Rent Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

The First & Best - Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark review by GI

The first and the best of the Indiana Jones franchise and even if there had been no sequels this would still stand out as one of the great Boys Own action adventure films of all time. Because it's so familiar it's often a film that gets overlooked when considering some family viewing but it really is so good it will continue to excite and enthral for years to come even those that have seen it many times. Although intended by writer and producer George Lucas to be reminiscent of the Saturday serials he enjoyed as a child and to be enjoyed by all ages it is a surprisingly bloody film with blood squib gunshot wounds and some very brutal fistfights and director Steven Spielberg included some horror film style deaths to really up the ante. A short recap: Adventurer archaeologist Professor 'Indiana' Jones (Harrison Ford) is hired by US Intelligence to try and acquire the Ark of The Covenant before the Nazis get ahold of it. Along the way he reunites with his old flame Marion (Karen Allen) and has to go to some desperate measures to get it. The film has some really iconic scenes not least the opening tomb raiding in South America, the chase sequence with the truck and the death of the sabre twirling warrior in the Cairo market. The film has magic, comedy and a nice romance chucked in. It's still a masterpiece and if you only watch one from the series then make it this one.

Family Adventure - Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark review by Steve

The extreme violence is the only sensible reservation to the status of Steven Spielberg's classic adventure as the ultimate family blockbuster. Including the startling body count. Its success is partly due to the lavish production; another level from anything similar in Hollywood's deep history. And it's way better than the many sequels.

This quality is unrecognisable from the old time serials which were its inspiration. There's the dense atmosphere of the sumptuous photography, the rich, evocative set design and period costumes. And the famous music score. There are state of the art special effects, stunts and action sequences, all without a flicker of cartoonish CGI.

The casting of Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones is another bullseye. He's the pre-WWII archeologist/adventurer in a quest for some ancient, arcane MacGuffin, while skirmishing with grotesque Nazis and on-off romancing feisty Karen Allen. Plus he gets to wear the legendary screen outfit.

 Any kid blessed with a strong stomach and not easily scared, will love this... But as an action film for an adult audience, it eventually falters because there isn't much interest in the overarching narrative and the many cliffhangers arouse diminishing returns. The best precedes the opening titles. Make sure you see this before you are 16!