**Trailblazers of a Lost Art** Little wonder James Cameron and Joss Whelon movies are the biggest box-office earners. They are masters of cinematic rhetoric. The unfolding dramatic situations and controlled dialogue are meticulously contrived. Cameron could probably have potted more if it wasn't for his earnest, simplistic messages (rich bad; nature good). All three movies (_Titanic_, _Avatar_, _Avengers_) plot along comfortably then suddenly spike spectacularly. But no one has ever laid on the cinematic charm and cajolery like Stephen Spielberg. He was by far the craftiest manipulator of action and melodrama there ever was. He was the progenitor of summer blockbusters and all-ages, all-nations spectacles. At his best he had a gift for re-living and realizing that ethereal and irresistible childhood awe. If _Raiders of the Lost Ark_ (NOT the sequels... NO, not even the father- son one) was made today, exactly the same way, okay maybe in 3D with updated CGI, it would surely land at the top of the box-office heap. It is essentially the first comic book movie that wasn't a comic book (bespectacled mild-mannered Archaeology prof by day and globe-trotting whip-wielding action hero on sabbatical). _Raiders of the Lost Ark_ (the first and only) is arguably the greatest adventure movie ever cooked up. And we, the abject audience, servile participants of the artifice, were licking its boots. We wanted Spielberg and his Indy to rope us in, reel us into the action, and completely have their way with us. We overlooked the emotional manipulation and contrived trappings because it was a pure freaking joy to watch, a Lucas produced godsend. Harrison Ford was born to play it just as Steven was born to direct it. It's really too bad they had to brand and knock off inferior sequels that, while making oodles of money, tarnished the shine of the unsurpassed prototype. Indiana Jones was the perfect reluctant action hero on a selfless mission. A whip-snapping, truck-wrangling, swordster-gunning, Nazi- brawling adventurer who was matched only by his headstrong and sassy love interest, one pistol of a gal who could drink any man under the table. Not enough credit has been given to the great Lawrence Kasdan as the writer of this marvellous adventure. The script is as close to perfect as anybody could scribe. Even a dialogue-heavy expository scene (poisoned dates) was infused with a tense element of suspense. Yes, the story was hyper-fictional, completely contrived, shamelessly far-fetched... and altogether delightful. I wasn't expecting much when I went in to watch it back in 1981, but it had me wanting to do do back-flips on the way out. America's own Fab Four, Larry, Steve, Harrison and George, put on an action-adventure clinic. Possibly the only weak spot in the movie is the climax which had our hero and heroine tied to a stake while God, the almighty Mcguffin from the Old Testament, magically wrapped things up for them. "Don't look" Indy warns, with his patented crooked grin. Are you kidding? We can't possibly take out eyes off of this. With respect to lost Teddy Bears from space and anti-Nazi machinators, Raiders is Spielbergs greatest achievement. It is one of the finest films ever made, of its or any kind. It is, hands down, my desert island movie.
I think for a lot of people, Raiders is their favourite (x) movie. Be that their favourite adventure movie, favourite '80s movie, favourite Spielberg movie, whatever. None of those ring true for me, but it is my favourite Indiana Jones movie. I was a mad fiend for Temple of Doom as a kid, and I've managed to make multiple teachers put The Last Crusade on in class, so I'm quite a fan of the franchise, but Raiders is the most enjoyable to me... I've never even seen Crystal Skull... So maybe it's dishonest to say I'm a fan of the franchise... I'm a fan of the trilogy! _Final rating:★★★½ - I really liked it. Would strongly recommend you give it your time._
Good watch, could watch again, and can recommend. For Spielberg's American Alan Quartermaine, I can certainly understand what the hype is about, but I've never been a big fan myself. For starters, Nazis are boring. I'm sure they were all the rage once upon a time as a classic villain, but it doesn't do much for me. Harrison Ford, of course, carries the movie, but Karen Allen plays really well with him throughout the movie and is amazing in her own right. If nothing else, Spielberg is able to shoot a powerful atmosphere, and the movie is captivating and engaging. It's not something I can watch over and over, but when I do watch it I know I'm going to get drawn in and have a great time.
