I was thirty two years old when I saw Raiders at the movie theater. As I was walking out I remember thinking that this might be the best movie I have ever seen. The more I thought about I realized that I felt like a ten year old kid the whole time the movie was playing. I still do to this day. Yes, a masterpiece.
@Raymar31 That's a real shame. there are hundreds and hundreds of films better than Raiders, including dozens of action films. Even the action scene in the temple is full of directorial and script blunders.
@@johnstrawb3521 Risk your own opinions like the person above did instead of making a negative statement with a generality. Please name the "dozens of action films" that are better than "Raiders..." You made the statement - so tell everybody here, which "DOZENS" of "ACTION" movies *YOU* think are better than "Raiders of the Lost Ark"? You decided to crap on someone's personal feeling about the movie with nothing but negativity and generalities - so please offer the "DOZENS" of "ACTION" movies that YOU think are better - again, not "movies" - but "ACTION" movies, specifically, as you said; the "DOZENS" of them, please. Your choices will tell me EVERYTHING about you and how much you know about cinema - and whether you simply chose them from a "best of" internet list and ordered them randomly.
@@redadamearthdude doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about in addition to being an asshole, “directorial and script blunders”? What on earth is a script blunder? Petty things like minor continuity errors? What exactly is being blundered? His criticism is not only meaninglessly vague but downright confounding
I was six years old when my parents took me and my three siblings to see this movie at a theater (Villa Theater) which once had the largest movie screen in town. I was mesmerized and frightened by this film, especially the ending scene with the melting/exploding/shriveling faces. Subsequently watched Temple of Doom and then Last Crusade at the same theater (it sat approximately 300 plus people); crazy and cool to see people waiting to buy tickets in a line which spanned a block. Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the best movies ever made. Great memories of my parents, especially sitting next to my mom who provided comfort during the "scary" parts of the movie. The score was epic, and the scene with Belloc (sp?) eating the fly was a bonus.
Archaeologists: "Raiders of the Lost Ark represents some of the worst about archaeology!" Me: "So, What made you want to become an archaeologist?" Archaeologists: "Raiders of the Lost Ark."
Forty years later and this is still the greatest action film ever made. edit: "one of the greatest" Individual tastes vary and declaring one greatest is impossible but I believe we can all agree that this is in the top tier of contenders for the title.
I mean they don't, no, but it wasn't too often they made movies like this before, either. Raiders stands up there as one of the greatest of all time. That's not a bad thing.
when he scores a movie, its a hit. His list of work is astonishing. What he touches, turns to gold. I mean, even Home Alone. They brought him in desperation, didn't think he'd do it. he agreed, and boom, megahit. Just one example of a record grossing movie with his music.
Even nowadays music is rarely mentioned. Probably because unless they have some knowledge of music movie critics can't say anything substantial about it. I think Ebert said that he often didn't talk about the music of a movie because of that if I remember correctly.
I have so many memories of going to the mall with my mother when i was about 11 years old here in San Diego... we were supposed to go shopping but she would see that "Raiders of the Ark' marquee and she would say to me, 'Wanna go see Raiders again?"... I was like 'Yes, please mom, yes!'... and we would drop everything and go blow the day watching it at the theatre for the 7th or 8th time. That's how much we loved this film. RIP mom.
It's almost impossible to describe to anyone who wasn't a kid in 1981 what it was like seeing "Raiders of the Lost Ark" the first time, on a giant screen (back when even local screens were huge). Normally, I'd go on to *try* to describe it, but whatever I'd be able to muster wouldn't cut it. Growing up in the 80's with all of the films of that decade, as a kid - we were very, very lucky.
I was fortunate to grow up in this era as well, and in a town with a grand old theater. Those were the days. I have about zero interest in going out to see a movie in a theater any more.
These two, in their praise of this movie, were like two kids in a Candy Store! They absolutely loved it, and many Millions of People did, too! If this had been released within the past several years, it would've made Billions of Dollars at the Box Office, and much more through DVD Rentals and Sales!
