Raiders of the Lost Ark

Indiana Jones is an enduring symbol of adventures in exotic lands. In my mind, he stands there right behind the always-affable Tintin. But, this an image created over lots of years of watching bits and pieces of his movies. While Harrison Ford looks just as mischievous in the latest Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as he was earlier, how have the first three movies aged? I checked out the first movie of the series recently: Raiders of the Lost Ark.

In this adventure, Indiana Jones is competing with the Nazis in a race to secure the mythical Ark. It is supposed to hold enormous power that the Nazis are keen to harness for war. This quest takes Jones through Nepal, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.

With too much emphasis on fist fights and racing action, the cultures and locales take a backseat in this movie. Other than Harrison Ford and his Jones character, there is nothing much going for this movie. I regret to say that the best moments of the movie are right at the beginning, in the teaser where Indy is caught in a Peruvian trap. The rest of the movie never rises to such excitement and thus Raiders of the Lost Ark is barely watchable. I kind of expect that Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom will also feel like this, but I have some hopes set on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.