Peer Review: Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Peer Review of “The Fact Behind the Fiction” In this paper, Nicole examines the archaeological content of the Indiana Jones film Raiders of the Lost Ark. Her argument is that some elements of the plot are based on accurate historical events or scientific theories; however some of these events and theories are embellished for the sake of the film. She begins by discussing the often inaccurate portrayal of archaeologists by mass media, which is pertinent to her overall argument since Indiana Jones is, supposedly, a professional archaeologist. In this paragraph she addresses the influence the media has over public opinion, emphasizing the need the accurate portrayal of professional archaeologists and the field of archaeology in general. Then, she moves to talking specifically about the film, first analyzing its portrayal of archaeology. She discusses the surprising accuracy of the inclusion of the Chacapoyan population in the …show more content…
The paper begins more generally with the discussion of general media portrayal of archaeology before moving into a more analytic discussion of the film. I thought the inclusion of this first paragraph about the mass media was effective, as it explains to the reader why archaeological accuracy is important and addresses the “So what?” question, adding an additional level of significance to her paper. Her discussion of the film is also successful, as she has many specific examples to help demonstrate her ideas. For each example, she explains its relevance in the film, its level of accuracy, and the implications this has for the film overall, which helps the reader understand the significance of each example. Finally, her argument flows in a coherent way, beginning more generally then moving to more specific aspects of the film, with clear transitions between topics. This allows the reader to move through the paper without being distracted or confused by statements that seem irrelevant to the overall