Sorry for the infrequent updates around here lately. I haven’t really got a good excuse for it, other than the usual “life (or perhaps, the lack of it) got in the way”. Things should normalize soon enough, though. They can’t take all my free time away from me forever! But until that time arrives, I’m going to write up some reviews of the three first Indiana Jones movies. The plan is to post them all before the world première on Thursday (at least that’s when it premières where I live), starting with this one right here, You’ve all watched it, you all love it it to some degree or form.

I’m here to remind you why that is.

Let me refresh your memories in the unlikely case that you’ve forgotten the story behind this classic cinematic character: Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is an archaeologist, but not of the boring, toothbrush-combing variety. No sirree, this guy is all about the adventure and the quest for discovering forgotten relics and artefacts, and he’s no stranger to risking his life to get his hands on them. In “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, Indiana Jones is contacted by the US government to help them figure out some vital information about - yes, you guessed it - the lost Ark of Covenants. You know, the one that they used to throw all the broken rubble of the original ten commandments into. Remember now? Good, because this particular holy relic vanished some 3000 years ago, and it isn’t until now, the year 1936, that someone’s pieced together the clues to its current whereabouts. Who might that be, you ask, lips all a-trembling. Well, his friends called him Adolf, but we all refer lovingly to him as der Fürher.

There are some big spoilers in this review, so if you haven’t watched this movie yet (the shame, the SHAME!), and plan to do so, then I recommend you just check out the last paragraph and leave it with that.

Re-watching “Indiana Jones” is highly enjoyable, even though it’s been nearly thirty years since “Raiders” was first released. I’ve splurged out for new set of DVD’s, and I’ve got to say that I don’t think these movies have lost a single hair of charm (much unlike Harrison Ford, whose gotten considerably more granddaddy-y since his heydays). The action is still just as thrilling and it’s so tight that there nearly isn’t a single dull moment during this hundred and ten minutes long ride. One of the most important reasons it hasn’t lost its appeal is the fact that nearly all the sets and stunts are actually real, which is something of a rarity these days. There are only two sequences that features some kind of CGI, and those are thankfully not too bad (in a kind of, “Aww, look at the crappy ’scary ghosts’ - aren’t they adorable?”, way).

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones gives me goosebumps every time I see him, simply because of the sheer legend that follows him. As a role and character, it isn’t the greatest in terms of depth and all that jazz, but who the fuck gives a damn about those things when you’re watching an “Indiana Jones” flick? This movie delivers everything it promises with its opening chapter; witty banter, exciting adventure, bitter rivalry and tons and tons of action. Complaining about “lack of depth or character development” in this film is comparable to noising outrage at the lack of atheistic arguments in the Bible. It simply has no home there.

Now, this isn’t to say that this film is flawless or should that it should be regarded as such because it does what’s it’s supposed to do. Far from it, my friends - I can certainly find things to complain about. The first and foremost thing would obviously have to be the ending, which is not so much “deus ex machina” as it’s “deus ex box”. Some of the events are quite ludicrous, too. Like the scene where Indy hi-jacks a truck filled with Germans, and they decide to climb around the outside of the truck instead of shooting him through the flimsy wall…

If I you try to interpret some kind of deeper meaning in this rather shallow action flick, then you end up wading through pro-Americanisms so thick that you’ll have to take a second glance around yourself just to check that you haven’t landed in the deep-frier at McDonalds. Thank you George Lucas - we got the message, all right? You don’t have to (BIG SPOILER COMING UP) make it as if God ACTUALLY loves America more than the French and the Germans. I’m also still every bit as disappointed that Indy’s love interest, who starts up as a strong and independent character, has to play the damsel in the distress no less than three times during the movie.

That’s about all then nits and tidbits I’ll pick from this film, ’cause I actually can’t bring myself to be very critical of it. It’s just too much fun - and it’s meant like that, too - to bother with minor problems in an otherwise classic movie that will be essential for any movie lover for as long as I live.

8.0 /10

Expect the next review tomorrow evening…