Raiders of the Lost Ark has had a lasting impact on popular culture. It is considered a touchstone of modern cinema, creating a film framework still emulated by other films.[51][168] Spielberg has said he considers it the most perfect film of the series because he never wanted to modify it or change anything about it.[51]
Ford's performance led to his casting in the 1982 science fiction cult classic film Blade Runner.[33][169] Kasdan became one of the most in-demand writers in Hollywood, and helped write Lucas' Star Wars sequel, The Empire Strikes Back (1980).[12][78] Despite opening new opportunities for Allen, she expressed disappointment with the film because her character was motivated more by her relationship with Jones and financial gain than with her father and his obsession with the Ark. She unsuccessfully lobbied for rewrites to address this and explore her character further.[12][54] Even so, Allen affirmed that many women and girls had appreciated and been inspired by her character. Forty years after the film's release, Allen affirmed she still received positive feedback from young women.[40] Shortly after the film's release, Stanley Rader and Robert Kuhn filed a lawsuit against the filmmakers for $210 million alleging the film was based on Ark, a screenplay and unpublished novel by Kuhn. The outcome of this lawsuit is unknown.[170]
The film led to an increase in students studying archaeology, and many modern archaeologists have cited the film as an inspiration. Rhys-Davies said he had met over 150 lecturers, professors, and archaeologists who told him their interest in the field began with the film.[23] The original Indiana Jones costume hat and jacket were stored indiscriminately after filming, at Lucas' Skywalker Ranch, until 2012. Nadoolman Landis recovered the items to be exhibited as part of a Hollywood costume display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.[62]
Cultural impact
Fans dressed as Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood in 2011 at the San Diego Comic-Con InternationalIn 1999, the United States Library of Congress selected the film to be preserved in the National Film Registry for being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.[171][172] Assessing the film's legacy in 1997, Bernard Weinraub, opined "the decline in the traditional family G-rated film, for 'general' audiences, probably began..." with Raiders of the Lost Ark. He continued, "whether by accident or design... the filmmakers made a comic nonstop action film intended mostly for adults but also for children".[173] Lucas' frequent collaborator Gary Kurtz said that Raiders of the Lost Ark marked the turning point where Lucas became convinced that audiences cared more about "the roller-coaster ride" than the story.[174]
Several authors and filmmakers have spoken of their appreciation for Raiders of the Lost Ark or cited it as an inspiration in their own careers, including Chris Carter,[168] Simon Kinberg, Jon Turteltaub,[175] Dan Brown,[176] and Joe Johnston. The experience had an explicit influence on Johnston's directorial effort Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), including character designs.[28][168] Director Steven Soderbergh released a black-and-white edit of the film in 2014, removing all the original sounds, intending for viewers to focus on Spielberg's staging and editing.[177] During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was among the action films director James Gunn recommended people watch, and one of the 35 films recommended by The Independent.[178][179]
The film has inspired or been referenced in other media including film,[180][181] television shows, and video games.[176][180] Between 1982 and 1989, in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, children Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala, and Jayson Lamb made an amateur remake of the film, Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation. Spielberg congratulated the trio on their accomplishment.[182]
Critical reassessment
Raiders of the Lost Ark is considered one of the greatest films ever made.[183][184][185][186] As part of his The Great Movies series, Ebert said while the special effects had not aged well, they were perfect for this type of film. He concluded it was a "whiz-bang slamarama" made with "heedless joy".[1] The British Film Institute called it one of the 10 greatest action films of all time, saying "for all its barnstorming staging and boy's-own-adventure larks, it's refreshing Indy's greatest foil comes in three dimensions ... the hard-drinking, wise-cracking, upstagingly brilliant Karen Allen".[186] A 2014 poll of 2,120 entertainment-industry members by The Hollywood Reporter ranked it the thirteenth best film ever made.[184] It is also listed in the film reference book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.[181]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 93% approval rating from the aggregated reviews of 152 critics, with an average rating of 9.3/10. The consensus reads, "Featuring bravura set pieces, sly humor, and white-knuckle action, Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the most consummately entertaining adventure pictures of all time."[187] The film has a score of 86 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 15 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[188] In 2005, the Writers Guild of America's (WGA) listed the film's screenplay as the forty-second greatest screenplay of the preceding 75 years on their 101 Greatest Screenplays list.[189][190] Empire listed the film at number two on its 2008 list of the 500 Greatest Movies of All Time, behind the 1972 crime film The Godfather. They said, "no adventure movie is quite so efficiently entertaining".[183] In 1997, the American Film Institute (AFI) ranked Raiders number 60 on its 100 Years...100 Movies list recognizing the best American films. They reassessed to number 66 in the 2007 anniversary edition.[191] On the AFI's list of the 100 Best Thrills, the film was ranked number 10,[192] and the 2003 list of the 100 Best Heroes & Villains ranked the Indiana Jones character as the number two hero, behind Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).[193]
Several publications have ranked it as one of the greatest films of all time, including number two by Empire,[183] number five by Time Out,[194] and number 19 by MSN.[195] It has also appeared on lists of the best action films, including number two by IGN,[185] number nine by Time Out[196] (down from number two in an earlier ranking[197]) and number 11 by The Guardian[198] and The Telegraph.[199] IGN also named it the best action film of the 1980s.[200] Rotten Tomatoes and Esquire have labeled it one of the greatest adventure films.[201][202]
Channel 4 viewers in the United Kingdom ranked Raiders as the 20th best family film of all time in 2005.[203] In the 2010s, Empire magazine readers named it the seventh-best film of all time,[204] and it was ranked the sixteenth best film of all time, based on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes user votes and critical ratings.[205] Readers of the Los Angeles Times voted it the number one summer film, ahead of competition including Jaws and Alien (1979).[206]
A 2013 episode of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory ("The Raiders Minimization") argues that Jones accomplishes nothing in Raiders, as the Nazis would have eventually found the Ark, opened it, and died regardless of Jones' actions. An essay by Esquire's Matt Pomroy agreed, with the caveat that Marion would have almost certainly died at Toht's hands, and the Ark would have been flown to Germany on the Flying Wing and opened for Hitler, likely killing him. However, Jones' involvement ensures the Americans secure the Ark, preventing the Germans from using it.[207][208]
