Movie Review: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Hello everyone!

*cue adventure music*

Today I will be reviewing a very famous and popular adventure movie starring someone who got his start in my favorite movie, Star Wars (1977). Crack your whip, and let's swing into the action!

Appologies that these pictures are all really in bad condition and small, my computer was not liking me today!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This review is spoiler free!


Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981):

In 1936, an intercepted message shows that the Nazis are looking for the Ark of the Covenant to become the most powerful army. Archaeologist and professor Indiana Jones decides that he needs to find it before they do, so he seeks out an old friend who might have a key to the whereabouts of the Ark. Going to Nepal he learns that his friend is dead, but his daughter might still have what he is looking for. Joining with her they travel to Egypt and other places looking for the holy object. Which will find it first? Or was it never meant to be found at all?

'"We must hurry, nothing to fear here."

"That's what scares me."'

Genre: Adventure, Action.
Length: approx. 115 minutes.
Costumes: 6, nothing really great and there are a few times when someone isn't wearing a shirt.
Script: 7, there is some name calling, a few bad words, and a name being taken in vain.

'"I'm working on it, I'm working on it!"

"Well, whatever you're doing, do it faster!"'

Crew:
Directed by: Steven Spielberg.
Written by: Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas, & Philip Kaufman.
Starring:
Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. "I hate snakes!"

Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood.

Paul Freeman as Dr. Belloq.

John Rhys-Davies as Sallah.

Ronald Lacey as Major Arnold Toht.

Denholm Elliott as Dr. Marcus Brody.
Alfred Molina as Satipo.
Wolf Kahler as Colonel Dietrich.
Anthony Higgins as Major Gobler.
Vic Tablian as Barranca & Monkey Man.
Don Fellows as Col. Musgrove.
William Hootkins as Major Eaton.
Cinematography: 8. Not the best that I've seen, but there is always a lot going on and it is handled pretty well.
Cinematography by: Douglas Slocombe.

Music: 10! Okay, story time. It was with this movie and Pirates of the Caribbean that I first realized hat there was music playing during movies. One time my dad got a birthday card that when you opened it the score from this movie played. My sisters and I loved that card and would open it a hundred times a day until it finally drove my mom crazy and she had to put it where we couldn't get to it!
Music by: John Williams.
Notes: There are some Easter eggs in this movie. I've seen them, but this last time through I blinked at the wrong time and missed them. I'll give you a clue, this was written by George Lucas and look in the hieroglyphics.
Another thing that my dad pointed out is that in one part they are measuring things and they had the wrong size. My dad noticed this because they said what height it needed to be and when they stood it up it was taller than Harrison Ford, when it should have been about his height.
Quotes: 7, standard lines, so not too quotable, but okay.

"Holy smokes, my friends! I'm so glad that you're not dead."

Oscars won: 4: Best Sound, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects.
Content: 5, there are spiders, snakes, skeletons and bodies, people being burned, blood, killing, smoking, drinking, suggestive things, & kissing. Someone dies by being impaled and there is a lot of blood (I wrote it in my notes as someone being 'spiked') as well as someone walking into an airplane propeller. Okay, there is one part that I have never watched, because Indy yells, "Close your eyes!" so I always do. I'd say it's about a three minute section and from the sounds of it and what my sister tells me (because she didn't close her eyes) it is really violent and involves a lot of death. She also thinks that it is important to the story which makes sense to me because I am always very confused after that.

Originality: 7. This movie is a cultural thing because there are quite a few famous scenes that are referenced to a lot. I just recently learned that some of them were actually based on some Uncle Scrooge comics, which is why I'm taking off a few points. It is also Biblically incorrect because in 2 Maccabees 2:4-8 it says that Jeremiah hid the ark of the covenant in a cave where no one could find it until God gathers his people together. I can let that detail slip, because the message of the movie is that the Ark of the Covenant:

"Is something that man was not meant to disturb."

Good For: adventure and action fans, Harrison Ford fans.
Age Range: This movie is rated PG, but never believe the ratings of 80's movies. There is a ton of violence, and I'm usually absolutely okay with that because it doesn't bother me, but there are some things in here that made me look away! One example is when someone who is driving gets shot in the arm and blood sprays onto the windshield. Because of this, and all of the other things I mentioned it the Content category, I would rate this PG-13. But, as always, it does depend on the person who is watching it.

Overall Score: 7!

'"How?"

"I don't know! I'm making this up as I go!"'

Bonus thoughts:
Sallah is my absolute favorite! I just have to mention him to give some credit.


This is my entry in The Harrison Ford Blogathon, hosted by Sat in Your Lap! When I saw this I knew this was the perfect time to talk about how he played Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)!

