Sofa Cinema

Gifts - NEW | Help | Sign in

Hotlists: Rent games; New releases; Coming soon; In cinemas now; Top rated; Most popular; All-time favourites; Divided opinions

Games: DS; GameCube; PS2; PS3; PSP; Wii; Xbox; Xbox 360

Collections: 100 Wild Westerns; 100 Most Wanted; 100 Hot Hits; 100 must-see movies; 100 Big Adventures; 100 Horror Films; 100 Cops & Robbers; 100 Rom-Coms; 100 Swords and Sandals Films

Hi-Def: Blu-ray; HD DVD

Indiana Jones And The Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)

Average rating

(78%)

Starring:	Harrison Ford \| Karen Allen \| Paul Freeman \| John Rhys-Davies \| Denholm Elliott \| Alfred Molina \| Wolf Kahler
Director:	Steven Spielberg
Studio:	PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT (UK)
Run time:	115 mins
Collections:	100 must-see movies \| 100 Swords and Sandals Films
Genres:	Action/Adventure
Languages:	English
Released:	October 20, 2003

Renowned archaeologist and expert in the occult, Indiana Jones is hired by the American government to track down the fabled Ark of the Covenant. But it's a race against time as the Nazis are also after the relic for their own nefarious purposes. Indiana must reunite with old acquaintances and travel from Nepal to Cairo to stop the agents of Hitler from succeeding in their plans.

Screenshots

Highest rated reviews

15 out of 18 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5.0 stars
Snakes! Why'd it have to be snakes?

MiniMinx from Cardiff, 6th November, 2003

The first and definitely the best in the Indiana Jones trilogy, this film has everything to offer. It is the 1930s. Indiana Jones, a lecturer on archaeology and part time adventurer, is told that Hitler is after the lost ark of the covenant, the one that Moses put the 10 commandments into. Naturally the Americans want it first. Never one to pass up a challenge, Indy sets off on a dangerous mission to find it before the evil Nazis. Unlike "The Mummy", this film is not packed full of CGI. As a result, it is more realistic. The storyline is both clever and humorous and the acting is superb. Harrison is rugged and gorgeous and Marion (the love interest) provides adequate eye-candy for the male audience. My particular fave is Jon Rhys Jones playing a jolly Egyptian with a lovely Welsh accent. A Lucas/Spielberg piece of art, this film can quite comfortably be watched repeatedly.

Read all highest rated reviews

Most recent reviews

Rated 4.0 stars
Not as good as i remember it being watching it as a kid, but the esoteric and secret nazi agenda along with other elements of the film make it an iconic work of genii.

sexybeast from from York, 21st July, 2009

This, the first in the Indiana Jones franchise has probably suffered because of it's iconic status. This is one of the films I watched many times as a kid, and I remember being mesmerised by the mystical and magical quality to the film. Thankfully I haven't seen it in a while - although for a while the film was relegated to Sunday afternoons - so I approached the film relatively afresh. In this first one I would have liked to have seen more of indy's mentors and the origins of his training and teaching only hinted at - for instance, knowing some of the things he does is indy an initiate in a secret society? Ford is a brilliant and underated actor in my book. Without him as Indy I don't think the character would have lasted as long, or have been as iconic as it has. The female co-lead character is irritating in that she's so stupid she gets into the foils she does that then endanger indy - but I guess this is the desired response meant to be triggered in the viewer as well as suspense and tension. I always saw indy as a loner, like in Blade Runner, a character who only had noiresque rendezvous's. I think it's important to remember that these films - the main film series - are the best Indiana Jones franchise output, all the stuff thats tagged on. e.g. the young indiana jones episodes. are terrible in comparison. There is a definate Lucas auteur touch to the film in many subtle aspects, not to mention the music and cuts and disolves that are reminiscent of Star Wars. The addition of the rumoured and often mythologised secret Nazi occult and archeological expeditionary agenda is also a rather intrigueing element of the series resulting in fantastic nazi foes.

Read all recent reviews