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"Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made" tells the story of three childhood friends who set out to create a tribute to their favorite film, "Raiders of the Lost Ark." In the summer of 1982, Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala, and Jayson Lamb would spend the next seven summers of their life creating a shot for shot re-make of Steven Spielberg’s 1981 classic film. As the boys grow older, they begin to develop different interests and drift apart due to a mutual love interest among the friends and, in later years, drug and alcohol addiction. After nearly a decade spent filming the Spielberg tribute, a falling out between the boys (now men), left the film unfinished with just one scene left undone.
With the help of Hollywood director Eli Roth, who discovered the boys’ story, the trio reunited with the original cast members from their childhood in order to complete their masterpiece. Roth tracked them down, assisted with funding and helped them live out their childhood dream one more time.
"Raiders!" is the kind of film that brings out the child in you and really highlights the magic of cinema. It makes you realize that movies can pull you out of reality and move you into a realm of fantasy. It’s a film that helps you remember that at one point in your life, you may have wanted to become an action hero like Luke Skywalker, Wonder Woman, or Indiana Jones. The beauty of this story is that these boys became their hero through their dedication to this modern classic.
"Raiders!" is really a coming of age story that chronicles the act of growing up. The film is emotional and you’ll find yourself cheering for these boys as if they were friends of your own.
"Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made," open Friday, July 15 in the UICA Movie Theater. For a list of showtimes, visit uica.org/movies.
The UICA Movie Theater shows independent, foreign, and documentary movies in downtown Grand Rapids Tuesday–Sunday year round. Audiences can see critical favorites, festival award winners, and special one-night screenings of classic films in UICA's 195-seat theater, with a state-of-the-art, Dolby© certified movie viewing experience. The Rapidian and UICA have teamed up to bring you film reviews about movies screening in the UICA Movie Theater by Nick Hartman, UICA Film Coordinator.
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