5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My favorite action film of all time due to one of the most iconic death scenes at the end being my personal favorite and being featured in my melt movie lists on many different websites!!!
This is trailblazing stuff - a great action film in the vein of earlier Technicolor swashbucklers. Harrison Ford is engaging and hugely charismatic and his battles with Karen Allen and Paul Freeman make for a considered, slightly dark but funny and memorable piece of cinema. So many great films have a depth in the cast that offers a multi-layered approach to storytelling. Spielberg cast John Rhys-Davies and Denholm Elliott excellently as Ford's stalwarts. John Williams has a golden baton when it comes to action-scores (akin to Korngold) and the story clearly has a tint of George Lucas' imagination to it. Historically, there is plenty of fiction but that spoils nothing. Not the best of the series, but a very good start...
Mild-mannered Clark Kent works as a reporter at the Daily Planet alongside his crush: Lois Lane. Clark must summon his superhero alter-ego when the nefarious Lex Luthor launches a plan to take over the world.
In a bold coup a Palestinian terrorist group captures the yacht Rosebud and kidnaps the millionaires five daughters on it. At first they demand film clips to be shown on major European TV stations. Undercover agent Martin is hired to hunt the terrorists down.
Rick and Evelyn O’Connell, along with their 8-year-old son Alex, discover the key to the legendary Scorpion King’s might: the fabled Bracelet of Anubis. Unfortunately, a newly resurrected Imhotep has designs on the bracelet as well, and isn’t above kidnapping its new bearer, Alex, to gain control of Anubis’s otherworldly army.
During World War II, Steve Rogers is a sickly man from Brooklyn who's transformed into super-soldier Captain America to aid in the war effort. Rogers must stop the Red Skull – Adolf Hitler's ruthless head of weaponry, and the leader of an organization that intends to use a mysterious device of untold powers for world domination.
In the midst of the D-Day invasion, a group of US soldiers are given orders to smuggle a member of the French Resistance behind enemy lines to assassinate a high-value Nazi target.
Every year, over a thousand climbers try to reach the summit of Mount Everest, with the annual record for successful attempts currently standing at 633. But of that number, nearly half were Sherpas - the mountain's unsung heroes. Yet the Sherpa community has remained secretive about their nation, culture and experiences living in the shadow of the world's highest mountain. Now, for the first time, they open the door into their world. Without the expertise of the Sherpas, only the hardiest and most skilful climbers would succeed. Every day they risk their lives for the safety of others, yet they seek neither glory nor reward, preferring to stay in the background. Following the stories of four such Sherpas - Phurba, Ngima, Ngima Tenji and Gelu - this film reveals the reality of their daily lives, not just up the mountain, but with their families after they return home.
Seven adventurers embark on an expedition in the world's most hostile environment, The Arctic. Starting from the Southernmost peninsula of Spitsbergen Svalbard, they travel to the Northernmost part of the Island lasting for 40 days.
The story of British officer T.E. Lawrence's mission to aid the Arab tribes in their revolt against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. Lawrence becomes a flamboyant, messianic figure in the cause of Arab unity but his psychological instability threatens to undermine his achievements.
Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer journeys to the Himalayas without his family to head an expedition in 1939. But when World War II breaks out, the arrogant Harrer falls into Allied forces' hands as a prisoner of war. He escapes with a fellow detainee and makes his way to Llaso, Tibet, where he meets the 14-year-old Dalai Lama, whose friendship ultimately transforms his outlook on life.
A robust adventure about two British adventurers who take over primitive Kafiristan as "godlike" rulers, meeting a tragic end through their desire for a native girl. Based on a short story by Rudyard Kipling.
Chander Pahar follows Shankar Choudhury, a 20 year-old that takes a job working for the Uganda Railway, and winds up quitting his job in search of diamonds and the Kenya's Mountain of the Moon. Based on the popular Bengali adventure novel of the same name.