Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made (2015)

A documentary of the story behind Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation (1989).

Directors:

Jeremy Coon, Tim Skousen

Writers:

Tim Skousen, Jeremy Coon

Stars:

Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala, Jayson Lamb

Cast

Credited cast:
Chris Strompolos	...	Self
Eric Zala	...	Self
Jayson Lamb	...	Self
Angela Rodriguez	...	Self
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ernest Cline	...	Self (as Ernie Cline)
Casey Dillard	...	Self
James Donald	...	Arab
Rob Fuller	...	German Mechanic
Francisco Gonzalez	...	Self
Chris Gore	...	Self
John E. Hudgens	...	Self (as John Hudgens)
Guy Klender	...	Self (as Guy James Klender)
Harry Jay Knowles	...	Self (as Harry Knowles)
Scott Lionberger	...	Self
Michael Mobley	...	Self

Storyline

In 1981, two 11-year-olds in Mississippi set out to remake their favorite film: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. With the help of all their friends, it took them seven years to complete in their basement. Except one scene, the airplane scene. Thirty years later, they set out to finally finish their fan film and full realize their childhood dream. This is the story behind the making of what is known as the greatest fan film ever made.

---

Plot Keywords:

filmmaker | film production | fan film | film festival | 

---

Taglines:

What started as a childhood project ends in an adult obsession.

---

Genres:

Documentary

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala, and others organized a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund filming of the only scene missing from Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation (1989): Indy's battle on the landing pad with the plane, ending in a bloody mess. Filming completed in 2014.

---

Crazy Credits

Despite being listed as a 2015 film, the final title card of the released version of the film references events that occurred in 2016.

---

Connections

References The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

User Reviews

Now that's dedication

Greetings again from the darkness - from the Dallas International Film Festival 2-15. Most documentaries are pretty simple to recap: A filmmaker makes a movie about a topic or person. However, simplicity just doesn't fit here. Filmmakers Jeremy Coon and Tim Skousen made a movie about the making of a movie that is a movie re-made in honor of a movie that was already made. This isn't Coppola's Hearts of Darkness which portrays his difficulty in making Apocalypse Now. Far from it. This is a modern day look back at two/three geeky eleven year old boys making a shot-for-shot remake of Steven Spielberg's classic Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Coon and Skousen catch up with forty-somethings Eric Zala, Chris Strompolos and Jayson Lamb as they are trying to put together the financing and logistics to film the final scene of their unfinished movie Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation. These are the same boy that started the process in 1982 and filmed each of the next seven summers until they graduated from high school.

If you are a total film geek, you have probably heard of their film and know that it has been an underground film favorite for years. But you may not know the real life details behind it and certainly not the modern day drama of Eric and Chris as they try to complete it. How about some interviews with their mothers? How about the real world possibility that Eric risks losing his job to complete this thirty plus year old kid's summer project? How about the personal struggles of Chris over the years, or the fallout with Jayson as he is left out of this final chapter?

Director Eli Roth was instrumental in spreading the word of this film project throughout Hollywood, and the boys even got invited to meet with Spielberg. Mostly we are left with the fascination that young boys can have such passion and persistence over so many years. When asked about whether they missed out on their childhood, Chris responds "We filmed childhood". A true and fitting response, that doesn't tell the whole story. Fortunately, Coon and Skousen do.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 June 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made

Box Office

Budget:

$0 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$26,059, 19 June 2016

Gross USA:

$71,916

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$71,916

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jeremy Coon Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Color:

Color