Anyone who knows me knows what Indiana Jones means to me. Some of my earliest memories involve sitting down in front of the television to watch Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I’ve constantly joked that Harrison Ford is the greatest living actor of all time, only one Best Actor Oscar nomination for Witness be damned.

Hilariously enough, I discovered Raiders of the Lost Ark by accident because I saw Indy and Nazi symbols and assumed I was watching parts of Last Crusade I had never seen before. Yes, this was a thing that happened as a child. I saw the scene where the Ark was opened and assumed that scenes from Last Crusade were following it. I was disappointed when Indy’s dad didn’t show up after, but I did see Indy and Marcus arguing with some feds about the Ark’s location, and thus, the hunt for this movie was on once it was over.

The hunt ended in five minutes. Turns out my mother had a VHS that was still wrapped in plastic, I think from McDonald’s of all places.

I opened the cassette, put it in, and was transfixed by the answer to the question of “How do we make Han Solo even cooler?” The answer? Raiders of the Lost Ark, which on this day, turns 40.

We all know the story of Indiana Jones. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas came together and wanted to create a character that was a throwback to the adventure serials of the 1930s. Lucas was the idea man, Spielberg would hop behind the lens, and all they needed was a leading man like Tom Selleck to put on the hat and carry the whip.

Indy with a mustache? It almost happened!

Wait, what? Tom Selleck? Yep. Before Harrison Ford was cast as Indy, Tom Selleck held the honor and even did screen testing (with his glorious mustache) but unfortunately for him, CBS greenlight Magnum P.I. and forced him to drop out. With weeks before filming, Spielberg decided on Harrison Ford, while Lucas was hesitant to use someone he previously worked with due to American Graffiti, Star Wars, and Empire Strikes Back. Ford was all in, so he was cast and the rest is history.

Raiders ended up being the highest grossing film of 1981, ahead of Superman II and For Your Eyes Only. So there you have it, Indiana Jones > Superman and James Bond. The people spoke with their wallets.

Raiders has everything; great action, great dialogue, an amazing story, great visual effects that hold up to this day, and some great improv to boot. We all know the story of Ford having dysentery and just saying “screw the sword fight, I’ll shoot the swordsman instead”, right? And Paul Freeman, who plays rival archaeologist Rene Belloq, remains an utmost professional reciting his lines while a fly crawls into his mouth during the rocket launcher standoff.

And with a hero and villain comes the love interest, and there’s no greater love interest than Marion Ravenwood (I’ve joked that I would name my future daughter Marion rather than Maria). Her opening scene is her downing shots in a contest against a local drunk, and winning the contest. Then she has the fortitude to actually help Indy fight off Nazi goons right after. And of course, she has a sordid history with Indy thanks to a prior romance, so immediately they’re relationship is off to a rocky start.

Am I just fanboying here? Absolutely not. This movie is critically acclaimed, earning itself multiple Oscars (Visual Effects, Art Direction, etc.), and creating an iconic character that has lasted for four decades. Watch that Ark opening scene and tell me that’s not one of the coolest climaxes you’ve ever seen.

Okay, maybe I’m fanboying a bit here, and am one of the biggest defenders of ANY Indiana Jones movies, and considering Raiders of the Lost Ark as one of my favorite movies of all time alongside Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, and Aliens. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some Harrison Ford movies to watch.

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