Indy's first raucous adventure has peril, stereotypes.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 11+?
Any Positive Content?
Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
some
Marion wins a drinking contest by pounding down more alcohol than the men around her. Other scenes also show wine/spirits drinking, including one in which Marion pretends to get drunk.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.
Frequent peril and lots of hand-to-hand battles (fists, swords, whips) and plenty of guns, including one point-blank shooting. Frightening/gross close-ups of melting faces and vengeful ghosts. A man's head hits a propeller -- blood splatters. Indy and Marion are lowered into a pit of poisonous snakes; there's also a close encounter with some very large spiders. A bar fire leads to a man's hand being badly burned/scarred. When Marion is held captive, she's forced to dress up for her captor so he can admire her (she changes behind a screen as he waits/watches).
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Nothing in the movie, but there's plenty of Indy merchandise available.
Positive Messages
some
Perseverance, teamwork, courage, integrity, and trying to do the right thing are ultimately rewarded, although some of Indy's methods are iffy. Standing up to bullying forces (in this case, the Nazi party) is a strong theme.
Positive Role Models
some
Indy is brave, resourceful, loyal, and smart, and he's dedicated to preserving historical artifacts. But his methods are sometimes violent and paternalistic. Marion is a strong, independent woman who takes matters into her own hands.
Diverse Representations
Flagged for concern
People of color are portrayed as barbaric and violent. Although Marion is strong and smart, Indy usually sees her as a damsel in distress.
Parents need to know that Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark is a rip-roaring adventure with lots of hand-to-hand battles (fists, swords, whips) and plenty of guns. There's not too much blood and gore (though many young children are likely to be scared by a climactic face-melting scene, as well as one in which a man is killed when his head hits a plane propeller), but it's still way up there in the body count department. Much of the thrill of this beloved movie is in the fright factor, so cadavers, snakes, spiders, and villains (mostly Nazis and Nazi sympathizers) also abound. Characters demonstrate perseverance, teamwork, courage, and integrity, although the film is insensitive toward people of color who are shown as being violent, uneducated, and barbaric. A couple of scenes feature drinking, including one in which a main character knocks back a dangerous amount of alcohol to win a contest. And there's a bit of language, including one "s--t." To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Great action, but as someone who was traumatized from the face-melting scene as a child, I HIGHLY discourage any parents letting their children, or even young teens for that matter, watching the ending. If you do choose or catch them watching the film, make sure you stop the movie right before the tables turn and tell them that they shouldn’t even think about watching it until they’re sure they can tolerate it, no matter how much they beg. Believe me, they will regret it. No minor should EVER be subjected to see something that graphic.
A lot of other dads told me this movie is okay for children. It is not at all. This movie is so scary. Even being 43 years old, I found it terrifying! There is impalement, Bloody stabbing and intense action. I was watching it with my 13 year old( I had watched this movie when I was kid about age 9) and I remebered to cover his eyes on many occasions. The violence much too much for a 11 year old. Don't get me wrong though, this is an awesome movie!
What's the Story?
After a mission in the jungle at the start of INDIANA JONES AND THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) forks over a valuable relic to dastardly French archeologist Belloq (Paul Freeman), under threat of death. Indy is then sent by the U.S. military to outdo the Nazis in a race to find the secret resting place of the Ark of the Covenant -- which purportedly contains the remnants of the Ten Commandments. He reconnects with former girlfriend Marion (Karen Allen), and they end up in Cairo, where they battle all manner of villains -- Nazi and otherwise -- as they search for the Ark.
When director Steven Spielberg and writer-producer George Lucas set out to re-create the serial adventure movie of the 1940s, they forged a masterwork. The key to the success of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark is Ford's Indiana Jones, the archaeology professor and grand adventurer who seems perfectly at home as both a mild-mannered Clark Kent type -- right down to the glasses -- and a larger-than-life hero. Ford played a similar character in the Star Wars series, but here he's front and center. With Raiders, Ford established himself as one of the greatest action-adventure heroes of all time.
Despite the movie's quality, it's fun to note the small continuity and effects errors. If you go back to the film, you and your kids can make a game of picking out where even the best filmmakers make little mistakes. But it will be important to discuss how, despite its entertainment value, the film has aged poorly in terms of how it depicts people of color, most of whom are shown as violent and barbaric.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what Indiana Jones stands for in Raiders of the Lost Ark. If he's a good person, why does he break the rules? Is that OK? What separates him from the "bad guys"? Are real-life villains as thoroughly evil as the ones in movies?
Why is Indy so popular as a hero? Why is it so hard for other movies to duplicate the formula of the Indiana Jones series?
What makes for a good action film? Is action more important than plot?
Where and by whom should historical artifacts be preserved? Should they remain in their countries of origin, or should they be taken to museums or institutions in countries like the United States and England?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
