Raiders of the Lost Ark exploded onto theaters on June 12, 1981. Directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan, it became an instant hit grossing $8,305,823 during its opening weekend. That opening weekend would set the stage for one prequel and two sequels (with one more in development). It also created a cinematic legacy that would last for decades.In the first installment in the Indiana Jones movie franchise, Harrison Ford stars as Indiana Jones, an archaeologist who fights Nazis in a race to discover the location of the Ark of the Covenant. During the film, we see Indy reunited with an old flame, get captured multiple times, and ultimately save the day. It's a film that has everything: action, adventure, romance, comedy, and terror. As Roger Ebert originally wrote:Raiders of the Lost Ark is an out-of-body experience, a movie of glorious imagination and breakneck speed that grabs you in the first shot, hurtles you through a series of incredible adventures, and deposits you back in reality two hours later -- breathless, dizzy, wrung-out, and with a silly grin on your face.Join Val, Tracy, and Jake this week as they discuss Raiders of the Lost Ark. Listen as they talk about why this, and the rest of the Indiana Jones films hold up after so many years and why some movies about archaeology have inspired an entire genre of films.Do you have a movie you would like us to discuss on an upcoming episode? Email your suggestion to us at podcast@moviesthatmakeus.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.