1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark is the first movie of the Indiana Jones franchise and where this incredible story started. The film was released in 1981, one year after Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, which also starred Harrison Ford. George Lucas also is credited with the story for The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Raiders of the Lost Ark is set in 1936 and introduces fans to Indiana Jones, an American archaeologist who sets out to find the Ark of the Covenant and stop the Nazis from discovering the artifact.
Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the most popular and iconic adventure movies of all time. It’s easily the best of the Indiana Jones movies, and in many ways, it kickstarted the action-adventure genre and revealed what was possible for these kinds of treasure-hunter stories. Across the board, this movie is basically a 10/10 or 9/10 in terms of story, action sequences and sets, performances, and direction. Steven Spielberg is one of the best directors of all time, and Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of his best movies.
- Release Year: 1981
- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Cast: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies, and Denholm Elliott