INDIANA JONES AND THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK | Commentary & Reaction | That music!!!!

[@leebrandt8597]

Hi Shanelle. What makes people fall in love with the character of Indiana Jones so much is how unusual he was for an action hero. He experiences fear, unlike most stoic heroes. He doesn't keep the idol, it gets stolen from him. He doesn't out-punch his enemies, he out-thinks them. He throws sand at the eyes of the huge guy he fights. He shoots the swordsman instead of fighting him. He doesn't rescue the girl, he leaves her tied up. When she seemingly dies, he becomes depressed and halfway suicidal. The character brought so much new to the archetypal hero that it turned the genre on its head. So he simply isn't the typical cowboy, past and present; he is an iconic character that experienced all the emotions that normal people would feel in those situations. When we watch him on film we're not expecting him to die, we're waiting to see humor and how he uses his intellect to get out of his predicaments. Most other action characters fall flat due to their one-note bravery and physical attributes. Indiana Jones was made different.

[@jimmyboy131]

Good observations. At the time, people compared Indiana Jones to James Bond in the same way.

[@mikejankowski6321]

Wow, great. I couldn’t have said it better!

[@BrianNIL]

Another example is when Indy fights the German in the airfield. Shanelle wondered what the film was trying to say. Well here's a guy who revels in physical competition, a savage bully, and Indy defeats him with his wits.

[@rainbowgames1]

Exactly. It was a fresh take on the hero archetype at the time. Yes, the perfect example is comparing Sean Connery’s James Bond in the 60s and 70s to Harrison’s new kind of hero. Indiana Jones was often emotionally vulnerable, often looked scared, unsure, not in control of the situation, vs. pre Reagan era heroes who tended to be super alpha men who were always in control and emotionally hard.

[@ShanelleRiccio]

Yes! Thanks for this context! I feel like my generation is used to these intellect based hero’s, but Indy was a real breath of fresh air huh?

[@MaduroMan]

I remember seeing this when it first came out in the theaters, It was originally titled "Raiders of the Lost Ark" They didn't use the whole "Indiana Jones and...." in the movie titles until later. The scene of Harrison Ford shooting the swordsman had the entire theater laughing and applauding when I saw it. Good memories.

[@snookyookum]

Since you are a film enthusiast you MUST know that Lucas patterned his stories after pulp fiction and the movie serials of the 30s. The heroes of these stories went from one narrow escape to another and the serials were famous for ending with a cliff hanger that made it look like they would perish. Audiences had to wait a week or more to see the next chapter, to find out it was another narrow escape, etc. etc. Star Wars and Indiana Jones are the first redoing of this popular formula since the 1930s. It's a bit hokey on purpose as in a long running homage. Effect on the modern day audience, was just as popular as those old time serials. Viscerally brilliant. LOVED your reaction, so much fun.

[@douggetchess4732]

They LIED! They didn't jump out of the cockadoodie car!

[@lmcgregoruk]

@@douggetchess4732 Yeah, does everyone else have Amnesia or something?

[@dontbstingy3587]

@@douggetchess4732 It's the swearing. It has no nobility.

[@greigclement9081]

I love the trail of "cliche" or trope influences in the arts through whether it be movies/tv and music. Would we have had Tomb Raider or National Treasure if there had been no Raiders film ?. Obviously some will question the comparison of quality, but I'm only talking influence in this case.

[@dontbstingy3587]

@@mikelarsen5836 Aw c'mon. I am a pretty badass cook (in my own mind) but if you asked me to whip up some Argentinian food I would be at a loss. She admits she doesn't watch a lot of action. That doesn't mean she is unfamiliar with filmmaking.

[@rainbowgames1]

The female protagonist in Indiana Jones was a conscious riff on the tradition of tough, ball busting female protagonists of the films of the 30s and 40s (Bette Davis, Marlene Dietrich, Katherine Hepburn, Joan Crawford, Lauren Bacall, etc.) It wasn’t an unaware resort to tropes but a loving homage to those films, as was many other aspects of the film. As for Indiana Jones being hyper masculine, I disagree. What was so special and new about Harrison Ford’s portrayal of heroes was that he often displayed vulnerability, was visibly scared, seemed often to not have things under control, etc. That was a fresh take on the hero archetype at the time. Compare the male action heroes of the pre Reagan era (for instance Sean Connery’s James Bond in the 60s and 70s) and you’ll see that Indiana Jones was less stereotypically masculine than male action heroes that had come before, not more.

[@SierraSierraFoxtrot]

Indy only seems hypermasculine compared to soy millenials.

[@maashworth5885]

Yes, I think Indiana Jones was the exception to the hyper masculine action heroes of the Reagan era. As someone who lived through the eighties I'd say the Rambo/Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger movies were the epitome of that 80's Reaganite hyper-masculine reactionary action hero, while Indiana Jones was the antithesis of that. Not surprising, given that Raiders was conceived and filmed in the Carter era.

[@robertanderson6929]

Harrison Ford does the most authentic reaction to being punched in the face. Most times Hollywood gets it entirely wrong and acts like getting punched in the face is like getting foot stepped on. But when a man is punched in the face there is this moment of utter confusion and shock where the brain is trying to process what has just happened. Most times you don't actually remember being punched in the face. Rather a split second later your brain catches up and then you realize, "I just got punched in the face!" Harrison does the reaction to being punched in the face perfectly. He exaggerates the effect of being "staggered" by a punch to the face but that's part of conveying that for the audience. When Harrison takes a punch to the face you really believe he took a punch to the face.

[@robertanderson6929]

@Darkstar You put a lot of qualifiers into that statement. The fact is that the brain is literally floating in a fluid separating it from the skull by only millimeters. It requires very little force for a punch to cause the brain to strike the skull. No level of training or strength can prevent that from happening. And it does not require one to get a concussion to experience the disorientation and confusion which I described. Please read a study published in the _Journal of Athletic Training_ at the NIH titled "Acceleration-Deceleration Sport-Related Concussion: The Gravity of It All - 2001"

[@cincinnati6595]

Sword fight/gun fight scene: "So much disrespect. So much Western disrespect." REALLY? In the 80's, the entire theater broke out in laughter and applause. The Swordsman is not a "bad guy" because of anything to do with his race or heritage. He's a "bad guy" because he's working with the Nazis. And "bad guys" get vanquished.

[@treadstone1138]

And the whole "trying to KILL me" thing. LOL

[@Mikearice1]

Actually, it was originally intended to be a real fight, but Harrison was sick with dysentery so they were looking for a way to speed up shooting.

[@carlanderson7618]

He is a bad guy who brought a sword to a gunfight

[@highstimulation2497]

so do I. it's hilarious.

