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Raiders of the Lost Ark

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Emily Tsiao

Movie Review

Travel back with me, if you will, to June 12, 1981. Ronald Reagan was president. Major League Baseball was on strike. And a film titled Raiders of the Lost Ark hit the silver screen.

Featuring the now-iconic character Indiana Jones, the film has grossed more than $248 million in its lifetime. It was followed by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in 1984, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989 and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008, bringing the franchise total to just shy of a billion dollars.

But now that the fifth film in the franchise, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, is set to release at the end of this month, Fathom Events is re-releasing Raiders of the Lost Ark. And for two nights only, June 4 and June 7, audiences can head to theaters to see the flick on the big screen once again.

Raiders is set in 1936. It tells the story of how Dr. Jones (a “professor of archaeology,” “expert on the occult” and “obtainer of rare antiquities,” he’s called) races against the Nazis to locate the lost Ark of the Covenant.

Yes, Indy tells us, that Ark of the Covenant. The one built to house the stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments. The one from the Bible.

Though World War II hasn’t officially commenced, Hitler and the Nazis want to use the rumored power of the Ark to solidify their reign in Germany (and the rest of the world).

Indy says he doesn’t believe in magic or religious superstition. He’s in it for the history, adventure and professional competition (since the Nazis have hired Indy’s rival, a ruthless French archeologist and fellow treasure hunter named Belloq, to help them find the artifact). It doesn’t hurt that there’s a nice cash payout, too.

Indy teams up with his friend Sallah (a laborer working undercover at Belloq’s dig site) and his old flame, Marion (whose father spent his life searching for the Ark). And soon they’re involved in swordfights, car chases and what might be the greatest archaeological discovery in history.

Positive Elements

Friends risk their lives to help each other. Marion helps tend a few of Indy’s wounds in one scene.

Indy goes through a brief crisis of identity regarding the Ark’s fate. On the one hand, he wants to be the man who discovers the artifact and what’s inside. On the other, he knows that the Ark deserves a certain level of respect (even though he claims he doesn’t believe in the religious aspects) and may even be better off unfound.

In the end, he says that it’s more important to protect the Ark from being misused than trumpeting the biggest archaeological discovery of all time.

Spiritual Elements

Indy and his friends do, in fact, find the lost Ark of the Covenant. And based on what I’ve read in Exodus about the appearance of the Ark, I’d say the set designers did a pretty good job of recreating it as a prop for this movie.

A few characters incorrectly assume that the rumored power of the Ark comes from the religious artifact itself. (Though an Egyptian pharaoh did write about honoring the Ark’s Hebrew God.) A few even advise Indy not to pursue it. They reference biblical passages, religious history and describe it as an object of death.

The subsequent events of the film certainly lend credence to those claims: A storm brews over the location of the Ark; a rat is influenced by an unseen power coming from it; a Nazi swastika is burned off the wooden box into which the Ark is placed into for transport.

Belloq believes the Ark will act as a “radio” of sorts to God. He dons the traditional garb of a Hebrew priest (again, as described in the Bible) and performs an elaborate ceremony before removing the Ark’s cover. Inside, rather than the tablets Moses brought down from Mount Sinai, he finds sand. However, a glowing mist soon emerges from the Ark followed by ghostly, violent spirits. (Which I’ll say more about in Violent Content.)

An Indigenous tribe bows in worship to a golden idol (and research says this idol represents a fertility goddess). Several acts of superstition take place.

Sexual Content

When Indy first encounters Marion, his old girlfriend, she’s angry at him. We’re never told exactly what happened, but the implication is that she fell in love with him when she was very young (a “child” by her own accusation) and then Indy ditched her without word or reason.

However, the pair reignites their old flame. They kiss several times. And it’s implied they probably did more than kiss since Marion wakes in Indy’s bed covered only by blankets with her bare shoulders visible. Marion also pecks Sallah (who helps them escape Cairo) on the lips to thank him. Sallah then kisses one of his male friends on the cheek in his elation, singing a song of celebration.

In one scene, Marion is forced to wear a dress by her kidnapper (who ogles her and makes unwanted advances). He watches her change clothes through a mirror (and we see her exposed back as she changes her garments). Later, Marion is provided another revealing dress from a different man. She notes that the dress has probably been worn by other women traveling with him. Several men treat Marion as an object for possession rather than a person. One man states a plan to sell her, though that threat turns out to be a ploy to protect her from Nazis.

Indy is chased through a jungle by several Indigenous men wearing only loincloths (and we see a few of their mostly bare rears during the chase). We briefly see up a woman’s skirt when she falls (nothing critical is seen). Indy is seen shirtless in a few scenes.

Several young women in Indy’s archaeology class stare at him dreamily. Indy is shocked to see one young lady has written “Love You” on her eyelids.

