from the giant boulder in a cave, using his pistol instead of his trusty whip to take out a scimitar-wielding bad guy, facing off with a hissing cobra, and on and on--there's real resonance in a potent storyline that brings together a profound religious-archaeological icon (the Ark of the Covenant, nothing less than "a radio for speaking to God") and the 20th century's most infamous criminals (the Nazis). Now that's entertainment. --Sam Graham

Indiana Jones in "Raiders of the Lost Ark", is indeed one of my favorite movies. It takes me back to the time when I always mimic the whole movie and cheer afterwards. Anyway, to the point, the plot was excellent, I couldn't have done it better myself. The characters were on point with everything and the ending was enough to make you clap your hands. We got Harrison Ford as Indy, Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood, Paul Freeman as Rene Belloq and John Rhys-Davies as Sallah. This film can never go wrong with a cast like this. His mission was to go and find the Ark of the Covenant. He had to fly in planes, sail ships and ride horses to make this happen. Don't worry, he had friends in high places. He smiles everytime he meets them. Indy always comes prepared (his weapons.) He's got his famous whip, his machete and his pistol. Everytime he goes to a far-away place, he learns something. For example, Myths, Religions, Legends and Lanquages. He's very good with speaking to people from cultures. While Indy's running and stoping the bad guys, he falls back in love with Marion and saves her life more than twice. Even though she did have a plan on her own, it didn't work because of Toht and Rene Belloq. And his BIGGEST fear of them all is SNAKES! He really hates snakes. He can't stand being in the same room with them. Hey! I don't blame him. But, apart from all of that, he knows how to get the job done, even if it means feeling the wrath of the ARK. Never open your eyes, keep them shut when the lid is open. That's what the bad guys messed up on. After the chaos is over, he goes back home with Marion, sells the ARK to a museum and goes back to teaching again. That's untill something else brings him back.....2 thumbs from me, I love it!

We love this series, but as always the orginal is always the best. Perfect Condition.

I still have this film on VHS. However,the DVD copy looks great on a High Definition screen and sounds great in surround sound. This movie still is fun to watch after all of these years.

[[ASIN:B0014Z4OMU Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (Special Edition)]
Steven Spielberg at HIS BEST. Another movie from my Dad's Collection. The action never stops and there's a carefully calculated high-point every 15 minutes at least. The effects are well co-ordinated, and the film is easily Spielberg's most genuinely riveting. The film is produced by George Lucas. Harrison Ford, discovered by Lucas, for STAR WARS, plays the title character, who is BOGART, FLASH GORDON and HAN SOLO rolled into one.

I just bought this film yesterday, and I can see why it is considered to be one of the greatest action films ever made. I've only seen parts of this film prior to purchasing this one. It has the most action. I think it is the best out of all the Indy movies that I've seen. Earlier I said that The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull was the best, but I now that I have seen this one, I feel that this one is the best, and Kingdom of The Crystal Skull wasn't that good. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull had a very bland storyline to it. This one has more scenes in it, and has more of a theme to it. The Last Crusade was also pretty good. Unfortunately, I have never seen Temple of Doom. Raiders of the Lost Ark is a timeless classic.