For the blogathon:
A really funny thing is that no matter what I tell my younger sister, she never believes me that Han Solo and Indiana Jones are both played by the same person! She has only seen bits and pieces of this one and her comments crack me up!

[My sister walks into the room]
Sister: Who's that?
Me: Indiana Jones.
Sister: No it's not! Indiana Jones has a beard and doesn't wear glasses!
Me: Yes it is, he's a professor. And when has he ever had a full beard?

[Next scene]:
Sister: Who's that now?
Me: Still Indiana Jones.
Sister: No, he looks different.
Me: Trust me, it's him.
Sister: But he's wearing weird clothing!

[Next scene]:
Sister: *gasps* There's Han Solo!
Me: I told you!
Sister: When did he get here?
Me: It's been him the entire time!
Sister: Nope, he just got here.

[Next scene where Indiana is wearing his usual outfit]:
Sister: There Indiana Jones is finally!
Me: *sighs*

It shows a good actor if he can fool my sister that many times. I think that Harrison Ford does a good job of playing Indiana, and I can't ever see anyone else playing him.


Check out this post HERE to see all of the other entries in the blogathon! Thanks to Michael for hosting!

Thanks to all of you for reading! Do you have a favorite scene in this movie?

MovieCritic

Movie Review: STAR WARS VII: The Force Awakens (2015)

Greetings, everyone!

Today I'm doing a STAR WARS review, so you know what that means... it means that it must be an event of some kind! You are pretty close with that guess, it is a birthday! Yesterday was (sorry it's a day late! I was travelling) Harrison Ford's birthday, and he plays the iconic Han Solo in the STAR WARS series! I have reviewed the originals, and the prequels, but now onto the sequels!

Even though A New Hope is my second favorite movie of all time, I only saw it for the first time in 2015! My mom had us catch up on all of them so we could see episode VII in theaters. We did and it was awesome.

As always, I have to remind you that if you haven't watched them, you need to see them in this order:
IV: A New Hope (1977), V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), I: The Phantom Menace (1999), II: Attack of the Clones (2002), III: Revenge of the Sith (2005), VII: The Force Awakens (2015), and VIII: The Last Jedi (2017).
Because otherwise, it won't be as good.

Sorry, I'm finally getting to it!

"So, who talks first? You talk first? I talk first?"

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning.

STAR WARS VII: The Force Awakens (2015):

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."
A new threat is trying to rule the galaxy: the First Order. It is like the empire, complete with stormtroopers, a huge weapon, and a sith lord--the mysterious Kylo Ren. Luke Skywalker has vanished and the Rebels are looking for a map that could lead them to him. One little droid has it and is stuck on Jakku until he makes friends with a scavenger, Rey. With the help of Finn, a stormtrooper who is running away, they begin to bring BB-8 back to the Rebel base, but they are easily recognized. The First Order begins to use its weapon, will their next target extinguish the Rebellion?

'"What fight?"

"The only fight: against the Dark side."'

Genres: Sci-Fi, Fantasy.

Length: approx. 135 minutes.

Costumes: 8.

Script: 8, one or two bad words (thank you, Finn...not.)

'"Is that even possible?"

"I never ask that until after I've done it."'

Crew:

Directed by: J. J. Abrams.

Written by: Lawrence Kasdan, J. J. Abrams, Michael Arndt, & George Lucas

Starring:
Harrison Ford as Han Solo.
Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa.

Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker.
(Usually I list them in order of importance, but those three always have to be next to each other.)
Daisy Ridley as Rey.

Adam Driver as Kylo Ren.

John Boyega as Finn, FN2187. "Why does everyone want to go back to Jakku?"

Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron.

Lupita Nyong'o as Maz Kanata. "If you live long enough you see the same eyes in different people."
Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca.
Andy Serkis as Snoke.
Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux.
Anthony Daniels as C-3PO.
Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma.

Cinematography: 9, ah!!! They did such a good job! A lot people complain about light speed being weird, but it is like that in the originals, too.

Cinematography by: Dan Mindel.

Music: 10! The STAR WARS soundtrack is my favorite of all time, so I always give it 10.

Music by: John Williams.

Quotes: 10! Poe and Maz are the most quotable. "I assume you need something, desperately."
Notes: There is one stormtrooper who has a very small part who is played by Daniel Craig and his name is JB-007 (Get it? Daniel Craig plays James Bond whose code number is 007!)

Storyline: 8, there is violence, gross things, killing, and death.
"The garbage will do."

Good For: STAR WARS fans, sci-fi fans, people who have lost others, everyone!

Age Range: The official rating is PG-13 for all of the violence, and I get that, but I think that most kids over 10 would be okay with it.

Overall Score: 8.5!

Bonus thoughts:

Why do I love this so much?

"A good question for another time."

