Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation Screening

GameOn were lucky enough to be able to recently attend a screening of cult film Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation.

This rarely seen, virtually shot-for-shot remake was made by Eric Zala, Chris Strompolos and Jayson Lamb during their childhood years in Mississippi. After seeing the film at the cinema and piecing together 600 of their own hand drawn storyboards the production began. The filming process began in 1982 and the film was finished an astonishing 7 years later in 1989.

The film was shown last week in London and it is, quite simply, 100 minutes of pure, unadulterated entertainment. Rarely does a film show the same levels of affection for its source material or generate a charm strong enough to make an entire audience cheer in delight. From the small touches, like the travelling scenes done via a red line on a map to the standout action set pieces, Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation never disappoints.

It is astounding that a film made by a dedicated group of children could ever be this impressive and frankly, it is the best title I have seen all year. There are so many highlights to discuss: a faultless rendition of the boulder scene, an incredibly dangerous-looking recreation of the bar fight and the jaw-dropping, heart-in-mouth action of the truck chase.

Disappointingly, the film has never been released on VHS or DVD, yet hopefully this will change. In a question and answer session after the film, Eric and Chris commented that there were some early discussions about the possibility of a release and my fingers certainly remain crossed. In the meantime, Eric, Jayson and Chris are currently in the process of making a biographical film about the time they spent making The Adaptation.

GameOn were lucky enough to ask Eric and Chris how the process influenced them and what impact this had on their lives. They both commented that it had been incredibly positive and had opened many doors for them as well as being a great deal of fun. For all Raiders fans out there, keep your eyes peeled for future screenings, this is a title which is not to be missed.