In the early ‘80s, a group of friends decided to do a shot-for-shot remake of Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. The herculean task became an Internet legend
Drafthouse Pictures has picked up the rights to the documentary Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made with plans for a limited theatrical release, as well as digitally and on demand, this summer. Here’s the trailer, in case you missed it.
Directed by Jeremy Coon and Tim Skousen, Raiders tells the story of three friends, Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala and Jayson Lamb, who at the age of 11 started remaking Raiders of the Lost Ark. They used an old camera, crazy practical effects, and got most of it done over the course of seven years. One scene in particular, however, never got filmed and after their movie gained the attention of the online community (thanks to Eli Roth, Harry Knowles and others), the friends took to Kickstarter to finish their opus.
This movie covers all of that with a real human eye. It’s a great watch if you’re a fan of filmmaking, Indiana Jones, or anything in between.
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