Every once in a while, I see a movie that reminds me of why I love movies in the first place. This film has everything in it; comedy, romance, drama, espionage, action, betrayals, mystery, and great adventure. It mixes all of these genres together into a hugely satisfying film that even 40 years later can still entertain. It’s no small feat, and is a classic film in every sense of the word.
One of the things that really surprised me about this movie was how coherent the main plot is. Usually in big action movies like this, the main plot doesn’t matter. The plot normally takes a backseat, only supplying the necessary details for the next set of action sequences to occur. But that’s not the case in “Raiders”, here we have a story that flows from scene to scene. It has to do with Nazis going after the Jewish gold Arc of the Covenant. As the film progresses, this theme of Nazis is further developed. However, I suspect that people in my generation watching this film won’t be able to catch the subtler points made in this story with Nazis or won’t have the same emotions that these images may have triggered back in 1981 because the events of WWII and the Holocaust are much further back in our memory. Many people watching this film for the first time today will probably just see the Nazi aspect of the story as a bunch of bad guys who get it at the end, but there is an underlying story that the great Film Critic Roger Ebert speaks about in his review, that is constantly running and elevates this film for keen watchers.
Nevertheless, the film is not about Nazis but providing great entertainment, and it never fails. Scene after scene is executed with perfection, our hero is always kept in this range of danger that leaves you tense. The number of things that happen, from rolling boulders, pits of snakes, car chases and the wrath of God, it all leaves you speechless with your adrenaline pumping, and a big smile on your face.
Harrison Ford captures the essence of Indian Jones like nothing else. He is Indiana Jones, he soaks in sweat, his clothes get ripped apart, he rolls in the sand, goes under a car, and runs away while a bunch of big explosions go off behind him. Ford perfectly encapsulates that childish hero who is placed into impossible situations and must find a way out.
If any part of this film has aged in 40 years, it is the VFX and the random jump-scares, which now feel more silly than scary. Even still, the old VFX seems to occupy a place of its own and I think if the visuals were brought up to present standards, it would negatively impact the film as the old VFX suits the childish vibe of the entire film. “Raiders” after all is not a film fueled by VFX or CGI, its power lies somewhere much deeper.
It’s not a movie that runs on dialogue either, though it has its moments, it’s a movie that works primary through action, or movement to be more specific. I’m not just referring to the way the action scenes were shot, but the entire film. There is a tension in the way scenes are constructed and presented that pays off. Take for example, the hues of red that pop up on the faces of Jones and Marion when they meet each other after 10 years, how people looking for a certain object circle around it while you shiver at the edge of your seat, or how we understand Marion’s escape plan from the Frenchman when she begins drinking with him. There are many scenes like these, they keep your attention and when they pay off you’re left with the biggest smile on your face. Even most of the comedy scenes work through a flow of images rather than dialogues and gimmicks, like the swordsman who faces Jones’s gun.
In a movie, a couple of scenes like this would make for a really good picture, what makes “Raiders” great is that it is filled with moments like this from scene after scene after scene, and repeated viewings will surely reveal more. And as it grows older, aspects of it, like the VFX and story, may age but the core aspects of this film, the movement that made it work for audiences in 1981 and in 2021, will surely keep audiences engaged and gleefully smiling for ages to come. That says a lot in a day and age where many movies are more concerned with giving you that momentary shock and awe rather than working towards keeping it.
