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IMDbPro

Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation

  • Video
  • 1989
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
872
YOUR RATING
Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation (1989)
ActionAdventureThriller

A shot-for-shot remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), started by three 12-year-olds and completed over a period of six years.A shot-for-shot remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), started by three 12-year-olds and completed over a period of six years.A shot-for-shot remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), started by three 12-year-olds and completed over a period of six years.

  • Director
    • Eric Zala
  • Writers
    • Lawrence Kasdan
    • George Lucas
    • Philip Kaufman
  • Stars
    • Chris Strompolos
    • Angela Rodriguez
    • Michael Bales
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.0/10
    872
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Eric Zala
    • Writers
      • Lawrence Kasdan
      • George Lucas
      • Philip Kaufman
    • Stars
      • Chris Strompolos
      • Angela Rodriguez
      • Michael Bales
    • 11User reviews
    • 20Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos6

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    Top cast57

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    Chris Strompolos
    Chris Strompolos
    • Indy…
    Angela Rodriguez
    • Marion
    Michael Bales
    • Dietrich
    Eric Zala
    Eric Zala
    • Belloq…
    Ted Ross
    • Toht
    Alan Stenum
    • Sallah…
    William Coon
    • Brody
    Kurt Zala
    • Gobler…
    Clay LaGrone
    • Satipo…
    Sam Cummings
    • Barranca
    Jason Ross
    • Major Eaton…
    Don Hawkins
    • Jock…
    John Brooks
    • Drinking Man…
    Derek Paulson
    • Ratty Nepalese…
    Jayson Lamb
    • Imam…
    Claudio Rubio
    • Abu
    Rebecca Cummings
    • Fayah
    Scott Lionberger
    • Dog Man
    • (as Scott Lionburger)
    • …
    • Director
      • Eric Zala
    • Writers
      • Lawrence Kasdan
      • George Lucas
      • Philip Kaufman
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews11

    8.0872
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    10

    Featured reviews

    Blueghost

    Incredibly good.

    I just got back from the Indie SF Film Festival where this film was showing, and all I can say is that a few minutes into the film (home Betamax video camera (not Betacam)) I was in tears laughing.

    True to Zala's comment during the Q&A at the end of the feature, there is no better audience to watch this with than a theatre filled with San Francisco Bay Area indy film makers and enthusiasts.

    There were cheers. There was applause at key moments in the film. There were the obligatory "Oooooooohs" for the kissing scenes. Home made stunts: SFX: chase scenes: you name it, this film had it.

    In case you don't know, this is a video production done by a bunch of middle-school cum high-school students who wanted to do their version of Spielberg's and Lucas' "Raiders of the Lost Ark". Nearly every shot is duplicated with a home video camera, showing the raw energy, "spunk", and otherwise enthusiasm of young aspiring film makers.

    Seeing this production reminded me of all the video "films" my friends and I shot during the early 80s. Though not comparable in length, they were certainly comparable in zest for the medium. I, and the rest of the audience tonight at the Victoria theatre (off 16th and Mission) were kindred with Zala and company. Everything from the "adult supervision" who was more immature than the actual cast and crew, to the truck dug out of the swamp, to the good natured destruction of personal lives for a greater glory! It goes without saying that there's a huge cheese factor in this film, but its amateur quality striving for professionalism is its absolute charm, and does not fail from opening sequence to end credits.

    But, with all highs, there are some lows, and regrettably the tragic loss of Snickers was keenly felt amidst tonight's group. Salute to a K-9 actor from all of us who've used their pets in various productions.

    To conclude; if you're even a small Indiana Jones fan in the slightest, then you must, nay, need to see this production in all of its 20th dupe VHS glory. A must see for all film students, teachers, and professionals alike.

    Enjoy! :-)
    9plilja

    Low rating is bogus

    I too cannot fathom why the rating is so low unless a bunch of people put in bogus ratings. Up until a major showing in Minneapolis in June 2007 (a week and a half ago from this post), I doubt many people have ever even seen this movie in its entirety - making the 51 ratings pretty suspect.