[@rockabye274]

There is a tendency among some in their 20's to assume that people (including filmmakers) from the past were not enlightened and therefore were prone to writing racist and/or insensitive material. Or that those 20th century scripts were simply following a simplistic political agenda. The attitude from the current 20-somethings is, "That's why everyone today is so much better than those unenlightened morons from the past."

[@erictaylor5462]

"Asps, very dangerous. You go first!" Is one of the best movie lines ever.

[@bookwormben]

Literally right after “Snakes…why’d it have to be snakes? 😄

[@rikk319]

Sallah, like Indy, is an archaeologist, and he's also brave...but not stupid :P

[@erictaylor5462]

@@rikk319 He just knows he doesn't want to go first, and no one has yet called dibs on 2nd.

[@benjalucian1515]

My favorite lines were "Where'd you get the dress? From him?" "I was trying to escape, no thanks to you." "Yeah? How hard were you trying?" LMAO. Trapped with deadly snakes, left to die, that's what Indy is really upset about.

[@van8ryan]

What's interesting is that Karen Allen at the time was just known as the "Girlfriend" in 80s Teen Comedies (at the time best known for ANIMAL HOUSE), and yet, she's so good playing off the action/adventure of this film, and throughout the series, Marion has always been the favorite of the fans (best decision Spielberg made for CRYSTAL SKULL decades later was to bring Karen Allen back; while she doesn't have as much to do as she did in RAIDERS, she's still the best part of that whole movie)

[@ShanelleRiccio]

LOVED HER! she was her own person the whole time, felt like she’s on par with Princess Leia in my book!

[@van8ryan]

@@ShanelleRiccio She's got that George Lucas' female type of NO MAN CONTROLS ME (but considering she's also more comedic is even better)

[@gerstelb]

Since you’ve already watched this movie and Scrooged on this channel, you should complete the Karen Allen trilogy and see Starman with Jeff Bridges.

[@MichFedorchak]

The scene where indy shoots the Sword guy, that was suppose to be a sweet, sword vs whip fight scene, but on the day of shooting, Harrison was sick, and so they worked around it by shooting what ended up being the classic scene of Indy just shooting him.

[@TinaLaGreca]

It was Harrison Ford’s idea too!!

[@lordwalker71]

Most of the cast and crew had dysentery

[@buzbom1]

Bad guy brought a sword to a gun fight. She says "that was unfair".......... omg 😒🤦‍♀️🤦‍♂️😣😔

[@grayscribe1342]

And wait for the reference in Temple of Doom.

[@mcgilj1]

I just say.. It was unfair?? Wasn't six on one unfair? He just evened the odds.

[@Hiraghm]

Marion flipped the mirror to see herself in the mirror on the other side, and the edge of it caught Indy in his already heavily abused jaw (remember all the fights?). Hence the scream of pain

[@Darkswordz]

You'll enjoy "The Last Crusade", the 3rd film in the franchise.

[@norwegianblue2017]

The only other one really worth watching IMO, although there are a lot of fans of the Temple of Doom.

[@Caseytify]

Dunno; she might find it too disrespectful, or something.

[@Darkswordz]

@@Caseytify I was thinking the same thing, but mostly about the 2nd movie. She'd be raging hard at that one.

[@jordannea]

The Last Crusade is my fav Indiana Jones film by far.

[@meropetied]

Temple of Doom foregrounds all its offensive stuff as silly postmodern pastiche. It's just a wild White Hero ride with loads of fun. Racist and sexist? Sure. But boy is it fun. Definitely a movie that would never (and should never) be made today, but boy is it fun. By Last Crusade, they leave the big racist stuff mostly behind, even including a gorgeously written, mythic quest with amazing acting and filmmaking.

[@shrodingerschat2258]

I can tell that Shanelle didn't like this movie. It was hard for her to hide it. I'm not sure what she was expecting. Sometimes you want a movie just to be fun. It doesn't have to have any special meaning or larger purpose. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

[@topherbec7578]

Yeah, she is reading too much into this movie.

[@topherbec7578]

Too much toxic masculinity for today's audience.

[@_MjG_]

Yes. She had a lot of bad reads on what the movie was trying to convey. I've probably seen around a dozen reactions to this movie & hers was the most disappointing.

[@1210620]

Politics in movies have really warped people's understanding of films. The "big guy" that Indy fights is not symbolism, it's upping the conflict.

[@Cheepchipsable]

Yes an escalation of difficulty for him. The thing with this film is the heroes and villains are obvious, so nothing to think about.

[@spud69g]

Exactly, a challenge above his strength level that requires combining his strength, agility and awareness with some extra wit and maybe luck to overcome.

[@joeconcepts5552]

I just love Marion, when all hope seems lost, yelling, “You bastards, I’ll get you for this!!”

[@crazyman8472]

And she did, after a fashion. 😎

[@jowbloe3673]

5:37 - "I love a prop boulder, you know, nice nice and circular." Well, I'm sure it was crafted by the creators of the booby trap to make sure it would roll. They didn't just grab any old boulder and say "done".

[@slchance8839]

yeaH....I dont know why she said that or didnt get it. clearly, the people guarding the golden monkey (ancestral AND the live people waiting outside the cave with spears) are clearly capable of making blowgun traps, sunlight booby traps, and counter weight triggers....carving a smooth round bolder seems EASY by comparison: they're just making a ball. personally, i've always been impressed by the simplicity, cleverness, and deadliness of the bolder trap: fast, unstoppable, able to kill many people at once, and...blocks off the entrance to the cave when it's finished it's job.

[@uosdwiSrdewoH]

I don't think she was referring to the trap. Probably just how aesthetically pleasing the prop is.

[@danddoty3981]

The round boulder is something almost common in South America. They made centuries ago by the Indians who lived there. No one has discovered their real purpose.

[@Hylanos]

@@danddoty3981 i don't think they were from India if they were native to South America

[@danddoty3981]

@@Hylanos Native Americans ..................................................................

[@williammatthews693]

That film analysis you read from... sometimes they can be right, but seeing as how I can't see Lucas or Spielberg being big Reagan aficionados I think the truth is a bit more simpler. Lucas and Spielberg were both fans of heroes from pulp magazines from the 1930s and 1940s and I think they just wanted to recreate that material but with a modern twist to it.

[@hgman3920]

I don't think GL and Spielberg were intentionally trying to make a Reagan-era masculine film. I think they were trying to make a fun film which just also happened to appeal to that audience. It happened to be the right film at the right moment in history.

[@williammatthews693]

@@hgman3920 You're right in the sense that they wanted to make a fun-old fashioned adventure movie. The connection to Reagan-esque masculinity and the testosterone-fueled action heroes of the 80s seems to be incidental.

