Raiders of the Lost Ark - Full Length Reaction
Added 2025-04-13 23:04:28 +0000 UTCtoday we're starting the Indiana Jones series with its first installment - Raiders of the Lost Ark! hope you enjoy!!
Comments
I'm SO excited to be watching these! Raiders is definitely in my top 5 films of all time, and I'm sure I'm not alone in that. I know at least a few people who have this ranked as their #1. All of the awards and nominations this film received were certainly well deserved! It's hard for me to put my finger on exactly what makes this series work so well, but for me it just scratches a certain itch that no other film or franchise has managed to replicate. (Although I will give an honorable mention to "The Goonies".) I'm not one that usually has any difficulty suspending my disbelief for the sake of a plot, but I do always find it a little bit odd when Indy is trying to convince Marion to give up the headpiece/medallion and offers her $3,000 in cash after just having claimed it was "worthless". I understand that we're meant to catch this discrepancy, but sometimes I wonder if the filmmakers considered the effects of inflation at all. $3,000 in 1936 dollars would have been worth nearly $20,000 in 1981 when this film was released. You'd think Marion would have had a bit more of a reaction to that wad of cash that Indy brought! Or maybe her poker face is just really that good! Out of curiosity I just checked to see how much that $3,000 would be worth today in 2025... nearly $70,000! I would have given up that medallion immediately! I have never seen anyone else ever get so invested in the "eyepatch guy"! Haha! Having seen this movie many, many times before obviously I knew he wasn't going to make another appearance but I loved that you were keeping an eye out for him throughout the rest of the movie. Watching along with someone who is coming into the film with fresh eyes really is such a refreshing experience just from little things like that. As I'm sure others have already mentioned, you can pretty much consider the Indiana Jones series to just be the original three films. While I don't believe the two more recent entries are completely unwatchable, they definitely fall short in comparison. You might consider watching them someday in the future, especially if you're curious to see what an older Harrison Ford still brings to the role of Indiana Jones, but for now I'd say they're not necessary viewing. Another Spielberg film that IS necessary viewing is "Jurassic Park"! I know it didn't place well in the last series poll, but I think the original film was held back by the lackluster sequels in that context. The original 1993 film is definitely at must watch as a standalone entry at some point. Expect some more amazing music by John Williams in that one as well! Looking forward to "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom"!!!
JKP1138
2025-04-15 05:14:37 +0000 UTCGeorge Lucas was fascinated by the "serials" of the 1930s and 40s -- short films which could be among the several shorts shown before the main feature. They were episodes in a longer story, typically with a cliff-hanger ending, and you had to buy a movie ticket each week (I guess?) to see all the episodes. The sci-fi adventure serial "Flash Gordon" was shown on television in the 1950s, when Spielberg and Lucas were kids. "Star Wars" was directly influenced by "Flash Gordon". The Indiana Jones movies take place mostly during the 1930s, maintaining some of the serials' atmosphere and style.
xunegrapse
2025-04-15 03:59:46 +0000 UTCYou can think of the Indiana Jones movies as individual self-contained stories, but with continuing characters. They're like episodes in a TV series, where one week's story has nothing to do with the next, but the same regular cast comes back. Therefore, we won't deal with the Ark anymore. We have to imagine it' s still sitting forgotten in that goverment warehouse, and will likely continue to be for all time. Nor will we run into the Arab with the eye patch, nor the monkey. They strutted and fretted their brief hour upon the stage during the Cairo sequences, and so will be heard no more.
Alan Jones
2025-04-14 15:41:48 +0000 UTCWhen that little Nazi-saluting monkey died, the eyepatch guy was no longer needed since he was simply the monkey handler... who was so inept he killed his monkey. lol Itโs worth calling out โThe Movie Brats.โ During their early chapters, five directors actively collaborated, supported, and helped one another grow their careers. That list is Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, and Brian de Palma. Even when uncredited, you can pretty much count on different combos from that group helping each other structure some of the greatest films of all time like The Godfather (1972), American Graffiti (1973), Jaws (1975), Taxi Driver (1976), Star Wars (1977), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Apocalypse Now (1979), Raging Bull (1980), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982), Scarface (1983), โฆand many more.
