Never quite understood the appeal of Raiders of the Lost Ark? Seriously? I mean, each to their own, but... damn.

Leaving aside personal preference, it is the greatest pure adventure film ever made, in my not remotely humble opinion. Leaving aside Spielberg's singular direction, Harrison Ford's iconic turn, the equally iconic set pieces (the rolling boulder, the snake pit, truck chase, etc, etc), not to mention the best-MacGuffin-ever (in the Ark of the Covenant), John Williams's earworm score, and so on, it's been every bit as influential as Star Wars, I'd argue. Romancing the Stone (1984), High Road to China (1983), The Goonies (1985), Young Sherlock Holmes (1986), The Rocketeer (1991), The Mask of Zorro (1998), National Treasure (2004), Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), The Mummy (1999), plus their various sequels and reboots, were all made in the shadow of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

As I mention in the Temple of Doom article I sent you, Indy is also a much darker, more interesting character in Raiders. I will concede that Last Crusade comes close to matching Raiders, but not quite. For the most part, the set pieces retread Raiders territory (unlike Temple of Doom), but of course, the comedic banter with Sean Connery is the trump card that elevates it.

I think Spielberg's greatest films are E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Schindler's List, and Raiders of the Lost Ark (gold, silver, and bronze, respectively). But in fairness to you, I also think a case could be made for any of the following as his greatest as well: Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jurassic Park, and Saving Private Ryan. :)