MovieChat Forums > Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Discussion > When and where did you see these films f...

When and where did you see these films for the first time?

posted 8 years ago by Connor241976
21 replies | jump to latest

I prefer Raiders when I compare it to the rest of the series, although I still enjoy Temple, and I'm indifferent to Crusade. I hated the Crystal Skull though.

I think the main reason for favouring one film over the others, depends on which film you saw first and how old you were. I was born in 76, and watched Raiders in summer of 1981 at the theatre, so made quite an impact. Not to mention the fact it was scary for a young viewer.

I didn't watch Temple until it premiered on BBC1(uk) during Christmas 1987, age 11. Even though I didn't see it at the theatre for some reason when released in 1984, it still made an impact and I found it a much darker picture. That said, it still lacked a certain something compared to Raiders.

I still think if I watched Temple first, my opinion would probably be different.

By the time Crusade was released I was 13-14 and I think this dampened my enjoyment of the third film, plus the expectations of Raiders and Temple set the bar very high.

I tend to find people born in the early to mid 80s tend to prefer Temple, while those born in the 90s prefer Crusade. Obviously I can't speak for everyone, just some people I've had conversations with over the years.

Your thoughts?

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Fluke_Skywalker 8 years ago

When Raiders first hit video my Dad borrowed it off of a guy he worked with. I'll never forget him telling me that the guy had paid $100 for it. After we watched the movie I concluded that was a bargain.

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A journey into the realm of the obscure: http://saturdayshowcase.blogspot.com/

[–] CakesAndAle 8 years ago

That's how much videos cost back then. Most people rented rather than purchased videos. Some people had two vcrs and copied rented tapes because that was much more affordable. Back then, a BetaMax or vhs player cost around $500.

I still remember when videos started to go down in price. It was shocking when you could start buying them for $20.00! I think Top Gun might have been the first video released with a price to own rather than paying $100. I remember it was a huge deal on the morning news magazine shows. It was also the first video with a commercial (Pepsi).

[–] BackroadJunkie 8 years ago

I was in college, and my girlfriend and I went to see the first showing of Raiders in the afternoon on the first day of release. We only went to see it because of the Lucas/Spielberg/Ford connection.

The theater was empty. Back then, there was no internet. No one knew what the movie was about. (Look at the initial trailers. It really didn't hint at what the movie was about.)

Blown away is putting it mildly. After the opening cave escape scene, I thought I'd seen an entire movie, but only 10 minutes had passed.

I did the same thing for Doom, first showing first day. By the time I got out of that showing, I was exhausted. I think I actually waited for Crusade to come out on video.

*Nothing* will ever beat Raiders as the movie that changed movies for me. (Except for Star Wars. Saw the second showing of that film on opening day in 70mm, and literally went back a dozen times over the next couple of months.)

[–] gary_w_trott 8 years ago

Back then, there was no internet. No one knew what the movie was about.

I actually thought that it was going to be about a search for Noah's Ark.

After the opening cave escape scene,

That scene was great...especially the big stone ball rolling after him as he ran from the cave. I was really impressed with the writers and guessed that they had seen those giant balls in Chariots of the Gods or another book like that and came up with a possible reason for them. From there the movie just got even better and better.

[–] mwtkn 8 years ago

I saw it way past my bed time when I was 7 or 8 on a black and white TV my dad won from his work. I could not stop watching it, one of my favorites and completely to blame for my love of legends to this day.

[–] mistermycroft 8 years ago

I was born in 1973, and first saw it on TV, maybe 1982 or so, and when we saw it as a family, it completely blew everyone away. No one had ever seen anything like it

[–] gary_w_trott 8 years ago

I think that Raiders is the only one that I saw in the theatre. I'd won tickets to it on a radio contest and took the son and grandson of the woman I lived with to see it at the Warwick Mall Cinema. They even had a drawing for an off road motorcycle but unfortunately our grand prize was being able to see a terrific movie for free.

[–] ZakkWyldeMyLittlePony 8 years ago

I first saw Raiders of the Lost Ark when I was in the 10th grade back in 2006. I didn't see Temple of Doom or Last Crusade until I recorded them and watched them both on DVR back in 2012.

"Just between the two of us, it's mostly for Fluttershy."-Discord

[–] Gene_Hackman 8 years ago

Raiders when I was 6 on TV at some family friend's house in the country.

Temple when I was 8 on TV at my mom's mother's house.

They didn't seem edited for TV. It was great to be a kid then.

Crusade, don't remember.

Always preferred Indiana Jones to Star Wars.

[–] ZeoRangerFive 8 years ago

I honestly don't remember. I'm pretty sure I saw Last Crusade first when it was released in theaters in `89. I was only 5 at the time, but I'm fairly certain I saw it in the theater. Raiders I think I saw many years later in the late 90s, I rented it from the library. Temple of Doom, believe it or not, I didn't see all the way through until 2008. I watched it in preparation (along with the others) for Crystal Skull. I do not like Temple of Doom and I don't ever plan on watching it again, it was quite an ordeal getting through it the first time.

Dragonzord! Mastodon! Pterodactyl! Triceratops! Saber Toothed Tiger! Tyrannosaurus!

[–] britneyfoxx 8 years ago

saw it 4 times in the theater in '81