This genuinely is one of the most perfect movies ever made, in terms of doing EXACTLY what it set out to do. It's fun, it's funny, it's exciting, it's a little bit scary, it's action-packed but leaves plenty of human moments for real characterization... perfect.
I saw this when I was 11. When I got home I told me dad that he HAD to see this movie as it’s like the serials he’d have seen as a kid (was a sneaky way to see it a second time - hehehe). When the swordsman got shot in that offhand way, my dad and I looked at each other and laughed. I’ll never forget that moment.....
... you MAY know this: Spielberg was quoted in an interview as saying that he deliberately paced the 'perils' in Raiders based on the Saturday afternoon movies serials he (& I) saw as a kid, where each episode (usually 20 min. or so) had a 'cliffhanger' at the end so you'd come back the next week to see if the hero survived...
Fun Fact: Originally he was supposed to have a fight with the swordsman, but Harrison Ford was so ill from the food they’d been served in the country they’d been filming (I believed they later moved to a studio in London because of that) that they altered the plans and included the nonchalant shooting.
I used this tactic as well. I too, was 11 when it came out. I have a bunch of older siblings and I talked each one into taking me to see it. As I recall, it remained in the theaters for over a year (unheard of nowadays) and I must’ve seen it 5 or 6 times in ‘81.
My best friend saw an advertisement in the newspaper about an early screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark while on summer break from high school. It was one time matinee, and there had been no advertisements for the film that we had seen, so we assumed it was some documentary about the actual Ark of the Covenant and archeologists. We were so bored during summer break, we went to this movie anyway. Imagine our surprise watching this film.
I saw this in a special "preview" showing of the movie theater where I worked. I absolutely LOVED it and told people about this GREAT movie that they were in for. Then I went overseas for a month, came back and the movie had BLOWN up and we ended up playing this movie at our little triplex movie theater for 28 weeks just six feet behind where I stood for most of my shift. I can recite every single line of dialogue from this movie from memory from that summer. And I still LOVE THIS MOVIE. It's one of my "Perfect" movies.
@@aliensoup2420 Yes it WAS good, just not as good as or better than the original, which is the problem for a franchise that George Lucas always intended as a film series of continuing adventures; though there's no question Spielberg is a master filmmaker, maybe having a new director for the 5th installment as is planned, will breathe some new life into things.
I agree with the OP. I’m 50 years old and have seen alot of good films (as well as bad) but some are so unforgettable & perfect that they almost guarantee the sequels will be inferior in some way. And Raiders is definitely one of those films. It gets a 5/5 from me.
My old man, who never goes to movies more than once, saw this one twice in the theater. He grew up in the 40's, going to the movies, watching the B-Movie adventure flicks, he loved it. It had that 40's air of nostalgia about it. Top 5 greatest movie of all time.
Feel lucky to have seen this (and the first Star Wars) in the theater when they first came out. Fun to re-live the original excitement with this S&E review.
those were special times...nothing like standing in line hoping you'd get tickets to see these films on one of only a few large screens in the city (especially, "Star Wars")...
As kids, one afternoon a friend and I hid between the seats at a London cinema as the cleaners went around between showings, and we got to see Raiders 3 times in a row on one ticket. This was back when there was always a primer movie before the main one, and on this occasion there were 2 short films - an action documentary about cloud hopper balloon skiers, and a twee film based on the Myfanwy poem. Originally we had set out to watch Condorman, which was showing on another screen, but we changed our minds at the last minute after seeing the Raiders poster on the wall. Best decision we ever made. This was my one cinema experience upon which all others throughout my 54 years have been measured but have failed to live up to. I still haven't seen Condorman.