[@rainbowgames1]

And regardless, Indiana Jones was a much LESS stereotypically masculine action hero than the action heroes of the pre Reagan era. The paper’s premise was nonsense and displays a profound ignorance of cinematic history and the actual cultural context of the 80s. Outside of just movies, the early 80s was the era that embraced the New Romantic influence, with some of the most popular music stars and celebrities playing a lot with feminine style (many male stars like Duran Duran wore makeup, earrings, etc, and bright pink and other bright colors became popular in male clothes, etc.) Just look at how men danced back then. It was hardly an era of hyper masculinity. It was the age of the pretty boy as heart throb/male ideal. Consider that in one of the most popular movies of the early 80s, The Karate Kid-a sensitive, gentle, nice guy- was the hero people rooted for. It was the villains in that film and similar films of the era that were portrayed as stereotypical alpha males, not the hero.

[@catsmom129]

@@rainbowgames1 Also, society has never been homogeneous. When we talk about trends, we’re talking what about a segment of society was into. For instance, some of us loved Boy George but some people mocked him. That’s the whole theme of “Money for Nothing,” where a guy is slinging slurs at musicians he doesn’t consider manly. So we can point to say, Stallone as representing 80s masculinity, but there are plenty of counter-examples.

[@Ailurophile1984]

The woke are always looking for a critique of “right wing toxic masculinity” even if it isn’t there

[@sangfroidian5451]

Raiders of the Lost ark was written in 1979 before Reagan even put his name forward for the campaign, so the idea that Indian Jones was an expression of Reaganism is putting the cart before the horse. It would be more Reaganism trying to find a character to represent their ideal.

[@BillTheScribe]

"Sometimes the curtains are just blue."

[@laertesindeed]

@sang Don't blame Reagan for the stupid author of that hack political article..... Reagan never mentioned the Jones films or ever tried to get anybody to identify him with it. You've got to just dismiss the article as stupid political attacks.

[@Sarah_Gravydog316]

but Reagan based his whole presidency on Indiana Jones, which is bizarre. not many people know that.

[@jimpemberton]

8:48 - The shadow-work makes it look like an old classic. Not everything is a call-back to old classic movies, but it has a pretty strong influence. There is a nice blend of classic look with new (for the time) cinematography. 21:05 - They aren't concerned with the legalities. It's like Harrison Ford said to Mark Hamill while they were filming Star Wars, "Hey kid, it ain't that kind of movie. If people are [insert some picky concern about the movie], then we're all in big trouble." 37:22 - The melting head was one of the non-classic practical effects that was innovative for its time. They built the head in layers that could melt slowly, and filmed it in a kind of time lapse so the effect would happen quickly. I really enjoy these movies, at least the original three. I just remember at the time it was the classic hero movie everyone missed. Spielberg and Lucasfilm delivered. By the way, that was why Star Wars was so popular at the time. It might have been set in outer space, but it was a hero movie with regular people being heroes.

[@ArgonTheAware]

Everyone know that "you don't bring a knife to a gunfight" and don't piss off Ford when he is sick on the day of shooting on location, so who is actually being disrespected there?

[@mattp6089]

Yeah if someone wants to kill you, you don't try to stop that from happening with your smallest weapons first, you go straight to the biggest gun you have.

[@treadstone1138]

Yeah, Ford actually had dysentery that day and was just so exhausted that they changed the scene. And after fighting all those guys, hand to hand, yeah, I'd have blown him away too. They are trying to kill me. "Respect" can shove it.

[@houseofaction]

the average adult can run 21 feet and stab you 7 to 10 times in 1.5 seconds it takes the average person trained gunman 1.5 seconds to simply draw and aim a gun

[@shootingreal5945]

Shanelle reaction to the falling asleep kiss..uh maybe she missed all the fighting Indy was doing while hanging on to trucks and fighting on top of them..Hello the mans freaking tired ( Indy is a normal man who unlike superheroes does get tired) I haven't run into anyone who didn't clearly recognize why he was tired and fell asleep..it was a funny and realistic scene at the same time.

[@Eidlones]

The fight scene with the boxer wasn't a statement about anything, it was just to show that Indy was outmatched in a fist fight. Also, villains that give the hero trouble are always visually different from the grunts. To indicate them as different, more of a threat. Not just the cannon fodder the hero's already defeated over and over.

[@Cheepchipsable]

Yes, like a video game, and they are level bosses.

[@djgizmoe]

Not going to lie, this reaction wasn't very fun to watch for me. It really seemed that you weren't into this one, and were just going through the motions, trying not to be too disrespectful while not really engaging with it. Which is too bad, because this is one of my faves, but opinions vary. One thing I kind of have to disagree with you on is your thoughts that Indy is a "modern cowboy". I don't think of Indy as being in the tradition of movie western heroes; he's more like the characters in cliff-hanging '30s serials like Flash Gordon.

[@michaeljacyna1973]

The thing is, today we may find it formulaic. Why is it a formula? Because many have repeated so many elements over and over again. This was one of the first breakthroughs. The reason why you could call out or predict many of these story and filmmaking elements was BECAUSE of this film.

[@richardausten5295]

And it has still not been bested for its genre. Albeit I liked The Last Crusade a lot as well.

[@ShanelleRiccio]

Into that, we love a trend setter. I was admittedly out of my depth with how much a trailblazer the Indiana character is- I loved finding out about the serials influence at the end. That’s this format. Smaller serial stories that link up to make the feature. And I LOVE formula by the way. I’m a big fan of movie structures and love love studying them

[@foljs5858]

It's not a random "circular boulder" (and thus an improbability), it's a boulder purposefully made circular (well, actually spherical) to serve as a trap by those that built the temple

[@billolsen4360]

And then it got moved to Universal Studios Park in Florida!

[@rendalconstantineau1680]

The scene with the gun versus the sword was actually improvised, Harrison Ford had some health issues(the runs), and it hit him when they were going to begin this whole fight scene they had planned out, but he needed the rr bad, but apparently Spielberg loved it so much he threw out the old plan and left it in. As for "disrespect"....when someone is coming at you to kill you, you use what ever means you have to stop them, it's not about "respecting someone's ways", it's about survival.

[@havok6280]

Not to mention the scene takes place in Egypt. Egypt had "western" culture long before it had "eastern" culture. Or the fact that gun powder was invented by the Chinese.

[@Mr.Ekshin]

@@havok6280 - Yeah, I really didn't understand her "Western disrespect" comment. Was she thinking Indy should have 'respected' an assassin merely because he was from the middle east, and thus fought him hand to hand? I mean... WTF?

