Raiders of the Lost Ark Is Perfect In Its Simplicity

A man is hired to find a thing. That’s fundamentally nan crippled of Raiders of nan Lost Ark, a movie that’s wide considered to beryllium one of nan champion action-adventure films of each time, not to mention 1 of head Steven Spielberg’s champion movies. It’s besides nan kick-off to a franchise called Indiana Jones pinch character Harrison Ford. And that nan crippled can, astatine its astir basal level, beryllium boiled down to specified a elemental explanation is 1 of nan many, galore reasons why each of those different things are true.

That franchise gets its 5th and possibly last installment adjacent period pinch Indiana Jones and nan Dial of Destiny. In nan weeks ahead, io9 is going to revisit each of nan Indiana Jones films conscionable to spot what, if anything, stands retired astir them now, successful 2023, arsenic Dial of Destiny is coming to theaters.

So, naturally, we’re starting pinch 1981's Raiders of nan Lost Ark, which was nan first Indiana Jones movie moreover though its sequel, Indiana Jones and nan Temple of Doom, is almost inexplicably group earlier it. Which we’ll get to. But rewatching Raiders this week, I marveled astatine conscionable astir each azygous point successful nan movie. The measurement each characteristic is introduced. The deep, fascinating mythology which ne'er overtakes nan story. The performances. The lighting. The music. All of it.

The infinitesimal a fable was born.Image: Lucasfilm

Few films then, aliases now, truthful effortlessly blend truthful galore genres and emotions without losing focus. Raiders has mystery, suspense, action, humor, romance, philosophy, and more, sometimes each successful a azygous scene. The iconic opening, for example, wherever Indy (Ford)—a characteristic we cognize thing astir yet—steals a aureate idol sees him almost killed respective times, betrayed a fewer times, and joked about. It sees him being chased after, acting villainous, acting heroic, and yet failing, acknowledgment to his rival Belloq’s (Paul Freeman) appropriation of a autochthonal culture. I mean it’s sewage it each and nan movie has hardly started.

Because that segment is conscionable nan teaser, of course. The main communicative is really Indy is hired by nan U.S. authorities to retrieve an ancient artifact called nan Ark of nan Covenant earlier Hitler and nan Nazis do. A elemental task, pinch nan highest of stakes. To execute it Indy must first find a circumstantial relic, which brings him look to look pinch his past successful nan personification of Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen, who has possibly nan champion characteristic intro of each clip successful her drinking contest). The brace alert crossed nan globe to get that relic translated, nan translated relic reveals a location, nan location contains nan Ark, past Indy and nan Nazis conflict complete nan Ark successful aggregate ways earlier nan immense payoff of seeing what, exactly, is wrong nan Ark. What has each of this fuss been about? And, of course, a bunch of slayer ghosts wiping retired each nan Nazis is nan cleanable measurement to conclusion nan bad guys, while besides providing a satisfying reply to nan mystery.

I tally down nan crippled very simply for illustration that not because you haven’t seen aliases understood nan movie, but to show really straightforward nan communicative is astatine its heart. Sometimes franchise films tin get mislaid successful excessively galore different threads, aliases beryllium excessively worried astir explaining everything aliases mounting up early sequels. But Raiders of nan Lost Ark is simple, direct, and yet has each of those aforementioned emotions and feelings embedded successful that. It’s ne'er confusing, it’s ever entertaining, and it’s conscionable masterful.

We cognize these guys person a history, but we don’t spot it. It conscionable is.Image: Lucasfilm

That comes from nan book by Lawerence Kasdan, nan communicative by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman, and of people nan guidance by Steven Spielberg, which informs nan editing, nan cinematography, everything. (John Williams’ music? Hello!) They’ve created a world truthful rich | that you’re hopeless to cognize much astir it, but it ne'er becomes bogged down successful exposition. For example, nan erstwhile narration pinch Indy and Marion. What happened there? How did Indy go friends pinch Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) and Brody (Denholm Elliott) and what adventures person they shared? What was Indy’s clip pinch his mentor, Abner Ravenwood, like? Who are these pirates that thief Indy and Marion? And ohio my deity that last changeable of nan movie! Everything astir Raiders feels lived-in and real. Plus, it’s not an root story. It’s a infinitesimal successful clip pinch respective well-rounded characters. There are truthful galore things you want to cognize astir which unrecorded conscionable beneath nan surface, giving nan movie a very hearty, complete feeling, connected apical of nan excellent, focused story.

Truly, I could spell connected and connected astir Raiders of nan Lost Ark, and possibly I will again astatine immoderate point. But it’s conscionable refreshing—even 42 years later—to spot a movie truthful well-made and assured it didn’t request to person a sequel, but we’re judge gladsome it did.

Raiders of nan Lost Ark is currently streaming connected Paramount+. Starting May 31, it’ll beryllium connected Disney+

Next week: Indiana Jones and nan Temple of Doom, a prequel to Raiders of nan Lost Ark—though Indy intelligibly says successful this that he’s ne'er knowledgeable thing supernatural before!

Want much io9 news? Check retired erstwhile to expect nan latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s adjacent for nan DC Universe connected movie and TV, and everything you request to cognize astir nan early of Doctor Who.