Condor Man. Michael Crawford. I saw it one Sunday afternoon at my local Classic cinema. Not very good at all. We used to see a lot of films on Sundays. Raiders is my favourite film. At our cinema you could buy one ticket and stay in all day without being bothered. That stopped in 1989. I stayed in all day many times to see STAR WARS, RAIDERS or EMPIRE 3 times, getting home at 22:00. Great days.
@@funkydozer Incidentally, my 3 film for one ticket stopped at Last Crusade of all things. Sat waiting for the next show the usherette said I had to leave as they were cleaning the theatre. This was disappointing. Luckily or unluckily I found LC difficult to sit through more than once a day. Never a fan of it. It was inferior to Raiders. To much "Dad" and silly humour. In my opinion. I remember the B movie feature about poet John Betjamin? Poet Loreat. Several poems read by him to individual films. John Alderton played a soldier in one I recall. Saw that many times. You jogged my memory on that one!
I remember seeing this movie when I was 11 years old with my family. We were stationed at Howard AFB Panama. When this came out, every showing was sold out at the base theater. People from other bases would come down to see it. There were many bases in Panama and every movie rotated from one to the other. Howard was number 1 in the rotation of the movies. People drove 30 minutes plus to be able to see it first. The base theater could hold over 500 people.
I used to love watching movies on base, standing for the National Anthem, nostalgic. Plus it was so much more affordable, you could actually have drinks and snacks without taking out a second mortgage.
@@redstateforever LOL! You beat me to the punch.. I was going to ask about the SOP on the playing of the National Anthem. (Probably soon to be eliminated by current PC maneuvering)
@@christopherfritz3840 I doubt it will be removed. It was annoying when you found your seat, sat down and then it started and you had to get back up for the next 2 minutes. But we were use to it. The non base kids that came with me to the movies never understood.
Like Casablanca, Raiders doesn't have a wasted scene or a wasted moment. The filmmakers gave a ridiculous amount of attention to every detail to make sure it was just right - each word of each sentence the characters speak (especially Ford's quips, almost every one of them is classic), the lighting in every shot, camera angles, how scenes are framed, musical cues. And of course, the non-stop action is ridiculous. A perfect movie.
You know what was weird? I got the Indy box set and Spidey 2 both for Christmas back then. We watched both the same night, first Spidey then Raiders, and I thought I was hallucinating.
This is a perfect film . At the height of Lucas & Spielberg's imagination for action & adventure. I still get chills when indy tells Marianne about the opened ark " don't look at no matter what "
Ah, to be 10 years old at a movie theatre during this era, as I was in 1981. This one, plus, "Time Bandits" and "E.T." just about summarizes it for me.
Hard to believe that "Raiders Of The Lost Ark" is now 40 years old. I saw it as a teenager in the movie theater all those many years ago, and it still excites and thrills just as much now as it did then. One of my all time favorite films. Love this movie!
I saw this when I was 6 with my Dad at a theater. I went home and beat the tar out of my stuffed animals re-enacting nearly every scene. I used my bed like it was the truck hauling the arc and crawling out from under it like Indy. My poor animals were suddenly like "What the hell, man?"
Bragging about seeing this movie when you were 6 is a bit sad. Who brags about having a father who lets his kids see movies like this when they're in kintergarden? Who?
Raiders? I was in Kindergarten. Watched it in theatres with my parents. How bout dis? Conan the Barbarian in the theatre, as a 6 year old ! But it was my aunt and uncle who took me and my brother. Now, that’s bragging !
Possibly my favorite movie of all time. I was twelve when it came out and I remember my friends and I would "play" the opening scene in an alley behind an apartment complex. Miss those days.
"Raiders" was my favorite film of all time when I saw it the first time in a sneak preview, and it remains my favorite 40 years later. I loved both "Star Wars" and "Close Encounters", and I remember being blown away at the prospect of a movie done by Mr. Lucas and Mr. Spielberg together. I remember my first viewing the way I remember watching the Beatles for the first time on Ed Sullivan. Thank's for the memories of this marvelous review of this amazing film.
