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Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Ark

In 1936, Indiana Jones is in South America attempting to recover a gold idol from an ancient temple. He maneuvers past all of the booby traps, and succeeds in switching the idol for a bag of sand…or so he thinks. The bag is not the precise weight of the idol, and sets off a chain reaction, which culminates in the famous boulder-chase scene. His guide had tricked him into giving him the idol, which he then runs with. Luckily, the guide gets skewered on the way out, so Jones picks up the idol and makes it out of the temple safely, only to run into dozens of angry natives. His long-time rival, French archaeologist Rene Belloq, has gathered the force and easily claims the idol for his own.

Back in the states, Dr. Jones (a prominent history professor and renowned archaeologist) has been charged by the U.S. government with recovering the Ark of the Covenant. Army intel has indicated that Nazis are digging frantically around Cairo, supposedly in search of the Ark. The daughter of one of Indy's former professors holds the key to the exact location of the Ark. After a stop in Nepal to retrieve the key (and afterwards being forced to take the daughter along), Indy sets out for Africa. It is apparent that Marion (the daughter) and Indy are well acquainted, and that she does not hold a favorable opinion of him.

Marion is kidnapped by the Nazis (who were also looking to recover the key), and it is obvious that they have recruited Rene Belloq to recover and harness the energy of the Ark. Indy makes it to the Ark first, but it is stolen "in trade" for Marion. The Nazis take the Ark to a controlled island to test its power, and Indy and Marion follow to attempt to get it back. They are captured, but when Belloq releases the power, Indy tells Marion not to look. They are the only two spared from the killing energy of the Ark.

It's a wonderfully cheesy 80s action flick. It won four Oscars and was nominated for five more. It is disappointing that "not looking" is the key to survival, but well-worth it all the same.

Written by: Tracy Elledge

Reviewers Rating: 9
Reader's Rating: 9.50
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