Amazon.com essential video: Steven Spielberg and George Lucas's 1981 resurrection of the Saturday-matinee adventure genre was deservedly popular, and kicked off a successful trilogy. Set in 1936, this first feature introduces Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, an archaeologist and adventurer whose quests for rare antiquities frequently find him running from one menace or another. Raiders finds Dr. Jones in the middle of a Nazi plot to use the mysterious powers of the Ark of the Covenant to win the war. Karen Allen plays the love interest with an old-fashioned "man's woman" appeal (she can drink anybody under the table and is free with her fists). The constant, cliffhanger appeal of the movie is great fun--one is always wondering how Indy will get out of one scrape after another--and Ford's career got a big boost with his self-effacing but masculine portrayal of the hero. --Tom Keogh
CLASSIC ACTION & ADVENTURE! FORD'S DEFINING ROLE! I bought the original box set many months ago on sale for a bargain price. Reading all the reviews for the new Indy installment I have been wanting to watch the original 3 films before eventually seeing the new one.
Watching the original was quite fun as I haven't watched the film in years! The DVD transfer is excellent and the audio is more than adequate on the original 4 DVD box set release not the newest release. This film still holds up well and could be labeled the definitive action adventure film without any arguments.
Ford is perfectly cast as the elusive whip-cracking archeologist and Allen is great as his very capable love interest. It's a one of kind film that has been copied so much it's hard to remember when this was fresh and new! The first film is the best by a mile, but I will be reviewing all the films as I watch them!
Still good after all this time. Well it's Saturday morning movies again. Indiana Jones is the best of the action hero's and Raiders is still the best of these movies. Even after all this time, it still holds up. Settle back with a bag of popcorn and be prepared to have a great time.
They buried the dialog! First off, Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of my favorite movies and I'd give the movie itself 5 stars. However, I'm upset with this DVD and I can't recommend it. The score and sound effects are very loud compared to the dialog. In fact, in many places its hard to hear what the characters are saying unless you really turn up the sound (but then the score is super loud, and that is quite irritating).
I purchased this DVD after watching Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I was a little disappointed by it (it was okay, but not as good as the previous 3), however, my girl friend really enjoyed it. Though she also admitted to me that she had not seen the previous Indiana Jones movies. So I felt like it'd be fun to do a movie night where we saw the original.
I picked this DVD up figuring it'd be the definitive version. The picture is wonderful and the movie itself is a thrill to watch. However, several times during the movie we found ourselves saying "what did that person just say?" The music and sound effects were very loud and prominent, however the dialog wasn't. We had to turn the volume way up, to the point where when the music kicked in or certain sound effects (like thunder) occurred, they were annoyingly loud.
We actually stopped the movie twice and fiddled around with the settings on her TV. At one point we even restarted the DVD and checked the options menu to see if there was some kind of setting for normal sound - there wasn't. She told me no other DVD had this problem. So I'm assuming they've mixed the sound like this on purpose, which I find to be extremely annoying. I wish they would have just left it alone or made it so someone could watch the movie with normal sound.
As it is, I'm unhappy with this purchase and can't see myself watching this version again.
The Man in the Hat....Is Back The special edition of the 1981 classic "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark" reintroduces us to Henry "Indiana" Jones, professor of archeology and professional adventurer. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created an iconic movie franchise out of what was meant to be an homage to the B-movies of the 1930's and 1940's, spawning three sequels, including 2008's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."
As this movie opens, a man in a fedora is leading an expedition through the jungles of 1936 Peru to an ancient temple, there to overcome a series of clever deathtraps to obtain a golden idol. This opening sequence introduces us to the familiar series elements: a quick-thinking archeologist prepared to dare much for relics; the fedora, leather jacket, and bullwhip as props; and the likelihood that any situation can turn to mayhem at any time. Jones survives the temple, only to lose the idol to a competing archeologist, and ends up running for his life from a band of dangerous natives.
When we next see Professor Jones, he is approached by a group of government agents about a Nazi plot to retrieve the long-missing Ark of the Covenant. The plot involves Jones' old mentor, Professor Abner Ravenwood, and Jones' old girlfriend, Miriam Ravenwood. Jones flies off to Nepal to find Miriam, straight into his first deadly encounter with the Nazis.
The plot takes Jones and Miriam through a series of exotic locations in Egypt, and a series of dangerous situations, each more spectacular than the last. An example is a classic sequence in which Jones battles a huge Nazi mechanic for possession of an airplane, while both dodge whirring propellers and Miriam is in danger of being burned alive by loose petrol. The stunning climax of the movie comes on a remote Greek island, where the Ark gives up its secrets at last.
Harrison Ford is perfect as Indy Jones, part professor, part hero, and very human. Karen Allen as a fiesty Miriam is an excellent foil, as she and Jones partner up to find the Ark. The competition is suitably nasty, and the thrills come fast and furious, more than enough to cover any plot holes (just how did Indy transit with the submarine to that Greek island?).
"Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark" is very highly recommended to those new to the Indy Jones series, and those looking for a refresher on the franchise. This special edition contains a number of new features, including background material on the making of the movie and the series.
Transfer's Looking Good! We all know the 'Indy" movies, so this review is more astetic based than a storyline critique. "Raiders" will always be the best, and offered here in a single movie purchase rather than the three disc set. Sound is better than good, picture is great on this anamorphic widescreen [2:35:1] DVD. It far exceeds the VHS version I previously owned. Movie transfers done right are always a worthy purchase. Also highly recommended to anyone with an upconvert player and a 40" or smaller LCD TV.
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