    If you know the background then watching this movie is more thrilling than watching the original.

    Incidentally, Paramount (the original Raiders studio) has just optioned the life story of the kids who made this movie. I'm eagerly awaiting the "movie of the movie of the movie"!!!
    moniker_jones

    Inspiring, to Say the Least

    I haven't watched all of this yet, though I'm thrilled to now have a copy of this hard-to-find video which I had read about at various times over the past few years. Makes me want to get out my camera and start shooting. I'm also thrilled to hear that Daniel Clowes is working on adapting these kids' adventures for a big-screen film. Maybe their story will inspire the next generation of Spielbergs.

    I'm somewhat surprised to see that no one else has commented on this film, though I suppose it's a bit difficult to find. My suggestion is to look for obscure film torrent sites like Karagarga, though some probably require invitations. I believe the film was shown in Austin a few years ago at the Alamo Drafthouse, but I wonder what sort of condition it was in at the time. The copy I have is fairly poor -- not unlike something you'd find on a VHS tape from 1985 that was re-recorded over several times. Makes me wonder if they'll show clips from the actual adaptation in Clowes' film or if they'll re-shoot clips using the actors who will play the kids in the movie. It'll be interesting to see how it pans out...
    8Zbigniew_Krycsiwiki

    I saw it at a film festival, highly recommended

    A trio of schoolchildren spent eight summers in the 1980s filming Raiders Of The Lost Ark in their parents' cellars, impressively setting the cellars on fire, and doing all of the stunt-work themselves, getting ships to film scenes, with all of the passion and intensity Spielberg must have had.

    The trio used comic book adaptations, and saw the film as many times as possible, snuck in audio recorders to the cinema, hand drew storyboards, and filmed and starred in it themselves.

    A true labour of love, and well worth it. We, the audience, watch, knowing what scene comes next, and not wondering *if* these kids will do it, but trying to figure *how* they will do it.

    Some of the fire stunts were quite impressive, and could have turned disastrous, had anything gone wrong. (One of many jokes put into the closing credits says, thanks to "Mary Zala, for her support and for destroying her home")

    This film, and its 2015 documentary counterpart, Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made, are required viewing for Indiana Jones fans, and film buffs.
    10shanphil

    How can you not love this?

    10 out of 10? Yes!!! They did the impossible. How could I rate it any lower? If I could I'd give it an 11. Remarkable achievement. Remarkable desire, drive, and creativity. When I was the age they were when they started this, I was sitting around wasting time. Heck, I didn't think I could do the work for even one Boy Scout merit badge-and I didn't. Look what these boys accomplished. Love it! I hope it inspires young people for generations to come. Video games are fun, but get out there and create!

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    Related interests

    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Action
    Still frame
    Adventure
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Because Raiders was yet not available for rental or sale in video stores when the boys started in the summer of '82, they had no reference copy of the movie they were seeking to remake shot-for-shot. So, they got everything Raiders that they could get their hands on - photos from magazines, the published screenplay, storybooks, making-of publications, action figures, an illicit recording of the soundtrack from smuggling in a cassette recorder into a movie theater showing Raiders when re-released in 1982. With the amassed material, and by memory of seeing Raiders in the theater, they cobbled together a composite reconstruction of the original Raiders, shot-by-shot, laying it out in storyboard form. Before Raiders, Eric Zala wanted to be comic book artist growing up. This prepared him to hand draw over 600 individual detailed storyboards that became the blueprint they used for seven years, only rarely deviated from.
    • Connections
      Featured in The People vs. George Lucas (2010)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 12, 1989 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Raiders Guys FB Page
      • Official Raiders Guys Page
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Biloxi, Mississippi, USA
    • Production company
      • Fade to Black Productions (II)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 40m(100 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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