Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark Steven Spielberg

Critical response

Raiders of the Lost Ark was released to general critical acclaim.[26][33] The National Board of Review and critic Vincent Canby listed it as one of the ten best films of the year.[99][100] Canby labeled the film an "instant classic" and one of the most humorous and stylish American films ever made. He described it as having refined the old serial films into their most perfect form for a modern audience.[16] Roger Ebert called it a series of "breathless and incredible" adventures inspired by and celebrating childhood stories told in comic books and movies. He concluded the film was successful in its singular goal of entertaining, creating an adventure epic in the vein of Star Wars, the James Bond films, and Superman.[101] Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, Arthur Knight said a constant stream of thrills kept the film moving at a steady pace.[102] Writing for Variety, Stephen Klain called the film "exhilarating escapist entertainment". He continued that the film successfully balanced action, comedy, and suspense with mystical mythologies.[6] Michael Sragow described it as the "ultimate Saturday action matinee".[103] Gene Siskel said it was as entertaining as a "commercial movie" could be, the kind of film that makes children excited about cinema.[104]

Richard Schickel called it a return to form for Spielberg, demonstrating a competence not seen since Jaws.[20] He described it as a film Walt Disney would have made were he still alive, featuring an "enchanting" combination of fantasy and cinematic movement.[43] Stanley Kauffmann said while the film's thrills did work on him, the frequency eventually irritated him. He criticized the film's reliance on nostalgia and updating older films instead of innovating new ideas.[105] Pauline Kael was critical of the film, saying Lucas and Spielberg had thought like marketers in creating a film that would appeal to the broadest masses. Kael said though Raiders was a sophisticated update of older serials, avoiding cliches with clever editing, it was too focused on surpassing each previous action spectacle to the detriment of characterization or plot progression. She opined the failure of 1941 had made Spielberg too cautious, and scenes evidenced he was rushing and not achieving the best possible take as in his previous work.[106][107] Lucas later named a villain in his 1988 fantasy film Willow after Kael.[107] Dave Kehr said the constant rush between setpieces felt monotonous. He also criticized the story for allowing the hero to choose to rescue the Ark over his romantic interest on multiple occasions, believing it made Indiana Jones difficult to support.[108]

Ebert said the amusing and unusual characters elevated the film beyond just a technical accomplishment. He described Ford's performance as taciturn and stubborn character in the vein of Humphrey Bogart in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, but with the ability to laugh at himself.[101] Klain said Ford's performance was "riveting", marking a major career highlight.[6] Canby described Ford and Allen as both "endearingly resilient".[16] Ebert said Allen gives Marion a charming toughness.[101] Knight appreciated Marion did not become idiotic when the male star was in danger. His review concluded the character was the definition of an activist.[102] Sragow said Allen's physical performance made her every bit the equal of Ford, and her vitality provided a positive counter to Ford's deadpan performance.[103] Kael was critical of many cast performances, feeling they were stilted and heavily scripted. She singled out Freeman for praise, however, for continuing his performance after a fly crawled into his mouth;[106] Freeman jokingly called it the best review of his career.[32] Klain called Lacey's Toht one of the most offensive Nazi stereotypes seen in cinema since World War II. However, he praised Rhys-Davies' and Elliott's performances.[6]

Canby, Knight and Variety singled out the opening of the Ark as one of the film's best special effects.[6][16][102] Knight said the effects artists deserved a "special accolade" for their work.[102] Canby described it as a visual display as "dazzling" as the denouement of Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind.[16] Ebert said the truck chase stunt was the best he had ever seen, ahead of those in films like Bullitt (1968) and The French Connection (1971).[101] Aljean Harmetz, Klain, and Siskel asserted the film's PG rating—meaning any child could see it unsupervised—was too lenient for such a scary film filled with a variety of on-screen deaths. An intermediate rating between PG and R, PG-13, would not be introduced until 1984, in part a response to the violence of the Indiana Jones prequel, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Some children were reported to have suffered nightmares afterward.[6][104][109][110]

Awards and accolades

At the 1982 Academy Awards, Raiders of the Lost Ark received five awards:[111] Best Art Direction (Norman Reynolds, Leslie Dilley, and Michael D. Ford); Best Film Editing (Michael Kahn); Best Sound (Bill Varney, Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker, and Roy Charman); Best Sound Editing (Ben Burtt and Richard L. Anderson); and Best Visual Effects (Richard Edlund, Kit West, Bruce Nicholson, and Joe Johnston). The film received a further four nominations: Best Picture; Best Director; Best Cinematography; and Best Original Score.[112] It tied with the drama film Ragtime for the third-most nominations, behind On Golden Pond and Reds.[98][112]

For the 39th Golden Globe Awards, Raiders received one nomination for Best Director.[113] At the 9th Saturn Awards, Raiders won seven awards, including Best Fantasy Film, Best Actor (Ford), Best Actress (Allen), Best Director, Best Music (Williams), Best Writing (Kasdan), and Best Special Effects (Edlund).[111] Spielberg received a Directors Guild Award nomination.[114]

The 35th British Academy Film Awards earned the film one award for Best Production Design (Reynolds), and a further six nominations: Best Film; Best Supporting Actor for Elliott; Best Original Music; Best Cinematography; Best Editing; and Best Sound for Charman, Burtt, and Bill Varney.[115] The film also received a Grammy Award for Williams' score,[116] a People's Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture,[117] a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation,[118] and a nomination for Best Original Screenplay at the 34th Writers Guild of America Awards.[119]