Review: 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' Remains One of the Best Action-Adventure Movies

After two incredible back-to-back successes, "Jaws" (1975) and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977), Steven Spielberg stumbled with "1941" (1979). But his recovery was fast and immense, with his 1981 homage to the Saturday afternoon serial films of his youth, "Raiders of the Lost Ark," written by Lawrence Kasden with story credit by Philip Kaufman and George Lucas.

Harrison Ford, fresh off "The Empire Strikes Back," stars as archaeology professor and reluctant hero Indiana Jones, who goes on a quest to stop the Nazis from recovering the mystical Lost Ark of the Covenant (purported to still hold fragments of the 10 Commandments' stone tablets). Indy enlists his former lover, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), and together they battle Nazis and other villains in an action-packed narrative that culminates in a still-amazing cinematic moment when the Ark is opened and seeks its own ghastly revenge.

Released in June of 1981, "Raiders" went on to become the highest grossing film of that year (with "On Golden Pond" in the second position) and begat three sequels to date (another one is planned for 2023).

In a highly competitive race that included "Reds" and "On Golden Pond," "Raiders" was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Director, winning four Oscars (Art Direction, Film Editing, Sound and Visual Effects) as well as receiving a Special Award for Sound Effects Editing.

Harrison Ford has the distinction of starring in two of the biggest franchise films of all time, the "Indiana Jones" films and "Star Wars." His scruffy, sexy Indy would become one of his most famous roles, and it stands as impressive work perfectly summarized by the legendary scene where, in Cairo, a villainous swordsman brandishes a large blade and arrogantly shows off, ready to duel with Jones, who takes out his gun and shoots him instead. That "I can't be bothered" attitude personifies the character.

It's interesting to note that many top actors of the day were considered for the role including, Jack Nicholson, Nick Nolte, Jeff Bridges, and Tom Selleck.

Spielberg directs with an eye towards the inner child in all of us, and does a swell job of deflecting from the mostly thin script.

Karen Allen does her best with an underwritten role.

The film often shows up on lists of the greatest movies of all time and, as good as it is, that's a bit of a leap. But, contextualizing the special effects, it certainly remains one of the best action-adventure films and, probably, begat the onslaught of never-ending, wise-cracking action movies that would follow ("Die Hard," "Lethal Weapon," and so on ad nauseam).

Paramount has done a terrific job with this Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Steelbook preserving Douglas Slocombe's stunning Oscar- nominated cinematography, as well as John Williams iconic Oscar-nominated score. The images are vivid, and the sound clear and crisp.

The Steelbook even comes with a miniature version of the original poster.

However, it's most disappointing that the only special features are three versions of the trailer.

"Raiders of the Lost Ark" is rousing action-adventure fun with a perfectly cast Harrison Ford keeping viewers enthralled for two hours.

"Raiders of the Lost Ark" is available on 4k Ultra HD on June 14, 2022.