Raiders of the Lost Ark has great action, adventure, and comedy but the ending was sorely disappointing. Every single Nazi, including the main "villains" of the film, are not killed by Indiana Jones but by the Ark itself, while Indiana is tied to a log. Sure, it squeezed in a little sci-fi but the audience wants to watch the hero do the killing. Still, Raiders of the Lost Ark is the first of the Indiana Jones movies: It may not be the best, but it started them off.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.