Saw this when it came out in 1981 when I was 11 years old and it remains my favorite movie of all time to this day. I still watch it about 2-3 times a year and still enjoy every minute of it.
I saw the movie for free in 1981 when I was 17 it was so crowded at theater and they were short on staff so the manager came out and asked for a volunteer to take people's tickets and tear them in half and you get in free so I said I'll do it and I did then got lucky found a seat then stayed to watch it again for the next showing it was so much fun.
I too was 17. I had just graduated high school in Idaho and my brother and two of our friends drove to Twin Falls to watch ROTLA and Clash of the Titans (with Harry Hamlin). Clash was packed to the rafters, while ROTLA wasn't even half full. Three of us couldn't believe it since Raiders was so dang good! And Titans kinda stunk up the joint, imo. But one of the friends thought Titans was the better of the two. I've never quite understood my experience that day, but even now ROTLA remains one of the best movies I've seen.
I went with a few friends to watch Raiders in the theatre the month we graduated from high school. At most, there was a dozen people there. Word hadn't gotten out yet about what a great film it was. That was one of my all-time favourite film watching experiences. For me, it's the greatest adventure film I've ever seen. Nothing has topped it since. :)
I was 12 years old and saw this with my dad at the historic Joy theatre in Tigard, Oregon when it came out. We both loved it, it is by far the best of all the Indiana Jones series in my opinion.
Another masterpiece from Steven Spielberg who set the bar for summer blockbusters. The movie is pure entertainment for people of all ages. The movie is seen over and over by new generations.
Those were the days when I was a kid....we would watch Sneek Peeks with Siskel & Ebert to find out about all the new movies......back when there were only 5 stations on TV. An entire world away from the society we have now...
that's funny, as I was watching I was thinking about how special it used to be to catch even glimpses of these fantastic adventures. I remember how special it was to see brief clips from my favourite movies in the cherished saturday cartoon "Muppet Babies". I think the ability to have everything we want to see on demand, has taken something away from how special these moments were. Anyhow, that's old man corner for today.
i went to this movie at the age of 10 with dad and everytime i see it i love it not just cause its a brillant movie but of the memories of me and my father.How we came out of the film talking about how much we loved it.It's a classic not just of its time but of anytime.
I remember this movie showing in theaters more than a year after it released. Yes, back then, if a movie had enough legs, it could run for ages in the theater. This is STILL my favorite movie of all time... seen it well over 100 times. A perfect film.
I was 12 when I first saw it and proceeded to see it FOURTEEN more times when it played for over a year and a half at my local theater. I can see it again and again and still find something new every time. The last time I saw it I paused the Blu-ray throughout to study the shots and cuts and marvel at the level of detail. This is as good as movies get.
Truly one of the greatest movies ever made, and I’ll fight anyone who disagrees. So glad the Lucas never did an updated ‘special edition’ with this masterpiece.
Ingenious use of HD footage edited into the review that is timed with that of the original broadcast. Also the shrinking of the original studio image to maintain highter quality. I haven't seen that done before but it sure is impressive
Not an ounce of fat. Siskel’s description was right on in how tight it was, and how you had to admire it. I don’t throw the “masterpiece” word around often, but this movie warrants it.
Lucky enough to catch a evening screening of this that they just happened to be playing at an AMC downtown Chicago recently. Everything about the film holds up brilliantly. The acting, action, music, special effects, all are still fantastic 42 years later!
I remember seeing this and then Clash of the Titans right afterwards in the theatre, which both came out the same year 1981. Both incredible movies for an 11 year old and was blown away. Even today both are excellent to re-watch and I always pick up something new. BTW, the wide screen updated footage and audio was a nice touch.
I was 13 and waiting in line to enter the theater. You should have seen the faces of the people coming out. They were so excited and pumped. The adrenaline was already kicking before we even got in. What an experience.