[@plotmaker]

Shanelle is so on point with her film analysis and criticism which is why I enjoy her channel. But her "Western disrespect" was a wild swing and a miss! The intent of Indy's opponent in this scene was to slice him in half. I fail to see how shooting him is disrespect.

[@crankfastle8138]

@@Mr.Ekshin Over thinking and reaching for more than is necessary. Sometimes things just happen, not everything is a veiled attempt at symbolism

[@benjin3993]

In the words of Mal Renolds, "if someone tries to kill you, you kill them right back."

[@ScooterBond1970]

18:15 Her motivation is that she's trying to get her captor drunk (as established earlier, she can outdrink nearly anyone), to lull him into a false sense of complacency so she can escape. Marion may be a damsel in distress, but she's clever and proactive (not unlike Princess Leia, in fact), which is why people love her. Also, FACE MELTING POWER!!!!!

[@DaveF.]

Love that you looked doubtful at the mention of the Nazi's sending archaeologists off round the world to hunt for religious artefacts prior to world war 2, because that' is practically the only historically accurate thing in the whole movie.

[@jimmyboy131]

That and their depiction of the ark itself are both accurate.

[@dawnngray278]

FACTS

[@lordofchaosinc.261]

The nazi leadership was into the occult. They probably really had teams looking into the lost ark.

[@hgman3920]

only Himmler and the upper echelons of the SS were really into the occult. Hitler and most of the other members of the Nazi leadership thought he was a bit wacko. Also, it's pretty unrealistic having a major German dig in Egypt with a large military presence, since Egypt was a British protectorate under British military occupation at the time.

[@alanmacification]

@@hgman3920 Of course we'll just gloss over the fact that professional archeology is portrayed as treasure hunting.

[@The_Bermuda_Nonagon]

Saw it at the theater when it was released at age 15, came out of the theater thinking if I had paid the price of 5 tickets to see it I still would have felt that I had gotten my money's worth. : )

[@wanghotangho5803]

In 1981 things were pretty cool and people weren’t nearly as emotionally distressed seeing some Eastern guy shot during a (maybe) sword fight as a comedy bit

[@philmullineaux5405]

America, from 78 to say 88- I feel for those who missed it! Reagan was president, Harrison was Deckerd, Han and Indy, and Eastwood absolutely ruled Everything else! A few things started like, fax, zerox, email, cellphone, the internet, a little ol thing called MTV started, and movies and music peaked! We learned about a guy named Prince, Madonna hit, Jackson gave us Thriller, Mel Gibson was about to be the road warrior, nine inch nails was about to change electronic music, Metallica would change Rock, and a Lil ol band called Soundgarden was about to start The Seattle Sound/Grunge!

[@3DJapan]

2:08 Of course we know he's going to win but the question is "how will he win?". It's the journey that matters most.

[@havok6280]

You could say the same thing about most movies. When you watch When Harry Met Sally, you know they'll end up together. The how is what makes the movie compelling. Don't know why she singles out action sequences...

[@bahice]

The car chase trope goes back to the earliest days of cinema. That’s over 100 years now. This film was a loving tribute to every adventure movie from the 30s and 40s.

[@Texy88]

The film’s original title was just _Raiders of the Lost Ark,_ with no reference to Indiana Jones whatsoever (hence the way the opening title appeared). However, the title did later get lengthened to _Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark_ in order to keep the title syntax consistent with those of the other entries in the franchise.

[@mxplixic]

So they'd be placed next to each other on the video store shelf. 😀

[@evenflowsteven]

@@mxplixic great point! 😂

[@B-a-t-m-a-n]

@@mxplixic The same was done with the Star Wars movies. And....she just said that. LOL

[@kabarm]

Our local symphony did a live performance of this soundtrack. They played the movie on huge screens and the score was all played live in perfect sync. It was amazing

[@garymcgregor5951]

A tribute to the pulps, and the movies George and Steven grew up on! Also early Anthropologists/Archaeologists had to be adventurers, as well as scholars, as they were going to new "untamed" (to the west) places.

[@TheMarcHicks]

Saw this movie, in Cinema, as a 10 year old....and loved it instantly. I still love it to this very day 🙂.

[@calm713]

"A cynic knows the price of everything, but the value of nothing." -- Oscar Wilde.

[@crankfastle8138]

thank you. was trying to remember this.

[@LostLar]

Hello Shanelle, I was a teen when this came out. It was just plain fun. I had no political ideals at that time. I and most my friends loved the action, the non-stop drama. He was the imperfect hero. I don't think the popularity had anything to do with Reagan. It Was a breath of fresh air for everyone. A nice change of pace from most the other movies. I was this at these three times in the theater. Most of us bought the Soundtrack. (yes, it is a character in the movie, John Williams became a household name). 3 sequels of fun.

[@stevieb635]

Early 80s was the best time to be in middle school and high school orchestra. We played soundtracks from Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, Close Encounters, Superman, ET, and of course Raiders. Thanks, John Williams (and Mr. Fritz).

[@ClutchSituation]

The truck chase scene is one of the best action sequences ever filmed, IMO.

[@regould221]

Although you can see the air piston that was used to flip the truck just in front of the rear wheel after it flips.

[@goldenageofdinosaurs7192]

This was an intentional throwback to the serialized adventure films of the 30’s & 40’s. The line of travel on the map, the mysterious foreign sets etc. The action would appeal to kids & the nostalgia of the format would appeal to adults, who could remember going to such movies as children. This format was proven successful by Star Wars a few years earlier, so they went back to the well. I think there’s way too much being made of a fairly innocuous movie & trying to glom a lot of extraneous things onto what is, at heart, a simple action film. Also, remember that this was in development long before Reagan became President. It had its beginnings during the Carter era & Reagan had only been president for a year when this film was released. Far too early to even know what the ‘Reagan Years’ would even entail.

[@Aldebaron-fp3ef]

Even though Reagan years came after it may still reflect the zeitgeist of those times.

[@goldenageofdinosaurs7192]

@@Aldebaron-fp3ef I’m sure it does. But it should be taken into account that the movie was trying to recreate the zeitgeist of the late 30’s, which can be telling in itself. But, when it comes to this film, I’m more of the opinion that “sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.”

[@Ryotsu2112]

Exactly. The ‘line on the map’ travel sequence was long outdated even in the 80’s.

[@CaptainNice]

Maybe Reagan was also an intentional throwback. He was a charismatic adventure actor in the 40s & 50s. C-Tier, but that's pretty studly compare to other politicians, and Buster Crabbe wasn't running. Reagan wasn't responsible for the popularity of 80s action movies. The country was ready for both for the same reasons...

