Raiders of the Lost Ark
To celebrate our 150th episode, the HDYR gang decided it was time to go on a long overdue adventure with our old pal, Indy. Not unlike Star Wars, this property was such a constant in our lives that we've always regarded it as something so much larger than any one film.
Which is why it's so fascinating to go back to where it all began and really examine Raiders of the Lost Ark on its own terms. For as much as the first three films in the series have in common, this one really does stand apart for several important reasons.
It's a milestone movie for a milestone episode, so let's get the boulder rolling!
Topics include: the original choice for the role of Indiana Jones, how the first fifteen minutes are a microcosm of the entire film, the really important bit of exposition about the ark that they cut out, the elaborate sequence that was almost entirely improvised, whether or not there's any weight to the argument that Indy has no effect on the plot, the big reason Kingdom of the Crystal Skull feels so different from the others, and much more!