For me, Indy will always be just Raiders... that one film... all others are like little bonuses, some filled with better moments than others.
Completely agree Wor-Gar, Raiders is still to this day a near-perfect adventure film. The action isn’t so far out of the realm of possibility, the supernatural is never so overdone and the humour is there, but not as silly like the ‘others’ in the serial. I really feel it has to do with Spielberg aiming to make it a Maltese Falcon/Treasure of the Sierra Madre style classic, as opposed to Lucas’ pulpy over-the-top Saturday Matinee serial style that the others are more like. That teamed with Lawrence Kasdan’s incredible script/dialog, Harrison’s star turn in the first incarnation of the role he was born to play (I mean seriously, can you imagine if it was moustachioed Selleck instead?!), Williams’ incredible score and Slocombe’s impeccable cinematography.
When friends ask me what my ‘Sunday afternoon, warm-blanket of a movie I can watch endlessly is’, without hesitation, I always say Raiders.
Raiders came out when I was 8 and I remember walking home with my older brother after we saw it and feeling like I was dodging boulders, cracking whips and punching Nazis the whole walk home. I was so happy after seeing that movie and still am to this day, every time. As an adult, I can appreciate the framing, the ‘mistakes’, the relentless editing (I don’t think it comes up for air from the Raven bar fight right until the ark is finally sealed after laying waste to all the baddies!)
Raiders is a 4-star cinema masterpiece, one of Spielberg’s best, and an enduring classic. The others have merit and moments, and are ‘fun’, but aren’t even in the same league as Raiders. I love them just because we get to see the great Indiana Jones on another adventure.
But that’s just my humble opinion, feel free to agree to disagree. Fortune and Glory my friends, Fortune and Glory.