Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made

Greetings again from the darkness - from the Dallas International Film Festival 2-15. Most documentaries are pretty simple to recap: A filmmaker makes a movie about a topic or person. However, simplicity just doesn't fit here. Filmmakers Jeremy Coon and Tim Skousen made a movie about the making of a movie that is a movie re-made in honor of a movie that was already made. This isn't Coppola's Hearts of Darkness which portrays his difficulty in making Apocalypse Now. Far from it. This is a modern day look back at two/three geeky eleven year old boys making a shot-for-shot remake of Steven Spielberg's classic Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Coon and Skousen catch up with forty-somethings Eric Zala, Chris Strompolos and Jayson Lamb as they are trying to put together the financing and logistics to film the final scene of their unfinished movie Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation. These are the same boy that started the process in 1982 and filmed each of the next seven summers until they graduated from high school.

If you are a total film geek, you have probably heard of their film and know that it has been an underground film favorite for years. But you may not know the real life details behind it and certainly not the modern day drama of Eric and Chris as they try to complete it. How about some interviews with their mothers? How about the real world possibility that Eric risks losing his job to complete this thirty plus year old kid's summer project? How about the personal struggles of Chris over the years, or the fallout with Jayson as he is left out of this final chapter?

Director Eli Roth was instrumental in spreading the word of this film project throughout Hollywood, and the boys even got invited to meet with Spielberg. Mostly we are left with the fascination that young boys can have such passion and persistence over so many years. When asked about whether they missed out on their childhood, Chris responds "We filmed childhood". A true and fitting response, that doesn't tell the whole story. Fortunately, Coon and Skousen do.

It's not too many docs that can pull at the heartstrings when the paraphrased edict "the sincerest form of flattery is imitation" is evidenced in this, the ultimate piece of fan worship. Who would've known that a shot by shot "adaptation" of Raiders of the Lost Ark made by teenagers would be the guiding nexus for 35 years of their lives. Though I grumbled to myself, maybe their time would've been better spent doing something original, I can't deny the audaciousness of the enterprise. Not many of us can say they've lived their dreams to fruition, these Raiders kids can & they have the VHS to prove it.

All I can say is watch this movie!! Very endearing and heartwarming story of dedication & love. Had us glued from the beginning. Brought me back to a simpler time and age. Absolutely Loved it!

Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made (2015)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

This documentary tells the rather exciting and at times sad story of Chris Strompolos and Eric Zala, two young friends who decides to try and do a scene-for-scene remake of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Their journey would eat up seven years of their childhood and the two would eventually be brought back together as they try to film the one scene that they couldn't as children.

There are countless fan films out there and especially in today's age where anyone can film something on their phone and upload it to YouTube within minutes. What's so amazing about RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK: THE ADAPTATION is the fact that it was done back in the 80s with real effects and the fact that it ended up becoming a huge hit after the bootleg tape fell into the right hands.

This documentary does an excellent job at not only covering the making of the film but also how its making impact the two main people involved. After the fan fare started to pick up, a Kickstarter campaign was started so that the two could go back and finish one piece of the movie that was missing. We get to see the actual shooting of this scene as well as learn about the original shooting as well as all the ups and downs that went into it.

I'm sure most people have pretended that they made a movie or they dreamed of doing so. What's so fascinating about these kids is the fact that they actually went out there and did it. Their stories are certainly something that leads to a highly entertaining story and there's plenty of nice drama throughout this documentary of them trying to complete the picture. If you're a fan of the original Steven Spielberg film then you'll certainly be entertained by this documentary and the stories that come with it.

Typically this is the sort of documentary I would avoid. I love documentaries and I love film, but a group of kids who recreate "Raiders"? Sounds stupid.

Luckily, others were less dismissive and numerous sources have praised both the kids' film and this documentary. It made me curious, and as it turns out, there is a great story here. There is the plot that these folks are filming the final shots of their remake, but there are so many other parts of this. I don't know why we should care about these kids and their families, but the film convinces us that we should. Romance, drug problems, abusive stepparents... all of that is here.