Steven Spielberg, even with all of his professional accolades and admiration from fans, may never fully know the irreplaceable impact he’s had on entire generations of moviegoers, dreamers and the culture in which we live everyday.

“I don’t dream at night, I dream at day, I dream all day; I’m dreaming for living.”
–Steven Spielberg

And we’re eternally thankful that he does.

As a matter of fact, there are a couple of childhood buddies who didn’t simply watch and enjoy Raiders of the Lost Ark when it hit theaters in 1981. They took their fandom to the next level. Ironically, by next level, that was technically intended to be the same level as Mr. Spielberg.

Confused?

This will help.

Watch the trailer once, twice, three times and remember the shared feelings you had with Chris Strompolos and Eric Zala (the cast) when you first saw Raiders of the Lost Ark. This homemade adventure of a lifetime by two young Spielbergians is one of the primary justifications for Throwback Thursday. Mr. Spielberg, by dreaming big with daring stunts, thereby encouraged and gave permission for all of us to dream big with daring stunts of our own. Raiders and his long list of pop culture-defining films forever changed the way we watch movies, as well as changing the trajectory for what we expect from movies.

If the above trailer/epic journey proves anything, it’s that Steven Spielberg’s cinematic revolution and trademark story arcs will never be lost.