Netflix now streaming hit blockbuster that's regarded 'best movie of all time'

Netflix has started streaming one 1981 action-adventure film which set the standard for the modern day blockbuster and is widely regarded one of the best movies of all time.

Widely regarded as one of the finest films ever produced, a thrilling and visually captivating action film from 1981 which set the bar for contemporary blockbusters is now available to stream on Netflix. In the early 1970s, George Lucas was inspired by the adventure serials of the 1930s and '40s, and dreamt up a modern homage to those episodic cliffhangers - this time featuring an adventurous archaeologist as the protagonist.

He further developed the concept with screenwriter Philip Kaufman, who proposed the Ark of the Covenant - a legendary biblical artefact - as the central object of the plot. Lucas put the project on hold to concentrate on his groundbreaking 1977 classic Star Wars, the Express reports.

After Star Wars became a global phenomenon, he returned to the previous idea and pitched it to Steven Spielberg, who was keen on creating a film in the style of a James Bond adventure. Then, in 1981, Raiders of the Lost Ark introduced the world to Indiana Jones - the fedora-clad archaeologist who became one of cinema's most iconic characters.

The film came to life thanks to the assistance of screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan and actor Harrison Ford, who previously portrayed Han Solo in Star Wars.

Set in 1936, Raiders of the Lost Ark follows Dr. Indiana Jones, who is enlisted by the U.S. government to locate the Ark of the Covenant before it ends up in the hands of the Nazis.

The film kicks off in the South American jungles, where Jones retrieves a golden idol from a temple laden with traps, only to be double-crossed by a guide and outsmarted by his rival, French archaeologist René Belloq.

Upon returning to the U.S., Army intelligence officials brief him that the Nazis are on a quest for the lost city of Tanis in Egypt, rumoured to hold the Ark - a sacred chest believed to contain the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments.

To locate the Ark, Jones must find an artefact known as the headpiece to the Staff of Ra, currently in the hands of Marion Ravenwood, the daughter of his former mentor - and his past lover.

The film's middle section is brimming with action-packed scenes, including fights, chases, shootouts, and a memorable sequence involving a pit of snakes in the Well of Souls, the resting place of the Ark.

Raiders of the Lost Ark was a commercial and critical hit upon its release in June 1981.

It went on to become the highest-grossing film of the year, raking in over $300 million worldwide.

It received nine Academy Award nominations and won five, including Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, and a Special Achievement Award for sound effects editing.

Raiders of the Lost Ark not only introduced audiences to a legendary franchise that includes The Temple of Doom (1984), The Last Crusade (1989), The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), and The Dial of Destiny (2023), but also spawned books, video games, and a plethora of merchandise.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made by critics, filmmakers, and fans, the first Indiana Jones movie was chosen for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 1999 for its "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" contribution.

Its impact is evident in action-adventure cinema for years to come, setting the template for many Hollywood blockbusters.

You can now catch Raiders of the Lost Ark on Netflix for a dose of nostalgia or to discover its magic for the first time.