The best of the three Indy movies. You can sort of trace the rise of the republican right attitude in the 80s with this series. The first woman is his equal and was not chosen just for her looks. The second movie featured a quirky but fun bimbo character. The third movie just dropped the whole quirky part and had a blond model airhead type as the female lead.

I loved The Incredibles because of its importance to animation in America, and because it did have a lesson to teach. Namely, that being an individual is a good thing, and that if you have some abilities that make you stand out, that is something to embrace. It doesn't mean that, because you're special in some way, no one else is. It means that others are special in other ways. Imagine if the villain in the film had used his intelligence and innovative mind in a good way and developed technology that would have helped people. He would have been as great a hero as Mr. Incredible, just in a different way.

Anyways, all great films have something important to say. If not, then they are not great. That doesn't mean that all films that have something to say are great, though. It also depends of how they say what they mean to say. I mean, Shrek 2 also tried to teach us that being different is ok. Except, it did so by hitting us over the head with one cliche after another, undermining its own message and utlimately ending up as a failure.


Etc.

Okay, this statement makes you one sad moviegoer. Seriously, I can't believe what you're writing there.

Is Dazed and Confused a bad movie because it doesn't teach us a lesson? Or how about Memento? In the case of Dazed and Confused, you could make a case it's about defying authority, but it's a stretch. And besides, Raiders did have a message, albeit not one about what you should be in life (honestly, I REALLLY don't need every movie to tell me how to act to be a better person), but that some things should be left buried. It's simple, but a message nonetheless. Anyways, I'd cite the movie for it's fantastic references to an endless amount of serials and old adventure yarns. The production design is spot on, the action scenes are electrifying but easy to follow and very entertaining, and the film is full of clever moments both on the surface level (no matter how many times I see it, a guy laughing as he flips around a huge sword just to be shot in a flash by Indy always cracks me up) and for the subtle references. And Harrison Ford is absolutely magnificent and immensely likable as a hero who is very much not perfect, something that's all too rare. Some films are extremely deep and things you could write a thesis on, and some are incredibly well crafted and clever films that manage to amaze and entertain audiences for decades. Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the latter, and to say simply because it doesn't try to bog itself down with subtle metaphors about society it's a bad film strikes me as incredibly pretensious man. But it's all your opinion I suppose, I just wish you could see the light and realize how great the movie is.

Every great film has to have a message. What's so sad about that statement?

No work of art is judged great without it having some kind of meaning, even when it's not apparent. At the least, it presents us with something that was not there before.

Whatever, box.

I'll admit I didn't like Indy when I first saw it either (I like it much more now). But because it doesn't have a message...

Ok, box. That's sad, though, your perception of movies that is.

Star Wars owes a huge debt to serials as well, and is fun and has acton scenes that are electrifying but easy to follow and very entertaning also. And it also has clever moments, and Harrison Ford is also great in it as Han Solo, and so on. And besides all that, Star Wars has enough time for some pretty good messages about doing the right thing and finding yourself and all those things. Does it hit you over the had with it? No, of course not. That's why it's such a great film. You can have fun, and it's a valuable experience. It doesn't necessarily teach you anything new (hardly anything does), but what it does teach, it teahces well.


Btw, I haven't seen Dazed and Confused, so I don't know about that one. Memento has great value because of its portrayal of memory. It has been cited in quite a few of my classes, including psychology like that. As well, Memento showed us something we didn't quite see before. It has value in that regard as well.

But just because they're both entertaining and Harrison Ford doesn't mean they're the same film. I won't go into Star Wars, because I love it, but once you start talking about one of the big fanboy franchises, shit goes south quick. But honestly, do you REALLY, REALLY believe that a movie can only be good if it has a message? Raiders showed audiences things they had never seen before either, or at least not to the same extent. I'd much rather see a clever well made movie then a boring pretensious one that wants to teach us something. How about The Usual Suspects, or Pulp Fiction? What was the message in either of those?

I don't want to go too much into Star Wars either.

Thing is, I don't see why it's pretentious to use that criteria to judge a film to be good (or great). Most great films are not pretentious. I mean, I don't think Jaws or The Silence of the Lambs are pretentious filns. They're great movies. And they have, in addition to being thrilling and exciting film experiences, important messages. Consider the Quint's obsession with the shark, or Brody's concern about the tourist-oriented economy of the town. Also consider the profound isolation Hannibal Lecter and Clarice are in. He as a cannibal, she as a woman in a male-oriented field. This is really good stuff.


Anyways, let's settle on all this being just my opinion. That should make things ok.

Heh, I'd argue that Jaws has about as much of a message as Raiders, if not less so, but alright, neither of us can obviously sway the other.

