On second thought, it is the years. Thirty of ‘em, to be exact.
Tomorrow, in addition to being the (number redacted)th birthday of my hetero life mate, Kevin Dilmore, will also mark the 30th anniversary of one of the most fan-damned-tastic movies ever to grace the silver screen. If you just raised your hands and yelled, “Clash of the Titans!” then you are summarily banished from this blog and forbidden for all time to return. Release the Kraken on that, bitches.
Instead, we’re talking about Raiders of the Lost Ark, which premiered on June 12th 1981, and let us know in no uncertain terms that “if adventure has a name, it’s Indiana Jones.” Give it up for the doctor himself:
Harrison Ford, fresh from his second turn as Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back, is Indy Jones, by golly. He struts around on the screen with that lived-in leather bomber jacket, canvas goodie bag, bullwhip and pistol, three-days’ beard growth, and…of course, THE HAT. The hat — which for but one brief moment of weakness at the start of the film proceeds to defy all known laws of physics, always staying atop Indy’s dome as our hero jumps chasms, swings into rivers, gets punched, kicked, thrown into ditches, and beaten all to shit by Nazis and ex-girlfriends with full-length mirrors and no situational awareness — was and still is a symbol of bad-assitude with few equals. In fact, I’d bet real money that if Jim Croce were alive when Raiders was released, he would’ve revised the chorus to “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim” thusly:
You don’t tug on Superman’s cape
You don’t spit into the wind
You don’t fuck around with Ol’ Doctor Jones’ hat
And you don’t mess around with Jim
:: ahem ::
With the exception of just a few minor nitpicky flaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark is and remains one mighty fine roller coaster ride of a movie. Damn-near perfectly paced, it just oozes Awesome with wonderful cinematography, a fun story that doesn’t take itself too seriously, great actors chewing beautiful scenery, and a superb, immersive soundtrack featuring a main theme that has become synonymous with “Hold onto your ass, because this is gonna get crazy!” I think it still stands toe-to-toe with a lot of crap that’s come along since, including a couple of its own sequels.
I know what I’m watching tomorrow. What say you?