This is easily, in my almost 50 yrs. of age, one of the best movies that I have ever seen in my life! The problem is that I’ve seen it so many times, that I need to stop watching it every decade or so just so I can forget enough about the film in order to be surprised again. But nothing can duplicate the first time, ‘‘twas the summer of ‘81 in a “packed like a sardine can” movie theatre, I was 8 1/2 years old ... God what an amazing time it was to be alive!! Thank God I actually got to witness the ‘70’s-‘80’s!
Spielberg highly recommends old black-and-white movies to learn the trade. Before Harrison Ford's double was dragged under a truck, Yakima Canutt did the same stunt in the 1939 movie Stagecoach. Before Harrison Ford ran from a boulder, Buster Keaton did it in the movie Seven Chances. Somehow, Spielberg and Lucas did it better.
@@dk60ish Before Luke and the rebels flew down a trench, dodging AA guns, the British did it trying to blow up a dam in the Dam Busters (although they flew down a river not a spacestation trench).
A few years ago I watched an old black and white movie, it took place in South America and the main character was an archaeologist who wore a fedora and carried a whip. It was no Indiana Jones movie but was entertaining, and no doubt one of the inspirations behind Indy. And... Raiders is such a great movie I think I'm going to get off RU-vid and watch it again!
@@richardrichard688 I was trying to think of it last night with no luck. Just did some googling and it MIGHT have been "Secret of the Incas", although that's in color. I'm not convinced that's the movie I was thinking of but it looks interesting. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-K02U0CVoutE.html
Saw Raiders of the Lost Ark opening night. Never saw a trailer for it. Knew very little about it. Needless to say, I was completely blown away! Like many of us. I remember walking back to my car just speechless. It’s still my top favorite movie of all time.
I'll never forget watching this for the first time on the ABC Sunday night movie. My dad taped it on the VCR. I enjoy it more now than I did back then I think. Never gets old.
Wow! Thanks for posting this. I remember watching this Siskle and Ebert review as a teen. When they said that was only the beginning, I called my cousin on the rotary phone we had and told him what we were gonna do within the next couple of days. Until now, this is still my all-time favorite movie.
I was 25 when this movie came out. A good friend who'd already seen it asked me join him and a bunch of other mutual buddies who were going to see it again. So we all went to the early evening performance. I was the last person they let into that particular performance and I got stuck in the *very front row in the FAR left seat.* And I STILL had the time of my life. Of course I woke up the next morning with one heckuva sore neck, but it was so worth it.
The opening sequence is one of the greatest action adventure scenes ever put together! It still is entertaining and holds up well. The Poison darts and Indy holding the Idol like a football and running. Then the huge Boulder rolling down to crush him. Amazing!
was 13 years old when dad took me to see this. i was already a lover of action movies,history,ww2 etc. this movie brought it all! and i have never forgotten that experience seeing it in the theatre with my dad all these years later.
I was stationed at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas when this came out. My roommate Paul and I rode to the theater on our motorcycles. He was on a KZ 650 and I was on my CB 750 F. This movie actually had me on the edge of my seat. Great memories.
I remember seeing this on TV back in '81 (I was 12yrs old). About a year before (1980), I remember seeing a large "Standee" For Raiders of the Lost Ark in the lobby of one of the local theaters. Had no idea what the film was about let alone what a lost ark was (We must have skipped that one in Sunday School). All I knew was that the guy who made Star Wars and the Guy who made Jaws was making this one. When I saw this segment of At the Movies, I was blown away. Couldn't wait to see this and boy oh boy was I amazed when I left the theater. Must have seen it 5 or 6 times at the theater. Yes, kids. Back in the '70's &'80's, films where at lot cheaper and play at the theaters a lot longer. One of my all time favorite films.
I grew up during the best time. 10 year old me had no idea what a powerhouse the teaming of Lucas and Spielberg was but I was introduced to films that can never be duplicated. doesn't matter how much money Disney can blow on the latest reboot. no one today has that creative instinct brewing inside of them to craft real movie magic. original ideas are out the window now. these two men redefined Hollywood and it's really that simple.