6 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
There will never be another film like Raiders, 9 July 1999




It is a hot sunny day in South America. We see a bunch of men, shot mostly from the back. They are walking deep into the forest. We see a tall dark figure. He is wearing an old leather jacket, he has at least a two days growth going on, he wears a fedora and he carries a bullwhip ( yes a bullwhip ). Finally, two of the men enter a cave and we hear about some guy named Forstall, who was good, very very good, but he never came out of the place alive. But they enter anyway. They are confronted with tarantulas, spears that are triggered by blocking out the light, a pit that they must swing over and then more tiny poisonous darts that come out of the wall. All this to protect an ancient gold statue. They recover it. One guy dies and the other barely makes it out of the room before it all falls on him. Then he has to get out of the cave and a giant boulder chases him. Finally he makes it out of the cave only to be surrounded by Hovitos and his arch enemy named Belloq. He takes the gold statue that this guy worked so hard for and then the guy runs and makes it to the plane where he is in the passenger seat and there is big snake in the plane. He hates snakes. This mans name? Indiana Jones!

Whhhoooooo!! I'm left breathless just describing that opening. But is there a better beginning of a movie ever? Absolutely not. Does the beginning have anything to do with the rest of the film. No. It is all decoration for what the movie is going to put you through in the 90 minutes to come.

Indiana Jones is the best character to ever hit the screens. And he better be. He is created by George, Steven and played by Harrison Ford. That may seem normal now that we have lived with him for 20 years, but can you imagine what that must have been like back in 1981. That would be like Tom Hanks or Will Smith joining forces with James Cameron and Steven Spielberg for a completely original idea in today's terms.

Raiders took a simple idea and maybe an idea that the guys had from watching Saturday afternoon movies and made it larger than life. This film never stops for you to take your breath. It is filled with rich characters from Indy himself to Marion to Belloq and even to Marcus Brody. Each has their own personality that shines through in certain scenes. Some of my faves were when we first meet Marion having a shot contest in her bar in Nepal. Then there is her scene with Belloq and they get drunk together and she tries to leave using only a butter knife. And of course who can forget Indy's battle with the swordsman and his unrivalled determination to get the ark. " Indy, there is not time. If you still want the truck it is being loaded on a truck for Cairo. " ( a battered and bloody Indy ) " Truck? What truck?" ( and then later ) "Get some transport back to England, boat, plane, anything. Meet me at Omar's. I'm going after that truck. " Sola ) " How? " ( Indy ) I don't know I'm making this up as I go."

Raiders has more energy than three action films. And that is what makes it the classic that it is. If you like movies, then Raiders is a movie that will not let you down. It is pure entertainment and that is undisputable. It finds the youngster in all of us and bombards us with this silly, whip-cracking, average, incredibly determined archaeologist and only asks us to have fun. And that we do. And to me, the only reason that Chariots of Fire won best picture that year is because it is a serious film. Raiders was heads and shoulders above Chariots and it should have cleaned up at the Oscars in 81. But more politics with the academy.

Raiders of the Lost Ark is the epitome of entertainment. What more can be said about it. If you haven't seen this movie in a while or if you haven't seen it at all ( gasp ) then do yourself a favour and rent it tonight. It is awesome.

TRUST ME

Ah, now THIS is a movie followed by two pathetic sequels. How I love to see Marcus act like a father to Indy instead of some clown, and how Sallah was actually some good and not a joke. Oh how I remember how it was a serious adventure yet was funny and entertaining! Too bad Temple of Doom made the series too dark and the Last Crusade made it a joke.

Raiders is an easy 10/10, A+ from me.

There will never be another film like Raiders, 9 July 1999




It is a hot sunny day in South America. We see a bunch of men, shot mostly from the back. They are walking deep into the forest. We see a tall dark figure. He is wearing an old leather jacket, he has at least a two days growth going on, he wears a fedora and he carries a bullwhip ( yes a bullwhip ). Finally, two of the men enter a cave and we hear about some guy named Forstall, who was good, very very good, but he never came out of the place alive. But they enter anyway. They are confronted with tarantulas, spears that are triggered by blocking out the light, a pit that they must swing over and then more tiny poisonous darts that come out of the wall. All this to protect an ancient gold statue. They recover it. One guy dies and the other barely makes it out of the room before it all falls on him. Then he has to get out of the cave and a giant boulder chases him. Finally he makes it out of the cave only to be surrounded by Hovitos and his arch enemy named Belloq. He takes the gold statue that this guy worked so hard for and then the guy runs and makes it to the plane where he is in the passenger seat and there is big snake in the plane. He hates snakes. This mans name? Indiana Jones!

Whhhoooooo!! I'm left breathless just describing that opening. But is there a better beginning of a movie ever? Absolutely not. Does the beginning have anything to do with the rest of the film. No. It is all decoration for what the movie is going to put you through in the 90 minutes to come.

Indiana Jones is the best character to ever hit the screens. And he better be. He is created by George, Steven and played by Harrison Ford. That may seem normal now that we have lived with him for 20 years, but can you imagine what that must have been like back in 1981. That would be like Tom Hanks or Will Smith joining forces with James Cameron and Steven Spielberg for a completely original idea in today's terms.

