Indiana Jones’ Best Scene Is Still One Of The Greatest Moments In Action Movie History

Very few movie franchises have introduced a character as perfectly as Indiana Jones. From the moment we’re introduced to Harrison Ford’s adventuring archaeologist in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the audience is shown nearly everything they need to know about Henry Jones Jr. in the first 12 minutes. Likewise, it’s all accomplished via one of the coolest cinematic action sequences of all time.

Across the board, the Indiana Jones franchise is packed with incredible moments as Doctor Jones fights Nazis and more foes, collects artifacts, and contends with the supernatural. However, it’s truly impressive how easily one can argue that his very first on-screen adventure ranks as his very best.

Raiders Of The Lost Ark Has One Of The Greatest Opening Scenes In Cinema History

The opening sequence of Raiders of the Lost Ark is undoubtedly a masterclass in action filmmaking. It’s Spielberg at his finest, dropping audiences into the middle of an adventure and trusting them to fill in the blanks as the sequence progresses.

Not only is Indy introduced as a capable fighter and uniquely handy with a whip when a member of his party tries to backstab him, but we also see firsthand how smart he is, narrowly avoiding booby traps using his experience and historical knowledge while being careful not to trigger any…at least until the very end when absolute chaos ensues, having inadvertently trigged the final trap attempting to claim a golden fertility idol, causing the entier temple to collapse.

More than four decades later, the opening sequence of Raiders of the Lost Ark remains the gold standard. The entire franchise arguably peaked with this first major sequence, which is honestly saying something considering all the great stuff that follows in the rest of this first movie alone (not to mention the rest of the whole dang franchise).

It’s pretty crazy that the Indiana Jones franchise arguably peaked so early, though it’s honestly a testament to the filmmaking powerhouse duo that is Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. The rest of Raiders is filled with great moments, and the same goes for Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade. There are even moments I personally love from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Dial of Destiny. And yet…

Raiders of the Lost Ark’s

opening still feels impossible to beat. It’s basically this perfect introductory mini-adventure kicking off the greater adventure to come in the first Indiana Jones movie, giving audiences everything they need to immediately love Indy before he even sets off to find the Ark of the Covenant.

[Note: The remaining content consists of extensive quizzes and unrelated columns that have been removed to comply with the directive.]

Indiana Jones’ Opening Eclipses Everything Else

Very few movie franchises have introduced a character as perfectly as Indiana Jones. From the moment we’re introduced to Harrison Ford’s adventuring archaeologist in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the audience is shown nearly everything they need to know about Henry Jones Jr. in the first 12 minutes. Likewise, it’s all accomplished via one of the coolest cinematic action sequences of all time.

Across the board, the Indiana Jones franchise is packed with incredible moments as Doctor Jones fights Nazis and more foes, collects artifacts, and contends with the supernatural. However, it’s truly impressive how easily one can argue that his very first on-screen adventure ranks as his very best.

Raiders Of The Lost Ark Has One Of The Greatest Opening Scenes In Cinema History

Image via MovieStillsDB

The opening sequence of Raiders of the Lost Ark is undoubtedly a masterclass in action filmmaking. It’s Spielberg at his finest, dropping audiences into the middle of an adventure and trusting them to fill in the blanks as the sequence progresses.

Not only is Indy introduced as a capable fighter and uniquely handy with a whip when a member of his party tries to backstab him, but we also see firsthand how smart he is, narrowly avoiding booby traps using his experience and historical knowledge while being careful not to trigger any…at least until the very end when absolute chaos ensues, having accidentally triggered the final trap attempting to claim a golden fertility idol, causing the entier temple to collapse.

More than four decades later, the opening sequence of Raiders of the Lost Ark remains the gold standard. The entire franchise arguably peaked with this first major sequence, which is honestly saying something considering all the great stuff that follows in the rest of this first movie alone (not to mention the rest of the whole dang franchise).

It’s pretty crazy that the Indiana Jones franchise arguably peaked so early, though it’s honestly a testament to the filmmaking powerhouse duo that is Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. The rest of Raiders is filled with great moments, and the same goes for Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade. There are even moments I personally love from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Dial of Destiny. And yet…

Raiders of the Lost Ark’s

opening still feels impossible to beat. It’s basically this perfect introductory mini-adventure kicking off the greater adventure to come in the first Indiana Jones movie, giving audiences everything they need to immediately love Indy before he even sets off to find the Ark of the Covenant.

Very few action movies have ever achieved that much in their opening minutes. After more than 40 years, Indiana Jones’ first great adventure remains one of the most exciting action openers in movie history, while arguably being the greatest single scene the entire franchise ever produced. I’ve never not sat down to watch the entire sequence on the wonderful days it happens to be playing on TV.

Not only that, but Indy doesn’t even get to keep his prize thanks to his rival Dr. Rene Belloq. Indy barely escapes with his life as he evades arrows from the Hovitos tribe allied with Belloq before jumping into a plane, only to freak out finding his pilot’s pet snake in his seat (his greatest fear).

Taking everything into account, this incredible 12-minute action sequence does wonders in terms of introducing one of Harrison Ford’s greatest characters. It’s like we’ve known him for years. Indiana Jones is a hero who’s capable, charismatic, and intelligent but isn’t infallible, nor is he always fearless, and we learn all of this from one of the most incredible opening action sequences of all time.

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