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Raiders of the Lost Ark

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Raiders of the Lost Ark

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• Adventure
• Action

• 1981
• Steven Spielberg
• 110 mins
• PG

Summary

Action adventure starring Harrison Ford and Karen Allen. Indiana Jones's outrageous exploits take him around the world in search of the legendary Ark of the Covenant, a religious artefact of unspeakable power wanted by the Nazis. With the help of an old flame, Indy takes on his enemies in a terrifying and death-defying battle to the finish.

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IMDB

Review

A star rating of 5 out of 5.

Alan Jones

Executive producer George Lucas and director Steven Spielberg minted fresh excitement from the cliffhanger serials of their youth in this breathless fantasy extravaganza. Hold on tight, because it starts at full throttle and never lets up as unorthodox archaeologist Indiana Jones (a part that fits Harrison Ford like a glove) searches Egypt for the fabled Ark of the Covenant and finds himself up to his neck in booby-trapped caves, snake chambers, Nazi spies, religious demons and even a spot of romance. The brilliantly evocative 1930s-set saga treats all the old clichés as if they've just been newly minted, and adds dazzling special effects to craft a wonderful action yarn that rattles along with wit, invention and the raw spirit of true adventure. The climactic unleashing of the artefact's awesome holy fire remains a spine-tingling masterwork of visual-effects ingenuity and dramatic force. No surprise then that one of the four Oscars this fabulous production picked up was for visual effects (the others were for art direction, sound and editing). The cast, including Karen Allen, Denholm Elliott, John Rhys-Davies and Paul Freeman (as the smoothest villain imaginable), doesn't put a foot wrong in this definitive action masterpiece, and storyteller Spielberg is at the height of his powers, delighting the imagination with terrific eye-grazing tableaux, nail-biting tension and engaging characters.

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8.4/10

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Streaming

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• Sky Store

Credits

Cast

rolenameIndiana JonesHarrison FordMarion RavenwoodKaren AllenBelloqPaul FreemanTohtRonald LaceySallahJohn Rhys-DaviesBrodyDenholm ElliottDietrichWolf KahlerGoblerAnthony HigginsSatipoAlfred MolinaBarranca / Monkey manVic TablianColonel MusgroveDon FellowsMajor EatonWilliam HootkinsGiant Sherpa / Big German mechanicPat RoachImamTutte LemkowSwordsmanTerry RichardsPilotFrank MarshallKatangaGeorge Harris (2)

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Crew

rolenameDirectorSteven Spielberg

Details

Theatrical distributor

Paramount

Released on

2012-09-21

Languages

English | English | Arabic | German | Nepali | Hebrew | Spanish

Guidance

Violence, swearing

Available on

video, DVD and Blu-ray

Formats

Colour

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