In 1981 – I was 9 years old when I saw RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Some of you, though it boggles my brain, were not even born yet. However, to the crowd right now entering our thirties, heading into our mid-thirties and even stepping well into our forties and fifties… June 12, 1981 was one of those – OHMYGOD moments in history. I actually saw RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK at a sneak preview at the Fox Theater here in Austin, Tx 4 days before it opened. That theater is now, oddly, a Mercedes Benz Outlet. I was a maniac before and after that film, but I don’t think I knew a kid that didn’t want to be Indiana Jones.
I was going to central America and South America with my parents to visit temples buried deep in the jungles, and had been for 4 years when I saw that movie. Growing up on serials, it amazed me.
However, in Mississippi – there was a 10 year old boy, also born in 1971 that saw RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and he didn’t idly think… I want to be Indiana Jones… He was determined TO BE INDIANA JONES. His name, Chris Strompolis. He had friends and they all began hatching a plot, “We’ll film a shot-for-shot remake of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK!”
We’re talking 10-11-12 year olds. Kids at the age where they can do anything, dream of anything. We all dream a lot at 10-12… hell, on up through college and until we hit the real world. Some never cease dreaming, few ever really do the dream. Eric Zala, Jayson Lamb and Chris Strompolis shot a shot-for-shot remake of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Close to Seven years later… they finished.
They grew up in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. They learned to sew costumes, blow **** up good, take molds of their heads, drag under motorized vehicles, be hurled through windows, set themselves on fire, set their basement on fire, take over a WWII Submarine, improvise brilliantly another animal for the monkey, blow up a truck, get a shitload of snakes, build a giant boulder, the first kiss, get a girl to strip and put on Marion’s dress while they filmed it in the mirror. They dressed their friends up as Nazis, killed a brother over and over again, made over 40 traditional Arabic costumes, swordfight, beat the **** out of each other, build giant Egyptian statues, con someone out of a Rolls Royce, scour Goodwill’s and Salvation Armies for costumes and props.
This was pre-DV so they had to capture things with BETAMAX recorders, VHS Camcorders… They had substandard equipment, but they got their shots. They weren’t trained actors, but they knew RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.
They started as boys and girls and finished the film as young men and women. They had the hometown screening, they dressed up for it, then Eric Zala, Jayson Lamb and Chris Strompolis went to the four winds. Eric Zala was the director and played Belloq – he went to NYU film school. Jayson Lamb set out to pursue a creative position in film and wound up in Fine Art in College. Chris Strompolis – well he went to become an actor in Hollywood, went to school, studied the craft, got a few bits here and there. Point is, for 7 years these kids shared a dream, and now they were gone.

If Lucas or Spielberg or the folks at Paramount were smart, they’d be contacting Eric Zala and crew to put this thing on an Extra Disc for that RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK DVD set – Along with a little interview thing with the three kids all grown up. Why? Because frankly – this is the dream of what films can do. Motivate kids to learn and make it. To get that first kiss, to make that first facemask, to create Nazi Uniforms and giant boulders. Because, for everyone that saw this thing, they’d remember who they were when they saw this film, that they were Indiana Jones, that they could have the greatest adventure ever. Because this thing is magic. Because it’d make for great stories and interviews and publicity, but most of all because it’d be so damn cool

Originally posted by Chew
get a girl to strip and put on Marion’s dress while they filmed it in the mirror

I feel this is the best damn fan film I’ve ever seen. The love and passion and sacrifice is on every single frame of this thing. And tonight as they received their STANDING OVATION for 4 solid minutes....

Originally posted by milo bloom
Wow, I'm amazed at all the negativity here. This is not some sort of hack job where they just cut out the Jar Jar footage and dub in lines for Maul where he brags about "bringing the fo-schizzle on those Jedi, and opening up a can of whoop ass on them".

This is a true act of love, one even Spielberg liked. When I read this article this morning I thought more people would be interested in seeing something like this, something done out of true love for a project, rather than a mindless studio remake done just for the dollars. And the length of time spent on it just shows their passion even more. We have trouble keeping threads going past a week here, they spent years making this.

I would love to see this as a supplement on the DVD set. If it's as bare as we're thinking it is, any little thing will help.

this is the dream of what films can do. Motivate kids to learn and make it. To get that first kiss, to make that first facemask, to create Nazi Uniforms and giant boulders.

Originally posted by milo bloom
Wow, I'm amazed at all the negativity here. This is not some sort of hack job where they just cut out the Jar Jar footage and dub in lines for Maul where he brags about "bringing the fo-schizzle on those Jedi, and opening up a can of whoop ass on them".

This is a true act of love, one even Spielberg liked. When I read this article this morning I thought more people would be interested in seeing something like this, something done out of true love for a project, rather than a mindless studio remake done just for the dollars. And the length of time spent on it just shows their passion even more. We have trouble keeping threads going past a week here, they spent years making this.

Originally posted by MartyMcSuperfly
No, it's a 10 year waste of time on something that's not even original. When I was a youngin', way back in 1980 or so, I rounded up every action figure I could get my paws on, grabbed my mom's 8mm camera, and went to town. Yeah, it was a lousy film, but it was MY lousy film and not some obsessive fan boy derivative knock off.

This "film" has no business whatsoever being with a hundred miles of the DVD set.