AND THE WINNER IS…
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
“In 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before Adolf Hitler’s Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.”
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan
Story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman
Stars: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman
In the years since its release, the film has grown in esteem, and many now consider it to be among the greatest films of the 1980s and one of the greatest action-adventure films ever made. It had a significant and lasting impact on popular culture; the film’s success spawned a host of imitators across several media and inspired a variety of filmmakers. Raiders of the Lost Ark is the first film in what would become the Indiana Jones franchise, that includes three more films—Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull—a television series, video games, comic books, novels, theme park attractions, toys, board games, collectibles and an amateur remake. The United States Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1999.
Let’s Talk About Raiders of the Lost Ark
One of the best theme songs of all time?
Behind the scenes of Spielberg’s classic.
The Road to the Championship
#1 Raiders of the Lost Ark steamrolled through the first two rounds beating #16 The Verdict and #8 Big very easily. However, starting the Sweet Sixteen round, Raiders has been battle-tested time and time again as it would go to barely slide by each foe by only one vote. #4 The Princess of the Bride, #10 Die Hard, and #1 Empire Strikes Back all put up valiant fights to only fall to the whip Indiana Jones. #7 The Terminator fought valiantly to try and be a giant slayer by putting up a hell of a fight only to come up short by a few votes. The final score was 59% to 41% as Raiders of the Lost Ark would narrowly bring home the prestigious Movie Madness title.
Here is the bracket to see all winners and losers.
Were you shocked by the winner or did you see this coming all along? Were there any surprises during this tournament of certain movies winning or losing? Did this tournament introduce you to any movies or make you add any to your watchlist?
Thank you to all who voted and commented on this tournament! We hope this was fun. Be on the lookout for announcements regarding next year’s Movie Madness!