Raiders took a simple idea and maybe an idea that the guys had from watching Saturday afternoon movies and made it larger than life. This film never stops for you to take your breath. It is filled with rich characters from Indy himself to Marion to Belloq and even to Marcus Brody. Each has their own personality that shines through in certain scenes. Some of my faves were when we first meet Marion having a shot contest in her bar in Nepal. Then there is her scene with Belloq and they get drunk together and she tries to leave using only a butter knife. And of course who can forget Indy's battle with the swordsman and his unrivalled determination to get the ark. " Indy, there is not time. If you still want the truck it is being loaded on a truck for Cairo. " ( a battered and bloody Indy ) " Truck? What truck?" ( and then later ) "Get some transport back to England, boat, plane, anything. Meet me at Omar's. I'm going after that truck. " Sola ) " How? " ( Indy ) I don't know I'm making this up as I go."

Raiders has more energy than three action films. And that is what makes it the classic that it is. If you like movies, then Raiders is a movie that will not let you down. It is pure entertainment and that is undisputable. It finds the youngster in all of us and bombards us with this silly, whip-cracking, average, incredibly determined archaeologist and only asks us to have fun. And that we do. And to me, the only reason that Chariots of Fire won best picture that year is because it is a serious film. Raiders was heads and shoulders above Chariots and it should have cleaned up at the Oscars in 81. But more politics with the academy.

Raiders of the Lost Ark is the epitome of entertainment. What more can be said about it. If you haven't seen this movie in a while or if you haven't seen it at all ( gasp ) then do yourself a favour and rent it tonight. It is awesome.

TRUST ME

What's really good about this movie though is that it's a perfect mix. The Temple of Doom was too "dark" while The Last Crusade was too "campy." This one is not too campy and not too dark, and is a perfect mix. That's what this movie is: perfect. Harrison Ford IS Indiana Jones (would Tom S. have been as good?) while the other characters are great (Toht is awesome, Belloq is actually SCARY unlike the stupid Nazi's in Last Crusade, Marion actually had some use in this movie unlike most movies with a male and female lead. This movie has a good story, excellent music and is my 4th favorite movie. This one is actually FUN unlike most Spielberg junk.

Ok star wars,we got it the first time.
:rolleyes:

My 8th favorite film, and my second fav Indy movie (Last Crusade is my fav), best opening sequence (Jaws is second), and Harrison was great.

A

What also helped this movie is it is arguably the least pretentious film of Spielberg's career.

You're too uptight Box. A lesson? There's one there. Don't fuck with God.

Case closed.....one of the bets films ever.

Okay, if you want to look for a message in Raiders, it is never give up. This film is about as inspirational and message laden as Rocky. I have always admired Indy for his never say die, never give up attitude. It is one of the things that dfrew me to Indy in the beginning. He is not a super-hero, he is not invincible, he is not a guy who can walk on walls or chop socki his way out of danger. What he embodies is a spirit than we can all learn from, and that is soemthing that has meant a lot to me over the years.

Ew box, I can't believe you would say the Incredibles has a message while Raiders of the Lost Ark doesnt.

Easy messages found in Raiders of the Lost ark are:
-a strong view towards politics, look at the ending of the film.
- Why you must follow your passions
-I agree with inspiration
- Its ultimate message is that if you have a chance to do good, then do it. Not only that, Indiana Jones is the first real, everday hero. He bleeds, aches, and makes mistakes. His message is that you dont have to be amazing to do amazing things, you just have to believe in yourself.
It also has strong ideas on Religion, Escapism, friends, romance, and of course History.

This movie is easily one of the most important films of the 1980s, for not only redifining the action and adventure genre's, but it is a near perfect film with thrills, comedy, scares, breathtaking action and scenery, a briliant script executed well, great score, and above average acting. I think spielbergs biggest rob ever at the academy for best Picture. It is my favorite film of all time, and will always be A+

You can like the incredibles all you want, but it didnt do anything amazing for animation. CGI has been around for years now.
The incredibles biggest message was a lot like Greece, you have to hinder who you are to be accepted in the world.

Well said Gun. It is in my top five, only being behind JAWS, and ET, and just ahead of JFK and American Beauty. Yes, my top three films of all time are Spielberg films.

I can take people not liking Indiana Jones, as hard as that is, but saying the incredibles is important to American is one of the worst things I've ever heard.

Another good point. The Incredibles? What is that anyway? If we are talking movies with a message and in soem warped way, someone actually believes that TI has a better and more important message that ROTLA? MMMM...NO!!

Meh, I don't think The Incredibles has an outstanding messsage. I don't think Raiders has one either. But, seriously, who on earth would want for every single movie to have a message (well, except for Box)? Raiders is pure entertainment and it is entertainment of a kind that you rarely get nowadays. It is original, suspenseful, well-acted, involving, innovative and never, never boring? In that case, why do you need a message?

When I see movies like Indy, Pirates of the Caribbean, Spider-Man, The Rock...I really don't look for a message. That's what I reserve Closer, Sideways and American Beauty for.