45 Years Later, Raiders Of The Lost Ark Is Still The Greatest Action Movie Ever

The release of a new Steven Spielberg movie is always cause for celebration. He is, after all, the man who helped invent the modern blockbuster and redefine action cinema for generations of viewers. Disclosure Day, his 35th feature film, sees Spielberg returning to the mold he helped shape, with a big-budget, high-concept sci-fi adventure with a plot being kept secret, and it’s fitting that Spielberg will reclaim his blockbuster crown 45 years after the release of not only his best film, but the greatest action movie in Hollywood history.

Picking the best Spielberg movie should be harder, given that he’s made Jaws, E.T., Schindler's List, and Jurassic Park. But truly, it's Raiders of the Lost Ark that reigns supreme. As a display of pure technical craft combined with character, action, and sheer movie magic, the film that introduced the world to Indiana Jones is nigh-on unbeatable. If bureaucrats had to show the aliens in Disclosure Day one movie so good that it would save humanity from destruction, they’d pick Raiders.

Spielberg and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan wanted to make something inspired by the B-movies and adventure serials of the 1930s and '40s, a time of Zorro and Flash Gordon. They were eager to make something classically appealing, action-packed, and full of derring-do. Their lead character would be a heroic archaeologist who was part Clint Eastwood, part Toshiro Mifune, and part James Bond, while the plot would revolve around the hunt for the Ark of the Covenant, the mythic chest said to contain the stone tablets on which Moses delivered the Ten Commandments to humanity. And because all the best movies do it, the bad guys would be the Nazis.

It’s easy to fall into listing Raiders’ best qualities. It’s a film so loaded with iconic moments and startlingly good filmmaking that critics and fans alike have spent the past 45 years trying to understand its magic. Spielberg is the king of the action set-piece, whether it’s that legendary opening scene showing Indy recovering a golden idol or his escape onto the Nazi submarine. Watch any rip-off or wannabe Spielberg, and you’ll understand just how hard it is to do what he does, even as he makes it seem effortless. You never lose sight of the drama, no matter how heated and kinetic the action gets. There’s no shaky cam or poor lighting here. Every punch feels real, each threat palpable. When blood is sprayed, you wince.

The film is a loving homage to those classic serials, but it’s also a savvy update with a sharp eye for comedy, romance, and darkness. Indy, as played by Harrison Ford, is devastatingly smart and handsome, but also kind of a klutz whose reverence for history gets him in trouble. His love interest, Marion Ravenwood, is his equal, not a wilting damsel in distress. Every side character is loaded with personality. The blend of practical effects, stunt work, and early but still-polished VFX has aged remarkably well (certainly better than The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’s CGI). The entire production, from opening shot to closing shot, is as precise as a Swiss watch.

But the brilliance of the film also lies in its happy accidents. We all know the story of Harrison Ford getting too sick to film a big swordfight, leading to him just shooting the goon instead, but think of the moment where Indy is confronted by Belloq, the rival archaeologist who’s aligned himself with the Nazis in the search for the Ark. Paul Freeman is already excellent as a smarmy pseudo-intellectual who has no qualms about working with fascists. His unnerving malice is emphasized when a fly enters Freeman’s mouth, and he just keeps going. Is this man so evil that he can consume an insect and be unbothered? It’s a great beat that never could have been planned.

It’s hard to make lightning strike twice. The next two Indiana Jones films are fine but flawed, and the 21st-century installments are, to put it mildly, divisive. Spielberg retained his ambition and keen eye for mainstream appeal throughout the decades, but he’s never surpassed the delicate balance and propulsive force of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Still, we appreciate Spielberg for refusing to rest on his laurels. Disclosure Day is certainly a reminder of what we’ve been missing in the blockbuster age shaped by his legacy.

Raiders of the Lost Ark is streaming on Disney+.