[@dr.burtgummerfan439]

I thpught ot was funny when Shan said they were going for a Three Stooges vibe with some of the gags. They were really going for the vibe of the movies that the Three Stooges were satirizing.

[@bigsteve6200]

What you are missing. Is it being Saturday Night, with your friends, in a darken theater. That holds a lot of the Indiana Jonse mystique.

[@MrRSCHECK]

One thing I tell a lot of my millennial friends, is in the early 80s, there wasn't a ton of kids movies... Disney was going through a downtime. So movies like Star Wars and Indiana Jones were our kids movies. ET was probably the first kid themed one but overall, seems like all our movies (Goonies) were fairly scary. There were also random ones like Dark Crystal, Explorers, Secret of Nimh etc but definitely no Pixar Level of movies coming out every year. I think when Karate Kid and Back to the Future came out that lightened things up a little :)

[@BDUBZ49]

You're right. Between 1967 (The Jungle Book) and 1989 (The Little Mermaid) Disney was largely churning out crap, and their live action films weren't much better. Many were worse. We did have the Muppet Movies, though! When "Raiders" was released some people were complaining about the PG rating because their kids were scared by some of the scenes. Well, it was PG because there were only 4 ratings- G, PG, R and X. I'm not sure what they found confusing about "Parental Guidance Suggested".

[@MrRSCHECK]

@@BDUBZ49 the early 80s was basically skeletons and muppets :)

[@E_y_a_l]

80s kids are Millennials, the definition of Millennials is people who were born between 1981 and 1996, you're probably thinking about Noughties.

[@MrRSCHECK]

@@E_y_a_l nope, I'm a Gen-Xer born in 73... My millennial friends that I talked with were born around 87 so they were 90s kids that grew up with those movies. I was 10 in 83. So early 80s was my movie group. Gen X ended around 82. Some of my older millennial friends and last Gen X grew up with the Lion King, Little Mermaid etc. But the core Millennials were still toddlers around 1990. So it just depends which millennial friend I'm chatting with. My friend that was born in 87 has no recollection of 80s movies. His first memories are around 1993

[@MrRSCHECK]

@@E_y_a_l Gen-Xers can still define themselves as 80 kids because many of us didn't become teenagers until the late 80s. If you want to split hairs, we were late 70s and early 80s kids, which what my original post discussed about our lives in the early 80s.

[@kschneyer]

The film is a deliberate throwback to the adventure movies of the 1930s and 40s. That's why they use anachronistic devices like the moving line on a map.

[@norwegianblue2017]

You are literally the only person I have seen that didn't laugh when Indy shot that sword master. So Indy should have shown him some respect? Bow to him first? Drop his gun and go hand to hand? I don't get it. The best part of the scene is that the actor, Harrison Ford, improvised that bit. Supposedly he was too tired to do the full scene as planned and probably thought it would get some laughs, as it did.

[@WallyHartshorn]

Yeah, her calling it disrespectful was weird. Indy wasn’t playing in a sport; he was fighting for his life and for Marion’s life.

[@laertesindeed]

@norwegian It was more than just being tired; the actor Harrison Ford was actually feeling physically sick that day (possibly caught something in the food or water in the foreign country where they were filming) and so he improvised the shooting rather than more fighting.

[@snnnaaaaaakeeeee4470]

Exactly. This woman seems miserable

[@Grimfire-fj6ug]

@@snnnaaaaaakeeeee4470 she's an obvious man hater

[@rockof.1793]

She is right. Keep in mind that this is not Indiana Jones' choice, but a filmmaker's choice to show a conflict like that.

[@UnclePengy]

"All of this shadow play..." You get that right from the start, when the Paramount logo beautifully fades into the silhouette of an identically-shaped mountain in the jungle. The sword scene. "So much disrespect." That scene got the BIGGEST laughs in theaters! The whole scene we're seeing him run from these guys wielding swords, and then when get gets to the guy with the biggest one, he's just "I don't have time for this BS." (In real life, this was supposed to be a big sword vs. whip battle, three and a half pages long, but most of the crew, including Ford, was sick with dysentery and nobody was feeling up to it, so Ford suggested "Indy's got a gun, right? Why don't I just shoot the guy?" and Spielberg agreed to shoot it that way.) "Why does Indy have to be fighting this 'wrestling star'?" Same reason he was fighting that big swordfighter. He's always finding himself in way over his head, and having to get out of it with his wits. "I'm making this up as I go" is his credo.

[@chrisedwards7095]

Ke Huy Quan (Data in Goonies) is in Temple of Doom and Sean Connery plays Indy's dad in "Last Crusade". Indy and Marion fall in the quicksand in "Crystal Skull".

[@capstan50g]

I thought I'd mention that it's not a boulder, it's a sculpted stone. :)

[@corringhamdepot4434]

Watching this film again reminded me of how most of the actors were British. The "German Mechanic" character who fought Indy shirtless by the aeroplane was Pat Roach. Who was a famous British wrestler who appeared as a "henchman" in the first 3 Indy films. When I was a kid I remember watching Pat Roach wrestling on TV. Which was shown on UK TV every Saturday afternoon. Later on he appeared in several TV series, including "Auf Wiedersehen, Pet" (1983 - 2004). Where he played Bomber, one of a gang of expat British builders working in Germany.

[@bfdidc6604]

He also played General Kael in Willow (worth a watch).

[@corringhamdepot4434]

@@bfdidc6604 Pat's filmography is quite impressive if you check him out on Wikipedia.

[@bekindandrewind1422]

10:32 -- Jones was Ravenswood's grad student, so that would have made him around 25 and Marion about 15...

[@cjpreach]

RE: the fight in the truck during transport - this happened in old Westerns (on the stage coach or on a horse).

[@jjjones8609]

Also Indiana Jones was based on the weekly series action movies that would appear with a new episode of their hero at your local movie theater weekly.

[@davidbourhenne8540]

There's a great issue of a Star Wars series where it was "What if.." type stories. In this one, Indiana Jones was in the Pacific Northwest searching for Bigfoot. He comes across a spaceship, it was the Millennium Falcon where he finds the body of Han Solo and it's revealed that Bigfoot is actually Chewbacca. What a way to crossover the two Harrison Ford characters.

[@ks5553]

The boulder in the beginning would have been crafted into a sphere by the people who made the traps. South America is full of ancient stone work (some are so big they literally have no clue how they were moved into place) including some giant round balls the same size as the one in the movie. No one knows for sure what culture made them, but they are probably at least 4000 years old. Reference "Olmec statues".

[@leefriedman9882]

I saw this when it first came out. I remember it being the first movie where I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat the whole movie. I had seen nothing like it before. You really can’t imagine how ground-breaking it was.

