Raiders of the Lost Ark

Two trilogies from the late 70s and 80s still stand tall for appreciatione value. One is George Lucas' Star Wars series and the other is Steven Speilberg's Indiana Jones. Both films were representative works for both filmmakers' childhood interest. They are serial stories that are no better than the cheap paper they were originally written on back in the 1940s. Both had technical accomplishments that don't look dated or embarassing today. Numerous other movies that were made that were popular then only look like cheap productions now. I can still watch Star Wars and not wince over effects, but that's the thing only thing going for the series. The film is a bland stylization of cheap dialogue and corny characters. The effects are the true stars. Raiders of the Lost Ark is based on a serial story, but the scenes are rewritten with enough modern humor and good writing to be justly appreciated. The film is also well filmed. Speilberg is many things, but unquestionably is a master filmmaker in Hollywood vehicles. The quality of his filmmaking in shooting action sequences that exhibit old Hitchcock idea of camera focus with modern styles used by De Palma. The fact Speilberg is able to manage different styles and trends and not overshoot the film is commendable. It also shows how little thought the filmmakers behind the Star Wars series had. The final compliment for Raiders is that is stays as just entertainment. Lucas wanted people to make a lot out of his special effects, but he also wanted as much attention to the philosophical ideas in place. They mean nothing when told for a story that is both ridiculous and dumb.