The 'Raiders of the Ark' Fan-Made Homage Gets a Side-by-Side Trailer With the Original
In 1982, a trio of 11-year-old Mississippi friends embarked on what would turn into the cinematic adventure of a lifetime: producing a shot-for-shot remake of Steven Spielberg’s 1981 Indiana Jones movie Raiders of the Lost Ark. That quest is now being recounted in loving form in Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made, a documentary from Drafthouse Films whose latest trailer proves the lengths to which these amateur filmmakers went to faithfully mimic their source material.
In this new promo, we’re treated to a side-by-side comparison of shots from Spielberg’s classic and Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala, and Jayson Lamb’s inspired homage. Setting aside the obvious budgetary differences between the two projects, the results – complete with the iconic images of Indy cracking his whip, hanging on to the front of a speeding truck, and narrowly evading an enormous boulder — speak to the success of this fan-made venture.
A decades-in-the-making movie that eventually attracted a cult following thanks to Ain’t It Cool News’ Harry Knowles and Hostel director Eli Roth (who were both fans and held screenings of it for friends), Strompolos, Zala, and Lamb’s creation will finally get its moment in the spotlight when the Raiders! documentary opens in theaters on June 17.
Watch the first trailer for ‘Raiders:’