I kind of admire the chutzpah of making kink the visible sign of your villainess' depravity when your square jawed leading man's main tool is a whip.

Otherwise, mmmmfff. Worst use of John Hurt evar. Maybe the difference is that I was a kid when the first movie came out, but I don't recall hearing the action sequence engine and the plot engine groaning and clanking so loudly back in 1981. Maybe Spielberg hasn't been keeping them oiled?