It was a blast!
The newspaper ad was booooring -- the first time I watched the movie I went under duress. But I was glad I did!
Those who hadn't seen the movie probably got sick of it because the rest us could not stop talking about Raiders of the Lost Ark. I remember taking a friend from Red Rock Bible Camp to see the flick for the first time. "So what did you like about Raiders?" I asked when it was all over. He came up with a really pedestrian scene. He had already heard about all the good stuff ad nausem in lineups, in the kitchen, in the chapel, in the cabin -- you name it. It was all Raiders all the time.
But I'm sure he had a good time.
Later every Video Store had to have copies of Raiders or they did not stay in business. I lost count of how many times I saw that movie. Those were the pan-and-scan days -- lots of fun.
When Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom came out the movie was a bitter disappointment. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was almost as bad. By the time people were complaining about the refrigerator scene in Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull the love affair was long over. By then we had The Terminator and Robocop. There were other movie characters to love.
Another wp link: This pretty much sums up what I think of Harrison Ford these days.
I think I can beat your friend's experience. I wasn't allowed to watch Raiders of the Lost Arc until the 1990s. By that time, I had heard everyone talk about it at school for years, and I had already read the book. There was nothing left to spoil about that movie.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet, what great action scenes, huh?
That face melting scene in particular was something I heard described on the playground ad naseum before I ever got a chance to see that movie. It sure made an impression on the kids of the 1980s.
ReplyDeleteIn the summer of 1981 everyone who'd seen Raiders of the Lost Ark HAD to talk about it. People who hadn't seen the flick must've got tired of this.
ReplyDeleteGreat action scenes, like you say. I used to rent the movie at video stores just for the fights.
I began the first Uncharted video game and was surprised by how much destruction there was of the archaeology scene. Archaeology ain't what it used to be!
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