(WARNING: There are spoilers)

Do action films get any better than director Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark? This is the best, most pure action-adventure to ever grace the silver screen. The movie is a throwback to the pulpy action serials of the 1930s and 40s. Much like George Lucas' Star Wars films (which were based on sci-fi serials like Flash Gordon), it rises above its humble origins to become a cinematic masterwork. That's a difficult feat to pull off. It's no coincidence that Lucas came up with the idea for this movie as well. But, what is it that sets Raiders of the Lost Ark apart from the films that inspired it?

The movie is definitely not stupid or shallow, unlike many action films, but it is always aware of its heritage and never takes itself too seriously. The movie relishes in its clichés without ever feeling cheesy. If you think about it, the title itself is rather silly, reminiscent of the titles of the old serials. There are also the bad guys that can never shoot straight, a tribe of murderous natives that bow down before a golden idol, an ancient medallion that only an old mystic man can decipher, the villain's sinister cackle that echoes throughout the forest, the ominous warnings not to disturb the mysterious artifact, etc. The film occasionally twists these classic conventions, however, to humorous effect. There's the major battle with a large, sword-wielding baddie that is set up, only to be paid off with our hero simply shooting the guy. There's also the scene in which the hero knocks out a soldier, takes his uniform, but finds out the clothes don't fit.

The action scenes, of course, are top-notch. Relentless but never tiresome, I always find them exciting no matter how many times I watch the movie. The action sequence within the South American temple is probably the most memorable, especially when that large boulder comes out of nowhere to crush everything in its path. Although, I believe the build-up to that sequence is even better. It's one of the best scenes in the whole film. As Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) approaches the golden idol, aware that some deadly booby trap could spring up without warning at any second, the suspense never fails to tighten me into its grip. A major part of this scene's effectiveness is due to John Williams' legendary score, which mirrors exactly what Indy (and the audience) is feeling right at that moment: dread, tension, and mystery.

My absolute favorite scene, ironically, isn't an action scene at all (at least not a conventional one). It's the part when the Ark of the Covenant is finally opened up by the Nazis, with Indiana and his girlfriend Marion (Karen Allen) tied up to a post. Action movies like this have to end magnificently and this one is no different. The scene in itself is a masterpiece, built-up throughout the entire film and doesn't disappoint. Actually, it initially does disappoint, as there is nothing inside the ark except sand. Then, when some strange spirits start to bubble up and emerge from the ark, the scene turns to an uncanny kind of awe. This eeriness is achieved by a low, electronic hum pulsing beneath the surface as the spirits emerge, the ghostly howls they make, and the ethereal visual effects as they interact with the people.

The main villain, Indy's French rival Belloq (Paul Freeman), utters a fittingly ironic final line: "It's beautiful!" Afterwards, the music turns frighteningly from awe to horror as the spirits kill off the Nazis in rather gruesome ways (the wrath of God indeed). After they're all dead, a godly fire wipes them away with a power that ascends to the heavens and back. The scene feels truly biblical. This is unique in that most action movies have the bad guys being dispatched by the main hero in a flurry of gunfire and explosions. In this film, they're destroyed by God.

This all ties back to the movie's central message that we should not mess with forces we do not understand. If we do, we shall suffer the terrible consequences. Hints are given throughout the film: the wind whistles whenever the medallion is closely inspected, a violent storm forms when Indy and the diggers find the Well of Souls (where the ark has been kept for thousands of years), etc. Indiana's Egyptian friend Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) verbalizes this message about the ark, saying, "If it is there, at Tanis, then it is something that man was not meant to disturb. Death has always surrounded it. It is not of this earth." Because Indiana and Marion close their eyes when the spirits arrive, resisting the temptation to behold the glory of God, they are spared a violent fate.

CONTINUED IN PART 2...