Violent Content

Many fistfights, swordfights and gunfights that take place. Oftentimes people are killed, accompanied by spurts of blood. One man dies when a plane’s propeller hits him (it happens offscreen, but surrounding objects are showered with blood).

Nazi soldiers often fare poorly during a lengthy chase scene. Some are knocked off moving trucks, some are run over, and a few fall to their deaths when their vehicle is accidentally driven off a cliff.

Indy finds the skeleton of an old rival impaled by booby-trap spikes. Someone leaves him to die in another trap. Indy escapes but then finds the traitor shish kebabbed—and quite bloodily so—by another set of spikes. A man is shot with several poisonous darts. A woman finds herself covered in skeletons after falling into a tomb.

A building is set on fire. Several explosions take place (sometimes killing people). A man poisons some dates, intending to kill Indy but inadvertently kills his pet monkey instead. Another man burns his hand, branding himself, on a metal medallion caught in a fire. Marion is often manhandled by Nazis. And one Nazi threatens to torture her several times, even holding a red-hot iron close to her skin.

Indy uses his whip to stop several would-be assassins. However, when his whip or fists won’t do, he has no problem shooting his assailants. A man is knocked out with a frying pan. Marion punches Indy a few times. Indy is nearly crushed by a giant rolling stone. Several snakes are killed with fire. Marion accidentally burns Indy.

As mentioned above, the spirits that emerge from the Ark of the Covenant quickly and horrifyingly attack those present. Belloq becomes a sort of conduit for the Ark’s power, striking down all but two of the Nazis with lightning. The faces of the remaining two melt off, and Belloq explodes. Fire then pours out of the Ark, consuming the bodies of the dead and sucking them into a hole that has opened in the sky above them. The events conclude after the area has been purged (save Indy and Marion, who are spared because they keep their eyes shut during the encounter, likely a reference to Genesis 32:30), and the Ark’s heavy cover slams shut again.

Crude or Profane Language

God’s name is misused five times (twice paired with “d–n”). We hear a single use of the s-word as well as a use of the German equivalent. There are singular uses of “b–tard,” “b–ch” and “d–mit,” and two uses of “h—.”

Drug and Alcohol Content

Before Indy recruits Marion, she’s running a bar in Nepal. She and a local man compete in a drinking competition (and she wins when the man passes out and tips over backward). In another scene, she attempts to get her kidnapper drunk so she can make her escape. Indy imbibes heavily after the death of a friend. People drink throughout the film.

Several characters smoke cigarettes, cigars and hookahs. Marion blows smoke into a Nazi’s face, causing him to cough.

Other Negative Elements

Although archaeology is presented here in a positive light—as a way to preserve artifacts and learn more about history—it can’t be denied that Indy and his colleagues often make their discoveries through deception and theft. (And they also like to steal found artifacts from each other.)

There are a few jump scares and frightening scenarios that take place. In one scene, Indy and a colleague find themselves covered in tarantulas. In another, several people are thrown into a pit of poisonous snakes (though they remain unharmed and escape).

A few Nazis and Nazi supporters (including the pet monkey of one man) perform the Nazi salute, stating “Heil Hitler!” One Nazi says he’s uncomfortable with a Jewish ritual (though this is apparently because of his racism, not from a difference of beliefs). Someone steals a horse. We hear about pirates.

Conclusion

Like many films from the ’80s, Raiders of the Lost Ark would almost certainly receive a PG-13 rating from the MPA if it was released today—something that any family that’s unfamiliar with this film should keep in mind.

There are a couple of uses of the s-word and a few abuses of God’s name paired with another expletive. Indy and Marion get pretty sensual in a few scenes. And as a woman, I got uncomfortable at times with the casual objectification of Marion.

Then there’s the violence. If you’ve seen the face-melting scene and know where it is, then you might be able to skip it if sharing with your kids. But I was shocked at how much blood we see in other parts of the movie. People drop left and right, and each gunshot is seemingly accompanied by a bucketful of fake red ooze.

I’m also a little saddened that a film driven so strongly by a Hebrew artifact doesn’t have a stronger God presence. He’s mentioned, perhaps even subtly revered, but it’s clear the filmmakers weren’t trying to drive audiences to church. Still, when the Ark is opened, one could argue that something approximating His righteous wrath is unleashed upon those foolish enough to think that they can harness His power for evil ends.

I remember watching the Indiana Jones flicks with my dad growing up. These stories offered a fun bonding moment. But looking back on Raiders now, I also remember having nightmares about melting faces, hearts getting ripped from chests (courtesy of Temple of Doom) and a guy getting turned into a skeleton after drinking from the wrong Holy Grail (Last Crusade).

The Indiana Jones franchise as a whole epitomizes the action/adventure genre, thanks to breakneck stories, Harrison Ford’s undeniable appeal and John Williams’ classic soundtrack.

For all of that, however, it’s important to remember that this recently rereleased classic definitely isn’t appropriate for all ages.

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Emily Tsiao

Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.