Making It Up As He Goes, by Tyler Smith

So, why the appeal?

I think because Indiana Jones, unlike some other action heroes like James Bond, seemed human. He didn’t really have everything figured out. Sure, you knew he’d win in the end and the Nazis would lose.

You may not have suspected that the Nazis’ faces would melt off, but we’ll save that for later.

Anyway, the great thing about Jones is that we always got the impression that he was just making it up as he went along. He did the best with the information he had. Luckily, being a professor, he always had a lot of information to work with.

Personally, that’s why I liked him. He was a rugged guy, athletic, could hold his own in a fight. On the other hand, he was also willing to do the research, try to stay one step ahead of his competitors. He believed in the idea that, maybe if one spent a little more time thinking about a problem, maybe he won’t have to use that gun and whip.

With these assets, one would think that Indiana Jones would always be ahead of the game, but far from it. No matter how much he prepared, or how hard he fought, he always seemed to just barely scrape by.

He was relatable, certainly more human than many action heroes today. I would say that he set the groundwork for subsequent characters like John McClane from Die Hard. He blazed the trail for action heroes who, when faced with a seemingly insurmountable situation, had no other choice but to breathe a sigh of frustration, spit on their hands, and jump right into the fray.

To me, this type of character was always far more interesting than that suave 007, who could always talk or shoot his way out of any situation, with a cocktail in one hand and a girl in the other. Bond was so smooth, it sometimes seemed as though he foiled the villain by accident, as an afterthought.

Not so with Indiana Jones. He had to work and strive to win.

But, he always did.

Apart from the hero, Raiders of the Lost Ark is just a consistently fun film. From the booby-trapped cave of tarantulas and boulders to the large den of snakes and skeletons, everything seemed so exotic, yet strangely plausible, when viewed through the eyes of our world-weary protagonist.

Then, as mentioned earlier, there was the face-melting. When I was a kid, I was so terrified of that scene. In fact, whenever my brother watched the movie (which was often), I would always run up to my room when that scene came up. It’s quite scary, really.

Now, thankfully, I can enjoy it for what it is. I mean, really, who wouldn’t want to see a roomful of Nazis die a grisly death?

And, of course, there’s the spiritual aspect. Starting with this film and carrying into Last Crusade, Judeo-Christian theology permeated the series. And, I’ll tell you, when I think about the wrath of God and what it may look like, the Indiana Jones films is definitely a good place to start. It’s very humbling to think that this flesh and blood we hold so dear can, in the hands of an angry God, melt away, leaving only bones.

Anyway, that’s about it. On my top 100 list, many of the films are there because of the themes and subtext and the effect they’ve had on me as a person. Some, however, are just there because they’re just so much fun to watch.