[@wobaguk]

The wrestler looking guy was indeed a champion wrestler and from my home city! He worked as both a stuntman and an actor, and so was particularly useful for scenes like this where you didnt need to swap out a stuntman for an actor back and forth

[@dnish6673]

He was in every Indiana Jones movie, correct?

[@wobaguk]

@@dnish6673 If i recall, he was filmed for the first 3, but his scenes in Crusade didnt make the cut, and he passed before Crystal Skull.

[@dnish6673]

@@wobaguk I wasn’t counting Crustal Skull since that movie doesn’t exist :0

[@spockjenkins365]

this is the GOAT! its timeless, no critique just enjoy and feel contented that the hole you had inside of you you never new about has now been filled.....

[@Hayseo]

Disrespect? No. It’s a life lesson. Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight.

[@Tirnel_S]

Not mention Harrison Ford was terribly sick that day. They had had a huge fight planned, but they simplified it for his health.

[@pmaximus5659]

I’m really enjoying your channel, I enjoy your reactions

[@BDUBZ49]

The "adventurer" was the "cowboy" before the "cowboy" because in the 20s/30s we were still emerging from the "old west". The cowboy had not yet become the archetypical hero. And no, it's not coincidence that Harrison Ford starred in 2 iconic roles because he's the one that MADE them iconic. Raiders started a whole trend..not just Goonies copying the booby traps. There were tv shows- Young Indiana Jones Chronicles..and knockoffs- Tales of the Gold Monkey, Bring 'Em Back, Alive. And knockoff films- King Solomon's Mines, Alan Quartermaine and the Lost City of Gold, and Romancing The Stone/Jewel of the Nile.

[@grayscribe1342]

I was rather surprised when I learned this and I don't mind if so few others do, but the legendary Wyett Earp died in 1929. So yes, some people from the old west saw the world change a lot.

[@hgman3920]

Romancing the Stone got a bad rap because it came out so soon after Raiders. I It's a great movie in it's own right with an A-list cast, but people back in the day called it just another Indiana Jones knock-off and it sort of faded into obscurity

[@BDUBZ49]

@@grayscribe1342 True.... post industrial revolution was bananas... diesel engine locomotive, the horse and buggy replaced by automobile, the airplane, skyscrapers.....

[@BDUBZ49]

@@hgman3920 Yeah, those were fun movies. Even more than the movies, though, I liked the music video for Billy Ocean's "When The Going Gets Tough" with the 3 stars singing backup. I also forgot America's fascination with Australia in the 80s....Crocodile Dundee. And I should also mention that even though Indy was heavily inspired by the Allan Quatermain novels from the late 1800s, no one was pitching movies about them until AFTER the success of Indy!

[@stephen8639]

You also very importantly have to remember this was before DVD or watching on a small computer screen, you made a big night out going to the cinema probably with your friends buying your ticket and candies. Sit in your seat with that big screen and the sound system vibrating your ears watching the first Starwars movie opening sequence with the Imperial cruiser slowly filling the screen and the music is so much more of an experiance. Along with the fact it's a new release everyone is talking about and the time and effort and expense you took was also a good part of it. Yes I did it I'm that old now and have also watched and enjoyed these films since but that first occasion was special.

[@chrisleebowers]

"First of his kind?" Indiana Jones is a knock off of Alan Quartermaine, the hero of "King Solomon's Mines" written by H. Rider Haggard in 1885. Geroge Lucas grew up on movie versions of the character from 1937 and 1950. The success of Raiders lead to a new adaptation of Alan Quartermaine starring Richard Chamberlain in 1985 and a sequel in 86. Sean Connery, who portrays Indy's father in the third movie, also portrays Indy's spiritual "father" in "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" in which Quartermaine teams up with other literary characters of his time like Captain Nemo and Dr Jekyll The look of Indy's costume is a direct lift of Charlton Heston's character Harry Steele from "Secret of The Incas"

[@CoastalNomad]

Great Reaction Video...... In reference to the truck fight scene, Especially the going underneath and climbing back on, I always took it as a nod to the classic Stagecoach scenes in Westerns......

[@jamesfalato4305]

When George Lucas and Steven Spielberg were vacationing/going over how they were going to film 'Raiders", the first thing one of them said was, "We'll have John Williams do the music," and the other said, "Right, now we can go to lunch!" because they both understood that having John Williams handle the music would give extra credence to their success...

[@ShanelleRiccio]

Love the lore!! 😂😂 John Williams is the greatest of all time, he’s done my absolute favorite scores ever!!

[@rmar67]

@@ShanelleRiccio He's done *everyone's* favorite scores ever.

[@Deined]

Hey, Shanelle. It's always great to see a filmmaker's perspective on a classic movie. Glad you finally got to have your first taste of the Indiana Jones experience. I hope you can make the time to watch the Jones films soon. 😀 A couple of things, though: - Indiana Jones was always based on huge part on heroes from pulp stories from about the turn of the 20th century like Doc Savage, just like a lot of superheroes like Batman and Superman were inspired by them decades earlier. - The mechanic was played by a "Bavarian boxer"? Heh, he was player by actor and pro wrestler Pat Roach, who also played the Nazi henchman who pinned Indy to the bar earlier in the film. In fact, Roach himself was something of a staple of the Indiana Jones franchise.

[@cf9844]

"This Spielberg movie reminds me of a Spielberg movie." Lol

[@uosdwiSrdewoH]

It is nice to see it anew. It's why I appreciate you so much as a fellow film fanatic. There's some extra alliteration thrown in.

[@peterwright6721]

Indy against the swordsman is one of the best scenes in movie history, your reaction to it begs belief.

[@liljenborg2517]

And the scene was ad-libbed! It was a huge choreographed fight scene. Harrison was sick and after a couple of takes, in frustration he just drew the prop gun and Speilberg was, like, "Yes! Let's do that!"

[@E_y_a_l]

@@liljenborg2517 That's a myth that it was ad-libbed, I mean they did planned to do a choreographed fight and then changed it because he was sick and they were also behind schedule, but Harrison didn't just out of the blue drew the gun, they decided that he will shoot him during one of the breaks.

[@shaun374]

How can you be a movie person wanting to get into the industry without having watched what is arguably the most perfect screenplay in Hollywood history?

[@Progger11]

Casablanca and Citizen Kane would like to have a word with you.

[@vwlssnvwls3262]

I saw this in the theater opening week with my parents, brother, and grandmother. I remember waiting in a line that went around the side of the building to get in, and my father was complaining that the ticket prices went up 50 cents per ticket. I was in awe from beginning to end of this movie, and my grandmother kept trying to cover my eyes (I was 12) when the guys head was melting at the end. :D

[@tdrewman]

I was living in Panama at the time it came out. My father was in the Air Force . We did not get the movies right away, sometimes it was 5 to 13 months before we would get a blockbuster movie. There was so much hype about this movie that every showing was sold out. It took about 3 months to get the movie down to the base theater.