I just do. A lot of fans say that it is too close to the original movie, but that is one of the reasons it is great! They are weaving such an interesting story, showing how the Force connects things, I love it! I haven't watched this one as much as I have watched some of the others, but I squeal happily every time I do. Also, R2-D2 will always be my favorite droid, but BB-8 is so adorable!

Happy late birthday, Mr. Ford! What do all of you think? Do you like this one? Thank you so much for reading!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: STAR WARS VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)

Hello!

On this blog, I am all about finding excuses to review movies on certain days. As today, January 17th, is James Earl Jones's birthday, I decided to review the last of the original trilogy of STAR WARS, Episode VI! (Note, I am reviewing them the way that they came out.) He was the voice of Darth Vader through out the series.

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning.


STAR WARS VI: Return of the Jedi (1983):

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far, away..."
Han Solo is a captive. Luke tries to find a way to free him from the terrible Jabba the Hutt. In other parts of the galaxy, the empire is still not giving up. They are building something, even worse then the original Death Star. But the rebels might have found a way to destroy it. A small band of them go to a jungled planet to try to get the shield down, so the rest of the rebellion can attack, but they get lost and are surrounded by strange creatures. Luke must decide what he must do to become a Jedi Knight.
"Twilight is upon me and night must come."

Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Length: approx. 124 minutes.
Costumes: 7, there are some "skimpy" or gross ones, but it is amazing what they did without CGI!
My favorite: I like how everyone else gets ponchos, but Han gets the long coat. (Just joking!)

Script: 10!

"'How're we doing?' 

'The same as always.' 

'That bad?'"

Crew:
Directed by: Richard Marquand
Produced by: Howard Kazanjian, George Lucas.
Written by: Lawrence Kasdan, & George Lucas.
Starring:
Mark Hamil as Luke Skywalker.

Harrison Ford as Han Solo.
Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia.
David Prowes as Darth Vader.

James Earl Jones as Darth Vader (voice).

Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian.

Ian McDiarmid as The Emperor.

Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca.
Anthony Daniels as C-3PO.

Kenny Baker as R2-D2. "I'm terribly sorry, I'm afraid that he's ever so stubborn about these sorts of things."
Warwick Davis as Wicket.
Frank Oz as Yoda. "Pass on what you have learned."
Sebastian Shaw as Anakin Skywalker.
Music: 10! I love the STAR WARS soundtrack!
Music by: John Williams.
Cinematography: 10! "And you said that is was pretty here."

Cinematography by: Alan Hume
Quotes: 10! "I'm out of it for a little while and everybody gets illusions of grandeur."

Notes: If I am like any fictional character ever, I am Luke Skywalker. Watching this I can see exactly when he makes his decisions and they would be the exact same as I would if I had the chance!
Storyline: 8, there is a lot of death, killing, and violence.
"This is no time for heroics!"

Good For: All Star Wars fans!
Overall Score: 9! This is such a good movie!


Awhile back, I had a poll (when there still was the poll gadget) asking which STAR WARS was the best! Here is what all of you said:

IV: A New Hope: 0
V: The Empire Strikes Back: 2
VI: Return of the Jedi: 4
I: The Phantom Menace: 0
II: Attack of the Clones: 2
III: Revenge of the Sith: 0
VII: The Force Awakens: 2
VIII: The Last Jedi: 4
Rogue One: 4

What!? No one voted for my favorite! Episode IV! But, this and episode VIII were voted the favorites!

Thank you so much for reading! Do you agree with the poll results?

MovieCritic

Movie Review: STAR WARS V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

May the Fourth be with you!

Today is STAR WARS day! I hope you all did something STAR WARS related! For me, I re-watched The Force Awakens, which I hadn't seen since it was on the theatre. Also, to celebrate I am going to be reviewing Episode V!

'"The odds for this being a good review are-"
"Never tell me the odds!"'

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless it says so.

STAR WARS V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980):

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far, away...
Though the Empire has had major set backs, Darth Vader is determined to find Luke Skywalker. After being separated from the Resistance, Luke goes to find the Jedi Master, Yoda, to teach him the ways of the force and Han, Leia, Chewy, and C-3PO try to get back to the Resistance base. But Darth Vader has a few secrets up his sleeves.

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy

Length: approx. 124 minutes
Costumes: 8, nothing bad. My favorite is Lando's cape:

Script: 10, no bad words!
'"I'd rather kiss a wookie!"
"I can arrange that!"'
Crew:
Directed by: Irvin Kershner
Produced by:
George Lucas
Gary Kurtz
Screenplay by:
George Lucas
Leigh Brackett
Lawrence Kasdan
Starring:
Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker.

Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia.

Harrison Ford as Han Solo. "I've got a bad feeling about this..."

Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian.
David Prowse as Darth Vader.

James Earl Jones as Darth Vader (voice).
Frank Oz as Yoda.
Anthony Daniels as C-3PO.
Peter Mayhew as Chebacca.
Kenny Baker as R2-D2.
Jeremy Bulloch as Boba Fett.
Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Cinematography: 9
Cinematography by: Peter Suschitzky

Music: 10!
Music by: John Williams

Quotes: 10, "Do, or do not. There is no try."

Storyline: 7, there are some gross/creepy images, but not too many.
Overall Score: 9!

By the way, here is a joke for you:
Person 1: What is the interior temperature of a Tauntaun?
Person 2: ?
Person 1: Lukewarm
Person 2: I thought that joke smelled bad on the outside!
Person 1: Hey, it took a lot of guts to survive out there!
I'm sorry, that is really gross...

Here is a button that Fawnabelle Baggins at Geeky, Nerdy, and Proud of it made for today!:

May the Fourth be with You!

MovieCritic

Note: This was supposed to be posted on, well, the 4th, but due to my decade old computer and me being out of town for the last few days, that didn't go as planned. Sorry about that!

Movie Review: STAR WARS IV: A New Hope

May the Fourth be with you!

 

Today is STAR WARS day! May the Fourth! In the spirit of this I will be doing a review of STAR WARS IV: A New Hope. You may notice how I am starting with the "fourth" (Wow, I am really connecting things today.) movie, that is because I will be reviewing them the way they were made not the way they are "supposed" to go. Why I am doing this:
1. They first three that were made are SO much better than the prequels.
2. If you watch the first three that they made FIRST (The only way you should watch them!) No surprises are spoiled.
This is how you should watch the STAR WARS movies:
A New Hope
The Empire Strikes Back
Return of the Jedi
The Phantom Menace*
Attack of the Clones*
Revenge of the Sith*
The Force Awakens
The Last Jedi (Okay, this one is not out yet, but, when it is out...)

*You don't even need to watch the ones with the asterisk.

Anyway, here is my review.

STAR WARS IV: A New Hope (1977):

(Also titled  STAR WARS, or STAR WARS: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker)

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

The Empire has taken over, and has plans that will change the galaxy. When Princess Leia's ship is attacked by the Empire she quickly hides vital information in a droid that she hopes will reach an old general. The droid runs into Luke Skywalker, a young man who has to help his uncle even though he wants to go to the university. Luke's life will never be the same again.

Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure, Action,

Costumes: 8, Stormtroopers and Darth Vader's costumes are pretty cool, but my favorite is Princess Leia's.

Script: 8, only one or two bad words. "These are not the droids you are looking for..."

Crew:

Directed by: George Lucas

Produced by: Gary Kurtz

Written by: George Lucas

Starring:

Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker

Harrison Ford as Han Solo

Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia

Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin

Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi

David Prowse as Darth Vader

Peter Mayhew as Chewy

Anthony Daniels as C3PO

Kenny Baker as R2D2

Music: 10, I love the theme!

Music by: John Williams
Quotes: 10, "Close the blast doors! Close the blast doors!...Open the blast doors!"
Notes: Now, you might think, "Star Wars? I don't think I will like that." That is what I thought, but, there is so much more to it! Here is how much I like it, it made it's way to my #2 favorite movies spot!
Storyline: 8, there is some fighting, death, scary images, flirting, but that is it! It is very clean. A really great movie.
Good For: Families, everyone!
Overall Score: 9!

A while ago I had a few polls, and here are the results!

The Results of my poll, What is your favorite STAR WARS?

IV: A New Hope - 2 votes

V: The Empire Strikes Back - 2 votes

VI: Return of the Jedi - 3 votes

I: The Phantom Menace - 0 votes

II: Attack of the Clones - 0 votes

III: Revenge of the Sith - 0 votes

VII: The Force Awakens - 1 vote

I have them listed in the order they came out. A total of five people voted (they could vote multiple times)! And they all voted on my favorite STAR WARS!

The Results of my poll, Who is your Favorite STAR WARS character?

Luke Skywalker - 2 votes

Princess Leia - 1 vote

Han Solo - 4 votes

Chewbacca - 1 vote

Yoda - 1 vote

Lando Calrissian - 1 vote

Darth Vader - 0 votes

Obi-Wan Kenobi - 4 votes

C3PO - 0 votes

R2D2 - 1 vote

Other - 0 votes

It had a total of 5 votes (they could vote multiple times)!

Something that I do that is very weird is that everytime I see a STAR WARS movie, I have to drink chocolate milk. It is very weird, but I've always done it. 

I want to also thank my little sister for making this header for me!

Thank you so much for reading! 

May the Fourth be with you!

MovieCritic