Quite simply one of the greatest films ever made. I have no idea how many times I've seen this wonderful film (I'm guessing at least a 100 time by now?). Just magnificent!
Don't care if it was a 'genre piece', it was absolutely CRIMINAL that this film lost Best Picture to the tedious 'Chariots of Fire'. Raiders is not just brilliantly written, acted, and directed, but every aspect is incredibly and artfully crafted in a way rarely seen. Just a great, great masterclass in filmmaking.
I first saw Raiders in 1981 as a birthday present from myself to myself, it was, and is, to me, one of the best movies I have ever seen---EVER. I have seen a LOT of movies, as a matter of fact, I went and saw a movie(or 2) every weekend for ten, that's 10 years, and I wrote them all down, where I saw these different movies, the rating of the movie, G, PG, R, and of course we now have PG-13, and NC-17. I still have that list!
Raiders is actually hard to define. It's action, fantasy, adventure, satire and comedy at the same time. It's a film you think must have been before, but in many ways it is unique.
I love this movie. One of the best ever. As a kid, I used to watch Siskel & Ebert with my brother and sister all the time and we would argue openly with the TV shouting at these two as they would rail in on one movie after another. We got a kick out of the times when they'd disagree. It was always a special moment, however, when there was a movie we all loved including these two. Yes, Raiders is something special indeed.
Went to a special 40th anniversary showing of Raiders and it's as enjoyable as when I first saw it 40 years ago. And Siskel & Ebert's review holds up as well.
I remember as a 5th grader having zero interest in this movie because I thought it was going to be a slow paced horseback western because of the commercials. I wanted more Han Solo and less cowboy stuff(I thought). On the way there, my high school age sister's car broke down so by the time we got there late, the movie was him teaching and talking in front of the black board. It was an even worse first impression than I could have imagined. Of coarse, it didn't take long for the excitement level to blow all my child doubts out of the water. Now I've seen it countless times and listened to the soundtrack even more. So much for first impressions 🤣🤣🤣
Saw this as a rerelease in 1983 by sneaking into the drive-in theater near my house. 15 year old me walked up hill thru poison ivy infested brush, then nonchalantly sat down on the curb outside the concession stand - my story being my parents sent me up to get a drink and I got distracted by the movie. The 2nd feature was like Terms of Endearment or some crap, so I left. Not wanting to risk the brush in the dark, I decided to just walk out the car exit - I forgot they used to pay a couple of older teenagers to stand guard. They spotted me and started to run after me, I felt just like Indy running as fast as I could down the hill - they gave up half-way down. Got home and mom asks where have you been?, I said just out looking at the stars - fun times!
Nothing captures the adventure genre like Indiana Jones films. Treasure hunting in exotic lands with good vs evil plot lines. Truly a cinematic masterpiece.
The first 10 minutes of the movie before he gets into the Plane to escape the Natives has more action and thrills than most entire movies! Talk about action packed. That Huge Ball rolling at him was quite a shock and surprise. The Bar scene is great, too. Then the fight around the plane was brilliantly staged. Everything in this film was planned and well executed by Spielberg. The pacing was based on Saturday serials that they used to make years ago. One of Spielbergs best films. I still enjoy it. Especially the first 10 minutes. It even has a joke when Indy jumps up and sees the snake 🐍 in his seat. I hate Snakes! Very funny! It’s a classic film. 🎥
Imagine, great storytelling, cinematography, engaging characters, spectacular action and fine acting 🎭. All that makes for a pretty good movie, who knew??? Loved this as a kid and it’s a yearly classic in our home 🏠
Take me back to the 80s, please. This movie is the definition of why people enjoy going to the movies. Indiana Jones is a great character and this film is just a pure thrill ride. One of the best movies ever made and probably the best Adventure film ever made. I worry we are not going to get that back....that film going experience for a great blockbuster like this with people watching from home and streaming.
