(Credits: Far Out / IMDB)
Thu 14 August 2025 21:15, UK
A regular face on our screens for nearly 15 years, Adam Scott will be known to many as a comedian. From Step Brothers to Parks and Recreation, he’s proven his versatility and comic dynamism.
But with his recent dramatic stint in Ben Stiller’s Severance, he’s proven that he’s much more than just a funny guy. However, he does bring a certain satirical comedy relief to the psychological thriller.
With this in mind, it’s interesting to consider the one film on his list of ‘Five Favourites’ for Rotten Tomatoes that he called “perfect in every way”. The movie at the top of his list was Raiders of the Lost Ark. While it’s technically an adventure film, a classic one at that, no one will deny its comedic chops. After all, that’s kind of integral to the whole adventure genre, but it’s also a film that’s as dynamic as Scott.
As the actor explained: “I find it very moving in parts. I think it’s incredibly exciting; obviously, it’s really funny”. If you’re not familiar with the legendary film, then you must be living a sad life. In all seriousness, it follows Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, the now iconic globetrotting archaeologist and explorer. A handsome scoundrel, he teams up with his former (and much younger) beau, Marion, to stop a rival archaeologist from leading the Nazis to the long-lost Ark of the Covenant.
Swashbuckling adventure, trouble and plenty of slapstick comedy ensue. From the classic point at the floor to distract your opponent before kicking him bit and just impatiently shooting a sword-swinging foe to Marion accidentally chinning him with a mirror, it’s filled with too many moments of great physical comedy to count. Not to mention lots of witty remarks, funny catchphrases and innuendos aplenty.
Scott himself mentions one particularly memorable scene, in which a sadistic Gestapo agent pulls out a pair of nunchucks like some sort of menacing dominatrix and proceeds to turn them into a coat hanger. Oh, the campness! As Scott puts it, “It is so good. It’s just a perfect, perfect movie”.
Seemingly, the rest of the world hasn’t gotten sick of it, either. Thought up by George Lucas in the early 1970s and brought to life by Steven Spielberg, it spawned an entire franchise, with the last instalment coming out in 2023, and remains one of the best adventure films of all time. Actually, it’s fair to say, one of the best films of all time. Despite little interest initially, it went on to become the highest-grossing film of 1981 and won no less than five Academy Awards.
It’s difficult to imagine a lighthearted adventure film winning such prestigious awards these days. We’re in what seems like a loop of never-ending remakes, prequels and sequels, so the idea of someone coming up with something fun and original enough with good execution seems almost impossible. But at least we’ll always have Indy, for as Scott reiterated, “I’m never sick of watching any of it”.
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