Overall rating

5 / 5

Kiddie Raiders Of The Lost Ark

PostedMay 16, 2008

from Hollywood, CA

Watching a shot for shot remake of Raiders Of The Lost Ark made by a bunch of kids back in the 80's in Mississippi, you almost forget it is not the original.
Oh, sure, the picture is bad, the sound quality is worse, the acting is high pitched and whiny, but you cannot help but be blown away by what a bunch of kids accomplished on nothing more than their allowances and sheer creativity.
Yes, they built a boulder.
The truck in the truck scene had no engine! Thye pushed it from behind or towed it from the front.
Editing must have been a nightmare.
Learning the backstory about all the problems these kids faced makes it all the more endearing.
There is more heart and dedication in this film than anything I have ever seen.
Some of the shots they nailed so perfectly, if you are a fan of the original Raiders, you cannot help but be impressed!
It is also pretty darn funny.
Ever seen a skinny Sallah?
You watch them grow up on screen, sometimes from scene to scene- taller, shorter, short hair, long hair....continuity was not a factor, only completion!
When I was that age, I didn't finish ANYTHING, let alone film a movie and complete it!
This film is not available anywhere due to copyright restrictions, so please catch it if it screens near you.

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

5 / 5

Best Fan Film, bar none

PostedMay 15, 2008

Garfeimao

from Long Beach, CA

This is the ultimate fan-made film, bar none. This film reminds you of what it is to be a kid seeing a great movie and wishing you were part of the action. But in this case, these kids did get to live out their dreams and become the great hero, the heroine in distress or dastardly fiend intent on world domination. Didn't ever young boy want to be Indiana Jones in the 1980's?

This film is a shot by shot remake of the original Raiders of the Lost Ark, complete with rolling boulder, the burning bar in Nepal, snakes and the famous truck sequence where Indy goes under a truck and then get's drug behind it. They even suceed at melting the faces of the bad guys at the end. And these were kids making and starring in this fan-film.

With every stunt and every famous scene from one of the world's most famous action adventure films faithfully recreated, the audience cheers grow. A standing ovation at the end is almost a natural progression to the energy generated by this group of kid filmmakers who are now fully grown. Heck, this film even has the stamp of approval by Steven Spielberg himself.

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

5 / 5

hard to find it playing but SO worth it

PostedMay 15, 2008

burtonernie

from venice, ca

if you're an indy fan, you must see this film. it's horrible quality on every level and is about as low budget as you can get. but once you know the story it is a MUST SEE.
two fans of the original raiders, in a small town in the south, decide to make their own version of it. so they start off as 11 year olds, shooting almost the entire movie, scene for scene, using themselves and the neighborhood kids to play the parts. it took them the better part of 8 years to finish it. the novelty and sheer wonder of it all overcomes the poor quality. i don't know what camera they used, but they started it in 1981, so it wasn't anything like what is available now for next to nothing.
for a long time, they sat on it after it was completed. they had one screening in 1989 for family and friends and that was it.
somehow, a copy of the video tape (yes, it was on vhs!) made it into the hands of eli roth (director of hostel), who, before he was anyone, had a meeting with some of Steven Spielberg's people. he passed a copy on to them and told them that he didn't know the guys that made it and didn't have anything to do with it, but he was sure Steven would want to see it. from there, the rest is another bit of amazing movie folklore.
that led eventually to the current time, where the two friends, Chris Strompolos and Eric Zala, have been traveling around for the last 5 years to film festivals around the world showing their film, untouched except for the correcting of the spelling of Spielberg's name in the opening of the film (originally they had spelled his name "spielburg")
the quality of the video, the sound, the lighting, etc. is awful but you don't care. you are just amazed over and over again that these kids pulled it off. at times you'll know what is coming next in the movie and will think "there's no way they are going to..." and then they do!
you will laugh, you will cheer, and those of you who wished you could play indiana jones will be envious.
if it comes to your area you have to see it. trouble is, it doesn't come to most areas. i've been wanting to see it for about 3 years and it finally made it to LA. thank god i am on their email list so i found out about it and bought tickets within minutes of the announcement.
it is the ultimate fan movie, a true indie film (pun intended), and a lesson in sticking to what you want to do in the face of all odds.
wow Wow WOW

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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