[@SPEEDPAINTER1]

I remember when we waited in line for several hours to see a movie. Now kid order tix online, and walk right in to assigned seating. Oddly enough, I miss waiting in line. We use to applaud the audiences coming out who had just seen it --as if they were astronauts returning to the earth!! haha

[@jeffreyphipps1507]

When the sword guy came out Harrison Ford was so sick that day that instead of doing the scripted fight, he pulled the prop gun he was wearing and "shot" the guy. The director left it in for the humor.

[@kenchristie9214]

Raiders Of The Lost Ark is Spielberg's homage to the cliffhanger serials that were popular from the 30's through to the 50's. There are a number of them on KZbin. There were usually 12 to 15 episodes in each serial with each episode ending with the hero finding himself in a life threatening situation.

[@larryclark5422]

Along with Lucas. Star Wars is so much like Republic serial, right down to the wipes between scenes

[@Barb5001]

this was intended to mimic the old time action adventure movies using modern special effects. It is a complete fantasy of course but the script and the actors, etc keep you entertained .

[@Progger11]

This movie is intentionally formulaic and hokey, just like the original Star Wars was. Both films are very self-aware homages to the '30s serials where he-men were stand-ins for the young boys paying to watch. The author of the article you read is either unaware of the masculine hero archetype in film preceding Reaganite ideology by decades, or is intentionally omitting things to make their thesis appear stronger than it actually is.

[@NefariousKoel]

Yeah, that "Reaganism" theory is shoehorned revision. Whomever wrote it was working backward to justify their final postulation.

[@kylelewis4685]

Nice! One of the best adventure movies ever made. Haven't watched yet and hope you love it as much as we all do. Cheers and happy new year.

[@MustardSeedish]

I saw this movie 13 times in the theater when it came out. I was Jr. High. I had a massive crush on Harrison Ford. This was the first of its kind and yet it had a lot of vintage elements in it.

[@hgman3920]

I saw it 18 time in the theater myself. I'd scrape together whatever spare change I could to go every Saturday. Thankfully good movies stuck around in the theaters a lot longer back then

[@darrinfi3716]

I remember going to this movie in the theatre as it was one of the first mother/son nights and my mom (RIP) really wanted to go see this. It has had a lasting impact on me, and Indy remains an all-time favourite of mine. Thanks for the great material, Shanelle! I always look forward to your posts.

[@poolhall9632]

“She’s not like other girls” - 💀 You’re so right 🤣

[@Otokichi786]

It is/was a cinematic disgrace that "two-fisted Marion Ravenwood" didn't show up again for years. (We got the-future-Mrs.-Stephen-Spielberg, instead.) Oh well, it was nice to see Karen Allen again.;)

[@SmileTimeGifts]

your Stand-Up 2016 popped up in my suggested vids, you were really good, perfect execution

[@erictaylor5462]

21:30 Morally speaking, you can take anything the Nazis have if you can manage it. You may have to return it to its rightful owner if the Nazis stole it to begin with, but if the Nazis themselves were the "rightful" owners you can keep it. Nazi laws don't really matter much because any law that is immoral, you are morally obliged to break anyway.

[@bigtechisbigbrother8690]

That's your brainwashing talking. America fought on the wrong side in WW2. And as the country continues to fall apart precisely because of the reasons those mean ol' naught-zees foresaw, the truth will become increasingly impossible to deny. Even heavily indoctrinated sheep like yourself will have to wake up. It won't be long. The lies are almost over.

[@eypandabear7483]

The whole setup is a bad contrivance to begin with. There is no way this "militarised dig" would have been permitted in *British-occupied* Egypt in 1936.

[@erictaylor5462]

@@eypandabear7483 Well, this *IS* fiction. you have to make certain allowances.

[@Cheepchipsable]

@@erictaylor5462 The WTF are you going on about morals for.

[@TravMaxAdventures]

28:20 “LOOK OUT SHAN!!!! There’s a guy behind you!” Yeah, childhood favorite. There are a ton of references from these movies that you’ll be able to pick up on now. This one is the best of the three IMO. Also, good pickup on the use of shadows btw. Once you notice it, you can’t under it. Another snake piece of trivia (which you may have read of screen) is on the original edit, when he drops into the “Well…” you can briefly see a reflection of the cobra on a piece of glass between the cobra and Ford.

[@demopem]

I think relating this to the 80's politics is over-analyzing it. It's more a throwback to the matinée adventures of the 30s and 40s, and a reaction to 70s culture. (As one who grew up at the time, I can relate. We were sick of it.) It's a popcorn flick, for fun and entertainment.

[@MLawrence2008]

The under the moving truck stunt was a throwback to one performed in an old western, cant remember which one though! :/ I also could not believe you didn't laugh at the swordfight shooting scene. When I saw this in the cinema the whole place erupted in laughter, I guess times have moved on. Great reviews Shanell, please keep them coming for even if I disagree with some of your commentary I still enjoy it. :)

[@rincemind8369]

Blows my mind that you haven't seen RotLA before! Honestly, it was about time. Such an iconic movie. Did you actually notice there are young "Doc Ock" Alfred Molina and "Gimli" John Rhys-Davies in the cast?! They were all cool guys even back then in the 80s! Since you mentioned video games: I would like to highlight the point-and-click adventure "Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis". Its story is based on a early, but then rejected script of the third Indiana Jones movie. For that reason it has a very cinematic style, which you might find interesting. Still being one of my favourite digital adventure games ever made. A must-play for any true Indiana Jones fan, imo. Or you might just simply check one of the existing let's play videos here on youtube.

[@matthewdunham1689]

Well said

[@codybarnes1531]

Alfred Molina is a great actor/great villian I was wondering If someone was going to mention him. Not Without my Daughter 1991 staring Sally Field and Alfred seems more like a movie Shanelle would watch.

[@joek468]

I posted the doc on thing too Didn't see that you did first. Lol

[@kateorgera5907]

Also young "Kingsley Shacklebolt" as Captain Katanga!

[@Madbandit77]

@@codybarnes1531 Spielberg told Molina that he would have a great career.

[@davidroberts7622]

Harrison Ford was the second pick for this role, the original pick was Tom Selleck but he couldn’t get out of his contract from Magnum P I

[@lunog]

In the 70´s (and 60´s), top movies were all essentially about anti-heroes. Raiders of the Lost Arc (and Star Wars) brought back the classic "cowboy" hero of the golden days of Hollywood. It was a big breath of fresh air at the time and marked the return of Hollywood to the "old" movies style with classic "perfect" heroes.

