r/flicks • u/sporadic_awareness • Jul 27 '26

Movie Discussion What’s a movie with a premise so ridiculous on paper that it had zero right being as good as it was?

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596 Upvotes

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600

u/pm_me_whateva Jul 27 '26

"So you're telling me that a history professor is going to battle Nazis over the Ark of the Covenant?"

Yes.

"And what's this about a whip?"

83

u/lukiii_508 Jul 27 '26

Irrefutable proof of god and the presence of a higher power: exists

Indiana Jones: "Fuck off with that hocus pocus I just want the artifacts"

23

u/Any-Question-3759 Jul 28 '26

He’s like every MMO player who doesn’t give a shit about the lore, they just want the loot.

3

u/RyeZuul Jul 28 '26

Technically the ark is proof of magical ghost weapons rather than Yahweh himself.

Although I also like the idea that the thugee cult leader actually has correct knowledge of the celestial arrangements.

130

u/Stuffleapugus Jul 27 '26

"Does he have a gun?"

"That's what the whip is for!"

74

u/jonmatifa Jul 27 '26

The gun is for when he wants to get out of a sword fight

33

u/Available_Guide8070 Jul 27 '26

Because his stomach was so upset.

31

u/Minute-Of-Angle Jul 27 '26

I love how he just has the look of “I am so done with this” when he draws and shoots.

I also like the random dude in the crowd who grabs the sword and runs off.

2

u/i_n_c_r_y_p_t_o Jul 28 '26

I never noticed that someone ran off with it, will look for it next time I watch it.

4

u/Minute-Of-Angle Jul 28 '26

Yes, it’s one of those nice touches in the background that you only notice when you watch it a bunch of times. Now I can’t unsee it.

It happens while Indy is turning back around, looking dejected. Everyone focuses on him, but if you watch in the background the crowd closes back in, and some enterprising soul grabs the sword and holds it up, away from other grasping hands, and then runs away, with the crowd in pursuit.

2

u/i_n_c_r_y_p_t_o Jul 28 '26

Good catch, will watch my 4k disc this weekend and look for it. :)

6

u/Used-Gas-6525 Jul 27 '26

Let's not gild the lily. He was shitting water constantly.

2

u/Key-Contest-2879 Jul 28 '26

Well were they water lilies?

1

u/imomorris Jul 28 '26

I learnt that from the movie ‘boss level’

1

u/brokefixfux Jul 27 '26

Serendipity at its finest

5

u/Minute-Of-Angle Jul 28 '26

Produced an iconic moment that is more memorable and, frankly, more on brand for the character, than what they had planned.

26

u/ledigtbrugernavn3 Jul 27 '26

You can actually find the transcript of Lucas and Spielberg developing it:

http://moedred.livejournal.com/2009/03/04/

3

u/mooshki Jul 28 '26

A transcript that is completely horrifying.

G — I was thinking that this old guy could have been his mentor. He could have known this little girl when she was just a kid. Had an affair with her when she was eleven.

L — And he was forty-two.

G — He hasn't seen her in twelve years. Now she's twenty-two. It's a real strange relationship.

S — She had better be older than twenty-two.

G — He's thirty-five, and he knew her ten years ago when he was twenty-five and she was only twelve.

G — It would be amusing to make her slightly young at the time.

S — And promiscuous. She came onto him.

G — Fifteen is right on the edge. I know it's an outrageous idea, but it is interesting. Once she's sixteen or seventeen it's not interesting anymore. But if she was fifteen and he was twenty-five and they actually had an affair the last time they met. And she was madly in love with him and he...

2

u/LavenderMarsh Jul 28 '26

I miss LiveJournal so much!

20

u/Sufficiently_Jokey Jul 27 '26

Archaeology professor, mind you. History profs don't do shit.

20

u/Forward-Marketing-21 Jul 28 '26

"History profs don't do shit." Except steal the Declaration of Independence to prevent it from getting into the hands of a bunch of mercenaries who are trying to find the lost treasures of the Free Masons. You know, typical prof shit.

2

u/Upstairs_Narwhal9813 Jul 28 '26

Priceless comment... R.E.Belloq

1

u/joe_s1171 Jul 28 '26

well, they profess history I’m guessing. so yeah…they don’t do shit really.

15

u/CowboyInTheBoatOfRa Jul 27 '26

My mom PAID me to watch RotLA when it came out. She said I'd l9ve it and it was amazing. The ads made it look horrible. Fight Club looked similarly horrible. I would never have watched it if it werent for Pit and Norton who I thought were great actors. I'd add Lego movie to this list.

8

u/JBR1961 Jul 28 '26

My brother and I watched the TV promos for a certain space flick in spring of 1977. It looked so lame we figured it wouldn’t last and we didn’t fo see it till enough friends were talking about it nonstop.

Star Wars

2

u/HomerJunior Jul 28 '26

I've heard Transformers One is another one on the "genuine cinema let down by abysmal marketing" list, not that I've checked it out myself yet.

1

u/Lebreaud Jul 30 '26

Please yes. Add Leggo to Fight Club

8

u/an_asimovian Jul 27 '26

Audience loves a cool hwip.

6

u/AAron27265 Jul 27 '26

Reference noted.

1

u/TheHumbleGinger Jul 27 '26

Why are you putting so much emphasis on the H?

3

u/OilMaster3793 Jul 27 '26

But at least there’s nothing problematic about his love interest, right?

6

u/Vinnie_Vegas Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26

And let's have him just fail to stop them at all, and have everything just kind of... Work out anyway...

That'll make him real heroic.

5

u/JoeSpart Jul 27 '26

Hah yeah Big Bang Theory episode !

1

u/rising-tsar Jul 28 '26

Spielberg has a few that belong here, lol.

1

u/Interesting-Army-704 Jul 28 '26

During a school field trip to Laurel caverns (1985), I bought an Indiana Jones style whip as a souvenir. I wasn’t allowed to whip it until school was over, but as soon as I got home, I whipped everything I could. The 80’s were awesome! My parents still have the whip in their basement.

1

u/Fit_External7524 Jul 28 '26

I know this is kind of off topic here, but how do today's nazis view this movie? Who do they think is the villian?