7. Raiders of the Lost Ark

dir. Steven Spielberg

There are few films that succeed at entertaining audiences of all ages, and even fewer that can make adult audiences feel like they’re the kids. At the height of his career, George Lucas was the creative force behind two of the most iconic and influential films to accomplish just that. While Star Wars explored the fantastic, Raiders of the Lost Ark delved into adventure and excitement. The character of Indiana Jones isn’t the perfect and untouchable hero of the old serials from which he was conceived, and he isn’t cool and composed in the way that James Bond is. He takes hits and can feel them later, he fights dirty and makes it by the skin of his teeth every time. He’s not the hero that only a child could find appealing and aspire to, he’s an antagonist of a modern age that an adult can see relate to. There’s a hint of cynicism to Indy’s humor that we can’t help but see ourselves in, yet he’s relentless and persistent to the very end, and we admire that.