Most viewers are powerless to resist the kinetic pleasures of this endlessly inventive action adventure.
Comment
07/30/03
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
94
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:47
Fresh:44
Rotten:3
Average Rating:8.8/10
Consensus: Featuring bravura set pieces, sly humor, and white-knuckle action, Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the most consummately entertaining adventure pictures of all time.
Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
US Box Office: $0
Synopsis: Action-packed and adventure-filled, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK is director Steven Spielberg's loving homage to the Saturday matinee cliffhanger serials of his childhood. When the Allies discover the... [More]
Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey
Director: Steven Spielberg
Reviews for Raiders of the Lost Ark
Splendid.
03/04/08
One of the best films -- if not THEE best film -- ever made!
04/11/03
Ford, in a career-minting performance, plays what would've been a cardboard cut-out in the 1930s as grubby, coy, impertinent, imperfect, phobic of snakes and agnostic (describing the Ark's magic as "the power of God or something").
01/01/00
Top CriticThe film that enchanted a generation and made Ford an action hero.
03/20/03
You'd have to be a heathen to argue with the fact that Raiders of the Lost Ark stands as the best action-adventure movie ever made.
10/18/03
Imaginitive set pieces and a quick pace make this a wonderful debut for the series.
07/02/03
Justifiably one of the most indelible adventure films in cinematic history...
05/26/08
This film was also not only the subject of my very first movie review, but also the reason why I started reading movie reviews in newspapers and paying attention what the critics actually think about movies.
01/01/00
Vastly entertaining, Spielberg's adventure herladed a new breed of Hollywood blockbuster (and event film), a tale that combines classic Hollywood story-telling, playful postmodern sensibility and spectacular stunts presented in rapid-fire pacing.
03/08/08
Spielberg's and Lucas's collaborative rip-roaring adventure story with a hero of epic proportions makes this film one of the best screen entertainments of 1981.
01/24/02
Whether you swallow it or not, see it for a handful of totally unexpected visual jokes, worth the price of admission alone.
06/24/06
This is the kind of movie that, even today, audiences immediately fall in love with. It has all the right ingredients: a smart script, a likable hero, a dash of romance, more than a touch of comedy, and a lot of fast-paced action.
11/06/03
Throughout the film, Spielberg evokes the kind of armchair-clutching action sequences that remind us why they're called motion pictures.
10/27/03
Allows for a certain worldliness, cautiousness, and darkness in Indy's character. He's far from reckless or noble.
03/26/03
Lost Ark holds up for many reasons, not least of which is because of Spielberg's consummate skill as a visual storyteller and his ability to draw charged performances from his actors.
05/21/08
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a wonderful movie. The good news for exhibitors is that it's also one of those rollercoaster-like movies that people will be lining up for again and again.
06/05/02
Astounding movie packed with non-stop action, stunts galore, an interesting story line, great one-liners, a solid cast, a catchy musical score, and all the fun and adventure that you could squeeze into a two-hour thrill ride.
01/01/00
Watching Raiders of the Lost Ark again on the big screen I was again reminded how summer films were once thoroughly entertaining and fulfilling.
08/21/01
...despite the fast pace, the movie is never frenetic or tiring, just pure, unadulterated fun throughout.
05/07/08
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