Indiana Jones: The Adventure Collection (Special Editions of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark / Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom / Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)
by Steven Spielberg
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Actor: Harrison Ford, John Rhys-Davies, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Sean ConneryDirector: Steven Spielberg
Brand: PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Writer: George Lucas
Writer: Gloria Katz
Writer: Jeffrey Boam
Writer: Lawrence Kasdan
Writer: Menno Meyjes
Writer: Philip Kaufman
Writer: Willard Huyck
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Arabic (Original Language); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1 EX; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; German (Original Language); Greek (Original Language); Hebrew (Original Language); Nepali (Original Language); Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: AC-3, Box set, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 359 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-05-13
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Paramount
DVD Reviews of Indiana Jones: The Adventure Collection (Special Editions of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark / Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom / Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)
DVD Review: About the movies and the new set (and why the low ratings for it are very misleading)
Summary: 4 Stars
This isn't all I'd like in a special edition, but I think most people will be very happy with it. It will include all new special features, and none of the special features from the old set.
The Indiana Jones movies are George Lucas's recreation/update of the serialized adventures of the 1930s and '40s. Made in the '80s and set in the '30s, they feature Harrison Ford as a mild-mannered archeology professor who moonlights as an adventurous seeker of priceless antiquities. This takes him to exotic locations across the world, and gets him in some very tight spots of the kind that only a movie hero could get into, or out of. He invariably finds himself opposed by dangerous men with evil plans for the powerful objects only he has the skills to recover. There are elaborate set pieces with creepy critters, ancient traps, fights with weapons from bare hands to airplanes and tanks, and sometimes supernatural forces. Along the way Jones manages to have some romance too. Humor is a big part of the fun.
On May 13th, 2008, new DVD editions of the three original Indiana Jones movies will be released as a set and individually (the first time they'll be available separately on DVD). The set will be out in time for the new Indy movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which opens on May 22nd.
Here's a list of the DVD features, based on the studio press release, with a bit about each movie. The links are to the separate Amazon pages for each DVD. The DVDs will be exactly the same whether you buy the discs as a set or separately.
-- Each movie will be in anamorphic widescreen, enhanced for widescreen TVs, English 5.1 surround sound, with optional Spanish or French 2.0 surround sound, and optional subtitles for all three languages. This isn't any different from the old DVDs, as far as I can tell. The other features listed here are all new.
-- Each movie will have its own individual introduction by director Steven Spielberg and creator/producer George Lucas.
-- Each movie will come with DVD galleries of illustrations, props, production stills and portraits, FX/Industrial Light and Magic stuff, and promotion/marketing materials. It's not clear if these will be different for each movie.
-- Each will include "Lego Indiana Jones," a demo and trailer for a game based on the trilogy.
I'll list the other features separately for each DVD.
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (Special Collector's Edition)
In 1936, having barely survived an unsuccessful attempt to find (OK) and bring home (whoops!) an ancient idol from Peru, Indiana Jones is recruited in a race against the Nazis to recover the Ark of the Covenant (yes, the one mentioned in the Bible, but with lots of added mythology), which is reputed to have the power to make an army invincible. The ark is located in the Well of Souls somewhere in Egypt; the key to the exact location is a medallion located, naturally, in a seedy lodge/bar in Nepal, in the possession of Indy's ex-lover. All kinds of sparks fly, literal and metaphorical, as the pair, joined by another confederate in Egypt, use their knowledge of ancient myth and sheer bravado to work right under the noses of the Nazis to find the ark and remove it to safety. Almost. There are several reversals along the way, close escapes, a huge near-finale, and icky stuff--spiders and, especially, snakes, thousands of them, of which Indy unfortunately has a bit of a phobia.
Some of the more memorable moments are tinged with humor, if not outright hilarity. Indy's reactions make the snakes as amusing as they are scary. We see how to fight an expert swordsman, if you're in a hurry. The way the Nazis got a copy of (half) the medallion is painfully funny. The fate of the ark is a wry comment on Washington bureaucracy.
Raiders was an instant classic. I'm sure there are people who don't like it, but I've never met any. It's fine for most kids (PG violence and mild sexuality), and it's plenty smart enough for all but the most snooty adults.
The original title is just Raiders of the Lost Ark, which is preserved in the movie itself. The longer title makes it easier to market as part of the franchise.
Here are the other special features, in addition to the introduction, galleries and game demo listed above:
-- "Indiana Jones: An Appreciation," in which the cast and crew of the new Indiana Jones movie pay tribute to the original trilogy
-- "The Melting Face," a recreation of the famous effect from the climactic scene in Raiders that certainly left an impression on me (was new then), with Spielberg and Lucas on the evolution of visual effects and CGI
-- storyboards for "The Well of Souls" sequence
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Special Collector's Edition)
This first sequel is actually a prequel, set one year earlier than Raiders, in 1935. After barely surviving an attempt to acquire an antiquity in China, Indy finds himself in India with a woman friend and male sidekick (a trio as in all three films). They're enlisted to recover a village's sacred Sankara stone and kidnapped children, both held by an evil man with designs to find and unite all five Sankara stones to rule the world. This project involves ritual human sacrifice and an underground mine, each of which provide close calls for the heroes.
This film, while incorporating light humor as before, is somewhat darker in overall tone than Raiders (reportedly by design, as Lucas and Speilberg were each in a dark mood after romance/marriage failures). Not especially violent by current standards (PG, though it played a part in leading to the creation of the PG-13 rating), I think most kids and parents will be fine with it. It's still all for fun.
The creepy crawlies featured in this installment are lots and lots of exotic insects.
