Monday, 20 August 2012

Whipping it up

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Directed by Steven Spielberg, based on an idea from George Lucas this film stars Harrison Ford, Karen Allen and Paul Freeman. An archaeology professor is hired by the American government to stop the Nazis finding the Ark of the Covenant.

Inspired by the cliff hanger serials of their youth Spielberg and Lucas managed to create a film that is right from the start filled with great action sequences and plenty of comedic moments. Using the Ark of the Covenant and Nazis in the plot provides a sense of gravitas that grounds the film well when it could have easily disappeared into the realms of silliness. Bringing a level of physical vulnerability to the protagonist makes him a lot more human than the central characters of most action films but this film does lack a little of the character development of the third film in the series.

5/5

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