[@sallyatticum]

I think it is fair to say that Indiana Jones is a flawed hero....

[@Cheepchipsable]

Do you know what anti-hero means?

[@lunog]

@@Cheepchipsable en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antihero

[@yourthaiguy]

Die hard fans might recognize ROBERT NEVIN who played the medical examiner in JAWS lurking in the background at the very end scene discussing the location of the arc. WATCH FOR HIM!

[@davidmckie7128]

The guys behind the film (Lucas and Spielberg) were paying homage to the Saturday Matinee Movie shorts that would end on a cliffhanger and you would have to come back the following week to see how they escaped. And the stunt going under the lorry was an homage to the stunt men back in the Western Film days when they would do it between the horses pulling a stagecoach and then go under the stagecoach.

[@ClayLoomis1958]

The very first time that little stunt where Indie slowly lets himself slide under the car was performed by Yakima Canutt, in the 1939 movie, Stagecoach, the movie which made John Wayne a star.

[@ktotheramer]

Being born in 1980, every boy who grew up in the 80s want to be an archaeologist growing up! Last Crusade is by far the best in the series!!

[@chuckhackett4493]

Fun fact: Legends of The Hidden Temple was rebooted last year, it's hosted by Cristela Alonzo and Dee Bradly Baker returned as Olmec. Now instead of kids, the contestants are adults.

[@jainelson8840]

Whoa really? That’s awesome!

[@3DJapan]

Are they cheating the adults too?

[@chuckhackett4493]

@@3DJapan I don't think they are?

[@kingjellybean9795]

@@3DJapan sounds like you're one of the kids who ended up with a pair of sketchers instead of the huffy bike and the trip to cancun

[@n0tk0sher]

You are in the business. I understand how you are compelled to analyze. I Can't do that with a fun movie I saw in the theater with my dad in '81.

[@donsimpsonshead8809]

That scholarly article get's Raider's of the Lost Ark wrong. Firstly, Raider's is a direct descendent from the serial movies from the 1930's and 1940's, which were low budget weeklies that had cliffhangers to bring viewers back each week. They covered a wide range of genre's, from science fiction (like Buck Rogers), to westerns, and adventure. All were pulpy. My Dad grew up watching them, so Star Wars and Raider's are both very nostalgic for him. The Bond references don't quite hit either. The only thing they share is the over masculinity. Indy was more "progressive" with the female characters, as up until this point, the female characters in the Bond movies hadn't gone toe-to-toe with Bond. That only came up (belatedly) with the Daniel Craig Bond movies. Marian could be a direct descendent to Ripley from Alien. Secondly, George Lucas and Spielberg are not conservative. These are just fun adventures to them. The only times Lucas got political was in the Apocalypse Now script, THX 1138 and the politics in the Star Wars Prequels. The Reagan era movies that commented directly on the 1980's, were all the Rambo's, Die Hard's, and Top Gun movies. Lucas did have issues with the Western superiority, though Ford was supposed to have a sword fight, it was cut so he could leave early because he had dysentery. There is a little bit of that superiority in the first movie. It's the second Indy movie that get's very problematic.

[@omarscarborough4274]

Female characters in Goldfinger, Thunderball, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, The Spy Who Loved Me, And Moonraker would like a word with you.

[@josephgeorge8232]

A couple of years ago, I went and saw this in concert. They played the movie and the music was performed live in front of you by an orchestra. It was awesome

[@jamieertley5362]

The super round boulder is a trap, and not expected to be a realistic shape :)

[@namelessjedi2242]

Plus ancient circular boulders exist in South America. People really have carved such things in real life.

[@3dartstudio007]

This was da BOMB when I was 12. Just saying. Glad to watch an old favorite with new friends! Great review!!!

[@Phi1618033]

Something no one ever talks about is that this film literally ends with a _deus ex machina._ The hero Indiana Jones does nothing at the end except close his eyes while God does all the work.

[@ShanelleRiccio]

Yeah ties up rather neatly! I like a little more finesse to my plots, but the serials element totally made sense once I read that fact I feel like this movie clicked into place for me. It was about those mini adventures which make up the whole

[@chrisleebowers]

Because it's a literal one that was set up earlier in the movie and not a figurative one, it's "fair" and not a storytelling cheat. Literal gods are known to actually appear and take active part in the story in fantasy genre all the time. Old Testament fire and brimstone Yaweh making an appearance is hinted at throughout and he actually does show up before that last scene, burning the swastikas on the crate while the ark is in the cargo bay of the ship. (Spoilers for sequels:) What's interesting is that it's not always Abrahamic "Deus" that helps him - when recovering Hindu artifacts, Shiva comes in clutch for him. Indy lives in a pan-theistic universe where Old Testament God and Jesus, and Shiva, Kali and presumably the rest of the Hindu pantheon, all exist side by side, or are different faces of the same god.

[@SpaceCattttt]

So? We wouldn't have seen any of it if Indy hadn't gone on his adventure. And he did steal the ark from the Nazis. Mission accomplished.

[@Dave3Dguy]

Indy goes from disbelieving to believing. It is his eventual belief that the Ark is actually supernatural that enables him and Marion to survive by closing their eyes. In the beginning he dismissed it as "ghost stories" and laughed it off. Now he believes. That is character growth and it is active not passive.

[@chrisleebowers]

@@Dave3Dguy Which is weird because (SPOLIERS) in Temple of Doom he clearly witnesses divine magic from two different Hindu deities, and actually wields it by praying out loud. Did he convert to Hindu? Is that why he's skeptical of Biblical myths?

[@O_Towne_Bear]

Marion: "What is it?" Indy: "It's a gun, but we don't have time for that now."

[@CCDzine]

If people can carve massive rocks into giant pyramid blocks they can surely round off a rock for a trap.

[@EricPalmerBlog]

Saw this in the theater. The big take away are little or no dead spots. Hoping you and yours have a great New Year.

[@YourXavier]

8:10 This scene is so great. It's exposition, character building, and plot advancement, rolled into one. It's dialogue, camera work, and music. Also, we get clear stakes: The Nazis want the ark and the ark makes armies invincible. Any friggin' questions? And it's basically just a scene of people talking. It could have been so boring, but instead it's awesome.

[@johannesvalterdivizzini1523]

Shan, we all love your reactions and thoughts. That's why I'm here--you bring humor and intelligence and it's a pleasure to see what you get out of films I know well (I saw "Raiders" when It came out - I was in my first year of law school so it was really great escapism. Plus I something of a crush on Karen Allen)