Back in 1981, a group of friends fell in love with RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Really, everybody did. Steven Spielberg’s film remains a classic and beloved story for generations of movie goers. But for a group of kids in Mississippi, it was much more. It provided an escape, a fantasy, an adventure, and a role model. In many different ways, it became something to aspire to. In the summer of 1982, Eric Zala, Chris Strompolos and Jayson Lamb set out to create a shot for shot remake of the film. It took them seven years and provided the backdrop of their adolescence. This project made and tested friendships, encompassed first loves, creative passions, parental struggles and domestic issues. Through all of the changes they went though and everything that was present in their lives, RAIDERS was constant, providing an escape when needed and a goal to strive for.
They completed every scene except for one – the legendary airplane scene where Indy fistfights the huge, bald Nazi solider. Over twenty years later, the gang reunited to finally complete their dream. RAIDERS!: THE STORY OF THE GREATEST FAN FILM EVER MADE documents their struggle to make this dream a reality, while also going back and revisiting the vision that got them to this place to begin with.
The film, directed by Jeremy Coon and Tim Skousen, contains interviews with Eric, Chris and Jayson, along with their parents and friends who had been a part of the process throughout production. We hear stories of the many hazards undergone to create their dream (lighting Eric’s mom’s basement on fire, Chris actually dangling off of a moving truck and a plaster mishap, just to name a few) flavor the film and provide a great sense of nostalgia. Interspersed is footage detailing the modern day production to try to get the airplane scene completed. Financial concerns, rain and prop issues threaten to keep them from their goal, and remind us that just because these guys are adults, they are not free from the unplanned issues that can throw production into a tailspin.
The doc also details the fateful day the film emerged into the public eye, when it was gifted to our own Harry by Eli Roth at the 2002 BNAT (let it never be said that Eli Roth gives bad presents – this thing is a treasure). We get to hear from several people who were there (you’re going to see some familiar faces), and got to experience the joys of seeing a bunch of kids doing not just a recreation of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, but a faithful, detailed recreation of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Really, there was never a better audience for this film to find. It was made by a bunch of movie nerds who wanted to pay homage to a film that had touched their lives in an immense way, and it was discovered by a different group of movie nerds who had spent the subsequent two decades adoring the original film, memorizing it line by line and knew these scenes backwards and forwards. Seeing such a beloved piece of cinematic history shared and celebrated to such a profound degree by a group of dedicated kids is a thing to behold, and doing so in the cathedral that is BNAT was clearly an exciting moment.
If you have ever loved film (and you must, because you’re here, reading this site), then you need to check this doc out as soon as you possibly can. It is a story of a bunch of kids who share that passion for film with us. These are our people – but with the added determination and drive that most of us don’t have as teenagers (or even as adults). Seriously – did you ever have the level of commitment as a kid that would make you return to an ongoing project every summer for seven years? Yeah, neither did I. These kids made a love letter to their favorite movie, and this doc is in turn a love letter to their hard work and to their joy – joy shared by all of us.