This DVD's other special features, in addition to the introduction, galleries and game demo listed above:
-- "Creepy Crawlies," in which Spielberg, Lucas and co-producer Frank Marshall reminisce about snakes, bugs and rats
-- "Locations," on where the films were set and where they were actually shot
-- storyboard sequence: "The Mine Cart Chase"
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Special Collector's Edition)
Indy as a teenager tries unsuccessfully to save an artifact from thieves, during which we get background on his signature fedora, bull whip, fear of snakes and his father. Then we jump to 1938, when Indy learns his father, played by Sean Connery, has gone missing while searching for the Holy Grail, which the Nazis have designs on for world domination. Joining with a somewhat dim museum owner and the beautiful woman Indy's father had been working with, Indy has close calls in Venice, Austria, and Turkey as he closes in on the Grail and, in the end, bonds with dad.
This one returns to the lighter tone of the original, and perhaps exceeds it in its emphasis on humor (though I still find Raiders funnier). It's fun to see Ford and Connery working together. As always there are very involved set pieces, including a tank battle, an intricate plot full of mystery and action, and some magic. And critters: this time thousands of rats.
The special features, in addition to the introduction, galleries and game demo listed above:
-- "The Women: The American Film Institute Tribute," featuring a discussion with the three Indiana Jones women, Karen Allen, Kate Capshaw and Alison Doody
-- "Friends and Enemies," in which Spielberg, Lucas and Indiana Jones writers discuss how they created the original characters, with a look at new faces in the new movie
-- storyboards: the opening sequence
There are no audio commentaries, for which I subtract one star for a special edition, since they're easy to produce and tend to bring out points not covered in other features. If you don't care about commentaries, this may be a five-star set for you.
There have been rumors of deleted scenes, but none are in the new set.
Many speculate that a Blu-ray release will come out for Christmas, but that's guesswork. You can sign up here to be notified by Amazon when a Blu-ray edition of the set is available for pre-order.
I was in college when Raiders came out. There was great anticipation because of the people associated with it, especially after the great success of Star Wars. A bunch of us went to the old full-size theater downtown for the premiere, where we waited outside for hours. We weren't disappointed. It was a wild, gripping ride from beginning to end, with high adventure in legendary settings, good characters, clever moments for comic relief, and romance. More memorable than some entire semesters! The next two films didn't have quite the same impact, being less of a new thing, but they're lots of fun too, worth repeated viewings.
If you want to know why I think the low ratings are off the mark, I'll put that in the comments (comment number 3). No more room here!
More Indiana Jones: The Adventure Collection (Special Editions of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark / Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom / Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) reviews:
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Description of Indiana Jones: The Adventure Collection (Special Editions of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark / Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom / Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)
Includes:Indiana Jones And The Raiders Of The Lost Ark: Special EditionIndiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom: Special EditionIndiana Jones And The Last Crusade: Special EditionThe Raiders Of The Lost ArkArcheologist and university professor Indiana Jones must retrieve the mythic Lost Ark of the Covenant before the it gets into the hands of Adolf Hitler who plans on using its power to guarantee his global conquest.The Temple Of DoomIndiana Jones finds himself on a new adventure trekking across Asia with a gold-digging woman and a young child to rescue a village's missing children and find a magic stone. But along the way he must contend with an evil cult.The Last CrusadeRenowned archeologist and expert in the occult Dr. Indiana Jones returns for the 3rd and final Indy film. Teaming up with his father Indiana sets out to try and find the Holy Grail. Once again the Nazis are after the same prize and try to foil Indiana's plans.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLERS UPC: 097361370743 Manufacturer No: 137074The trailer that begins each of the three DVDs is indication enough that the release of Indiana Jones: The Adventure Collection, a boxed set of the original trilogy of blockbuster adventure films concocted by director Steven Spielberg and executive producer-story writer George Lucas, was timed to coincide with the May 2008 theatrical release of the long-awaited fourth installment, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Whether that?s a crass marketing ploy or simply good business is hardly the point, because considering the quality of the movies (in a word, they?re good), the affordable price, and especially the raft of new special features accompanying the set, there?s enough here to make this an appealing purchase for those who don?t already own them and a tempting one for those who do.
The first of the three films, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), is also the best, a certified classic loaded with non-stop action, grand spectacle, a hero for the ages (played by Harrison Ford), a beautiful love interest, humor, horror, and a potent storyline that brings together a profound religious-archaeological icon (the Ark of the Covenant, nothing less than "a radio for speaking to God") and the 20th century?s most infamous villains (the Nazis). Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), the second entry, is generally considered the weakest of the lot--certainly it is the most dark and disturbing--but it?s still very entertaining, while The Last Crusade (1989) is closer to Raiders in many respects, with fine acting contributions from River Phoenix (as the teenage Indy) and Sean Connery (as Indy?s father), a strong James Bond-type feel, and the return of the Nazis, who this time are competing for another antiquity of incalculable value and significance (the Holy Grail). Although the collection is missing the extra bonus disc (with a two-hour "making of" documentary) that accompanied the 2003 DVD issue of the films, all three discs include new and insightful introductions by Spielberg and Lucas; there are also storyboards from various scenes and photo galleries on each disc. Among the best of the other features are "The Creepy Crawlies" (about the thousands of snakes, bugs, rats and other scary critters that populate the trilogy), "Travels with Indy" (a look at some of the exotic locations where the movies were filmed), "Indy?s Women" (a candid discussion with leading ladies Karen Allen, Kate Capshaw, and Alison Doody), and a behind-the-scenes detailing of the "melting face" effect seen in Raiders' thrilling ark-opening scene. --Sam Graham
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