Indiana Jones: The Complete DVD Movie Collection

-Paramount

Summary

Raiders of the Lost Ark… I mean "Indiana Jones and the" Raiders of the Lost Ark: Indiana Jones fights Nazi Germany and their quest for unholy relics of ancient power. This film is a classic among classics and a great action adventure that is arguably the best of the three films.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom:  In this prequel, Indiana goes to India and fights some crazy Indians over stones that make crops grow, or something. There are a lot of things that don't work very well with this film, and any number of things can be pointed at which bring down the film immensely, but it still has its charms.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade:  George and Steven get together and say, "Let's make a new Indiana Jones with a Judeo/Christian artifact, because that heathen stuff didn't work out so well." Indiana meets his dad and they both have sex with a Nazi lady. There is an old guy who guards his cup and some outdated stop motion effects that round out my personal favorite.

My Thoughts

This box set is a great buy. Not only do you get some of the greatest movies of all time, but you get them before they are all fucked up by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. The extras are a little disappointing considering the amount of stuff that must be out there for Indiana Jones, but having the movies looking so good and sounding so great, I really can't complain. And since the documentaries are so great, they really help to make up for the lack of any more features.

I've always loved the Indiana Joes series. I can't think any film trilogy that's filled with more light hearted stories, action, and adventure that I like more. Well, except for Star Wars. This set has all the memorable and famous from the giant rolling boulder to screaming melting Nazi faces. Oh, the excitement and thrills contained in these three media discs of pure film watching bliss.

It took a long time to get these great films on DVD, and It's about time I get the chance to own them. I was sick of watching Indiana Jones on my ancient VHS tapes and on television. The films are back the way they are supposed to be without any retarded changes made to them, which is amazing considering that both E.T. and Star Wars have gone through a fair amount of changes to make those films "better."

The picture quality is fantastic with crystal clear colors and rich darks. There are almost also no visible specs of dirt or scratches, which is spectacular considering how dirty the film looks on television or on tape. The surround mix is also a fantastic Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. Its a shame that its not DTS, though.

Extras

The extras are regulated to the fourth bonus disc. By looking at the list it isn't overwhelming, in fact, it's a little disappointing. But, after watching all of the featurettes you get a great wealth of Indiana Jones knowledge.

The trailers are great to look at, but I was disappointed that there was no teaser trailer for Temple of Doom. Whether or not there actually is one, or if they had other problems with it, I don't know, but it would have been cool. Also in the trailers section is a trailer for the video game, Indiana Jones and the Emperors Tomb. I'm a little split about this one, because it's really a commercial. It's nice to have for posterity's sake, but they really didn't have to try selling me the damn thing after it was over.

The documentaries for each film are captivating in their own right if you are any kind of Indiana Jones fan.  A great gem was Tom Selleck as Indiana, and Sean Young as Marion in a screen test for The Raiders of the Lost Ark. I had heard for years that Mr. Selleck almost had the part, but I never actually got to see him sort of dressed up like Indy and reading some early lines from the film. 

One of the best documentaries is for Temple of Doom. I found it amazing that the filmmakers never quite say that it’s a bad movie, but they do go over the problems that it had in more detail than I had expected. I didn’t expect this kind of honesty in a documentary.

Aside from the documentaries the extras seem a little bare. I feel like in a couple of years another Indiana Jones box set is going to come out with deleted scenes, movie posters, and free bullwhips and I'll be out another fifty bucks. After all, solid gold rocket cars don't grow off of trees; Steve and George have to find a way to pay for them somehow.

Special Super Bonus Review:

If you were lucky enough to buy your DVD set at Best Buy during release, then you might have got the bonus "Raiders of the Lost Ark Featurette." This was a nice little disc stuck on the outside of the box between a label and the box itself. It came in a nice plastic jewel case, and the DVD itself looks like it belongs with the rest. The featurette only runs about 9 minutes, but it is a great "making of" from before Raiders was released in theaters. If you can find one of these anywhere I'd definitely pick it up. You have to expect that a few things that are repeated on the fourth bonus disc of the main set, but there is enough that isn't to make it worth the few minutes to watch.

Score:

Films:

Raiders of the Lost Ark: 9.0

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: 7.0

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: 9.5

Classic Raiders of the Lost Ark Featurette: 8.0

Extras: 7.0

Edition: 8.0

-Paul