The final Action Project for this term in my Ollywood movie critique class. This project was more than just a review but an audio movie analysis to be specific. An analysis is different then a regular review, it will feature less opinionated content, and more literal evidence. It was fairly challenging to write out a good script for my review which is about Indiana Jones Raiders of The Lost Ark, it took time to decide which scenes to use considering how captivating of a movie it was. I feel like I learned how much more a movie can bring in terms of content, because editing, music, and effects really do make a movie what it is. Down below you can see my script for this audio recording as well as the sound itself.
Hello, and thank you for tuning into my analysis of Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark. This movie is an Action & Adventure film, directed by Steven Spielberg in 1981. The lead role features Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. I will critique the film for elements of post-production including editing, special effects, soundtrack, and sound effects. I will analyze those elements through the feminist approach, a contextualist approach that focuses on the female lead or character of the story, as in how they’re depicted or what they do throughout the film. The movie takes place in 1939, during WW2 and women’s rights were still a relatively controversial topic as it was such a young and new idea An empowering female figure during this time was essential in conveying and supporting the message of women’s rights.
Indiana Jones, artifact reserves member, archaeologist, and professor. After returning from his latest expedition, which had him traversing through a great jungle, he is informed of the lost ark, a historical artifact that’s almost that of Pandora’s Box. The film takes place in 1939 when World War II is occurring and the Nazis want the destructive power that legends speak is inside of the Lost Ark. It is up to Indy to retrieve the treasure and make sure that it is properly preserved… too bad he didn’t realize how much trouble it would be to do so.
In the introduction of the movie, just before the iconic rolling boulder run, we see multiple booby traps. One of the traps we see, utilizes a pressure plate to launch an arrow. In one of the scenes, Indiana Jones activates it with a log and through the use of the before-action film cut, the scene cuts to an arrow that shoots out and zooms right into the log. The following scene, we see Jones’ companion, who went alongside him in the tomb, hunched still, staring at Indiana Jones and the scene cuts to Jones as he barely avoids the traps. This was achieved through the look-off film cut.
Later in the film, we meet Marion, who has some connection with Jones and isn’t too fond of him because of a past event. Marion is a strong female lead who actually helps Jones on multiple occasions, but like most older movies, she’s still plays the role of a stereotypical damsel in distress. The movie utilizes Indiana Jones to come save her as a catching point for romantic entertainment.
Jones’ iconic whip crack is a force to be reckoned with, or at least when you can hear the leather snap and lash out at the target. In the bar that Marion owns, and set on fire because one of the antagonists, Major Arnold Toht is after the relic that Marion has which will unlock the Ark. Jones uses his whip to knock a searing fireplace poker, which Major Toht threatened Marion with, out of one of the Major Toht’s hand. I could almost feel the whip hitting me through the screen because of that sound. The music during this scene matched the whip, forceful and strong.
Multiple times throughout the film, you hear the iconic main theme of Indiana Jones. I thought it was well placed in the scene in which Jones went and snuck into the Nazi submarine. Whilst on the surface of the water, you could hear the theme play and the others on the boat (such as the captain) cheer for him. It really gives the out a sense of adventure and triumph.
In the ending of the film, we are shown what is truly inside of the Lost Ark. Spoiler alert, no really, it may be an old movie, but I don’t want to be blamed for revealing the ending. As the Ark’s lid is lifted, we see the power that was fabled of. Lights shine up and spirits flash out. Jones advises Marion not to look no matter what. We see these ghouls fly around and stare at their victims, unleashing unholy nightmares that melt faces and explode heads, as they are vacuumed back inside the box. Those souls have probably become more ghastly fiends as their physical bodies have incinerated. I thought that since the movie lead up to this, I expected something unnatural, but this was just unexpected by a long shot. While out of place, I enjoyed the change of pace, I wouldn’t say it was the best choice, but by no means was it bad (even if it seemed like a rushed, mixed up ending).
Overall, Indiana Jones was well made and produced, getting my rating of 8 and a half out of 10! I must admit, while watching the movie, it never had a dull moment, every scene grabbed and held my attention, like a child holding their favorite toy. I also noticed that a subsidiary message within the film was the US government has a lot of top secret projects revolving around weapons of mass destruction, this is shown when they hide the lost ark, a great weapon, along with many other top secret government packages. So concluding this analysis, I’d just like to thank you for listening!
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