How "Good vs. Evil" Defined The Indiana Jones Film Series Anonymous 12th Grade

Looking back, it’s hard to believe that all but one movie studio turned down the opportunity to produce what is considered one of the best action films ever produced: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. On vacation in Hawaii following the colossal success of 1977’s Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope), George Lucas brought up the idea he had conjured up in 1973 for the Indiana Jones films to longtime friend and collaborator Steven Spielberg. Lucas envisioned the films as modernized versions of the film serials from the 1930’s and 1940’s and wanted the character to be “better than James Bond.” Shortly thereafter, Lucas started to develop both a sequel to Star Wars – later called The Empire Strikes Back – and with the help of Spielberg and friend Lawrence Kasdan, the character of Indiana Jones and the first movie in which he would be featured, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Now, Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones is considered an icon and the first three films he was featured in – Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Temple of Doom, and The Last Crusade – are considered classics not only because of great writing, action, and all-around quality filmmaking, but because of the simple yet engaging and relatable theme...