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>>> Raiders! The Story Of The Greatest Fan Film Ever Made will break your nerdy heart

RAIDERS! THE STORY OF THE GREATEST FAN FILM EVER MADE (Tim Skousen, Jeremy Coon). 94 minutes. Opens Friday (June 17). See listing. Rating: NNNNN 


Back in the early 80s, long before YouTube, a group of then 11-year-olds -attempted to do a shot-by-shot remake of the blockbuster Raiders Of The Lost Ark using a borrowed camera, DIY sets and their imaginations.

They persevered for seven years, filming during summer vacations and completing all but the famous airplane scene. Years later the VHS tape was found and, thanks to champions like Eli Roth and Harry Knowles, earned a cult following.

Now, decades later, they reunite to film that missing scene, bringing with them adult wisdom, a few old grudges and new money and safety issues. The result is an affectionate, suspenseful and moving look at ingenuity, fandom and friendship. The doc is lovingly structured, carefully edited (although I’m not sure the spliced-in interviews of original ROTLA actor John Rhys-Davies are needed) and is tons of geeky fun.

If Criterion ever releases Raiders on Blu-ray, this would make a wicked extra.     

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