Crimson Ace
2025-04-14 15:11:20 +0000 UTCSome people have said that the last 2 Indiana Jones movies are reboots. They are not reboots. The franchise is planned to be rebooted for a new generation of viewers in 2031 on the 50th anniversary of Raiders. Many people don't seem to understand what a reboot is. ๐ Just for the record, I am not a fan of the last two movies, but this is a reaction channel, and your reaction to those movies would still be interesting to see. Also, those reactors who ignore haters and "find out for themselves" tend to earn more respect.
Lee Pitman
2025-04-14 11:38:46 +0000 UTCyea she let me know that there's many more snakes than spiders ๐คฃ
camilla
2025-04-14 09:54:50 +0000 UTCoh I can't wait to talk about season 3 of white lotus!
camilla
2025-04-14 09:54:24 +0000 UTCexcited to see the prequel!
camilla
2025-04-14 09:53:50 +0000 UTCok good to know about the reboots!
camilla
2025-04-14 09:53:35 +0000 UTCcopy that ๐คฃ
camilla
2025-04-14 09:52:38 +0000 UTCoh my gosh I didn't realize that!
camilla
2025-04-14 09:52:20 +0000 UTCwow Ford really went through the ringer!!
camilla
2025-04-14 09:51:00 +0000 UTCAwesome. Thanks, Camilla. The famous scene in which Indy shoots a marauding and flamboyant swordsman was not in the original script. Harrison Ford was supposed to use his whip to get the sword out of his attacker's hands, but the food poisoning he and the rest of the crew had gotten made him too sick to perform the stunt. After several unsuccessful tries, Ford suggested "shooting the sucker." Steven Spielberg immediately took him up on the idea, and the scene was successfully filmed. The out-of-control airplane actually ran over Harrison Ford's knee, tearing a ligament in his left leg. Lucky for him, the heat had turned the rubber tire soft, so it did not crush the bone. Rather than submit to Tunisian health care, Ford had his knee wrapped in ice and carried on. The next movie, The Temple of Doom, is a prequel. Raiders takes place in 1936, and Temple takes place in 1935.
Lee Pitman
2025-04-14 06:21:49 +0000 UTCThe 80s original trilogy was what people loved. Sallah Indys Egyptian pal is played by John Rhys Davies. The same actor Who portrayed Gimli in the Lord of Rings films.
James
2025-04-14 01:46:10 +0000 UTCYou asked, so I'll weigh in: I love everything about this trilogy. Raiders is probably cemented into my top three favorite films ever. Sharing that, I can easily say the two reboot films are very much a disappointment. I would even say the latest one angered me to the point that I should have walked out. Harrison Ford has said he has continued these movies, bc he didn't want anyone else to ever portray Indiana Jones. I agree, and stuck it out...out of respect. "He's my superhero." This is coming from an actor who has Han Solo and Jack Ryan on his resume.
Shawn Goforth
2025-04-14 01:37:15 +0000 UTCAn Important thing to know, Temple of Doom occurs before Raiders.
Crimson Possum
2025-04-14 00:24:19 +0000 UTCoh no no no, there are only 3 indiana jones movies lol
JB
2025-04-14 00:23:27 +0000 UTCHappy Sunday, Camilla. I'm so glad that you just started the Indiana Jones film series with Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). The beginning of the movie is the only time we have spiders. That scene in the Well of Souls, where hundreds of snakes slither about, really made Addie squirm, due to her snake phobia.
Alex Tan
2025-04-13 23:11:29 +0000 UTCClassic adventure film, I Just finished Lotus season 3, I was bit behind. Another strong season I know the finale divided some. Please tell us what you thought Camilla when you can. Peace.
James
2025-04-13 23:09:41 +0000 UTC
