Raiders of the Lost Ark (PG) Review

Overall Rating

The first in the Indiana Jones trilogy is an absolute gem. I first saw it at the drive-in as a child on the 4th of July with my parents. I can distinctly remember my father making a quick exit to the concession stand when the scene in the tomb with all the snakes occurred. The premise is thus: Indiana Jones is an archaeologist who specialises in acquring old artefacts from booby-trapped tombs and temples. He teaches at a university where everybody knows him as a bookish clutz. He goes in search of the Lost Ark of Judaea to try and obtain it before the Nazis do (it's the 1930's) because its powers could enable the Nazis to conquer the world. On the way he encounters an old, dangerous rival who is working for the Germans, a booby-trapped pyramid, all sorts of creepy crawlies and some eerie mystical spookiness. He also has to work with an old girlfriend.

It is completely non-stop action with a lot of humour thrown in, including some very good slapstick action humour from Harrison Ford. If you don't mind bugs and snakes then you really should see this film!