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

Overview

Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made is a 2015 American documentary film directed by Jeremy Coon and Tim Skousen. The film chronicles the history of a fan project initiated in 1982 by three 11-year-old friends from Mississippi named Eric Zala, Chris Strompolos, and Jayson Lamb. Over the course of seven years, the group worked to recreate the film Raiders of the Lost Ark. This production process tested their friendship and involved various challenges, including an incident that nearly destroyed a family home. By 1989, the trio had completed every scene of their adaptation except for the explosive airplane sequence. Decades later, the filmmakers reunited to finally realize their childhood ambition by constructing a replica of the 75-foot Flying Wing plane in a Mississippi mud pit. The documentary captures the behind-the-scenes efforts to finish the project and blow up the replica, documenting the legacy of what has become known as the greatest fan film ever made. The film features appearances by individuals including John Rhys-Davies.