The Adventures of Indiana Jones--The Complete DVD Movie Collection

In 1977, theater audiences were mesmerized by George Lucas's exciting sci-fi film "Star Wars", and the popularity of one of its actors, Harrison Ford (who played the swashbuckling smuggler Han Solo), was raised considerably. When its sequel, "Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back", was released three years later, Harrison Ford's character took center stage, which only further raised his career status. Having acted in three of George Lucas's films up to that point (including the 1973 "American Graffitti"), as well as two of Francis Ford Coppola's films ("The Conversation" in 1974 and "Apocalypse Now" in 1979), Harrison Ford proved himself to be the ideal candidate to portray George Lucas's latest creation: a swashbuckling, whip-waving archeologist. In 1981, under the direction of the Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford drew huge audiences to see his first top-billed starring role as the swashbuckling archeologist named Indiana Jones in "Raiders of the Lost Ark". This was followed three years later with its sequel "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and the final installment in 1989 entitled "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade".George Lucas based his fictional "Raiders of the Lost Ark" upon the biblical Jewish story of the ark (essentially a box that could be carried with long polls by Jewish priests) that supposedly contained the original tablets that the well-known "ten commandments" had been inscribed. Consequently (as the biblical stories describe), it was the most sacred Jewish relic that was eventually housed in the first Jewish temple in Jerusalem until its destruction at the hands of the Babylonians circa 600 B.C.E. From that time onward, its whereabouts and fate have remained a mystery. In "Raiders of the Lost Ark", mid-1930's Nazis are laboriously searching for the ark so that they can use its mythological powers to help their troops win battles if it is carried in front of their troops. At his U.S. university, Indiana Jones, who had just returned from a death-defying attempt to retrieve a sacred tribal object, is enlisted to find the ark before the Nazis can. What follows is an exciting and engaging series of events that pits Indiana Jones and the woman Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) against the Nazis, who are being lead by a rival archeologist, Dr. Rene Belloq (Paul Freeman). Jones is assisted by his Middle Eastern friend Sallah (John Rhys-Davies), but his friend Dr. Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott, 1922-1992) remains in the U.S.George Lucas's 1984 sequel "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", also directed by Steven Spielberg, was not as well-received by audiences as "Raiders of the Lost Ark". This may be due in part because the film was based loosely upon misunderstood Hindu mythology and also because of an often-annoying child-sidekick for Indiana Jones named Short Round (Jonathan Ke Quan). After escaping from Shanghai, China with Short Round and an American singer named Wilhelmina 'Willie' Scott (Kate Capshaw), their plane crashes in India and come to the assistance of a very poor village whose sacred stone has been stolen and its children kidnapped. The sacred stone, or Siva-linga (in reality, only part of a Siva-linga), is a representation of the Hindu God of creation named Siva (or Shiva). Those that stole it worship the dark Hindu Goddess of Kali, who is the dark form of Siva's consort, Parvati. In one Hindu mythology, Kali leads a battle to defeat the demon Raktabija; but in defeating the demon, Kali becomes drunk with its blood to prevent it from touching the ground and creating more demons. She, the Dark Mother, is extensively worshipped throughout India as creator, protector and destroyer. Though seemingly contradictory, she teaches that life cannot exist without death. Hence, the depiction in the film that her worshippers are inherently evil is incorrect. Instead, she is viewed by her worshippers to protect them from fear and give them limitless peace.Lucas's final 1989 sequel, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", was much better received than its predecessor by returning to a more familiar mythology of the "holy grail" and with no child-sidekick. Instead, Jones must rescue his father, Professor Henry Jones (Sean Connery), who was kidnapped by the Nazis that want to obtain the holy grail that he has spent his life searching for. The grail (a cup) is believed to be a relic from Jesus' last supper that grants immortality to anyone who drinks from it. With assistance from returning characters Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) and Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott, 1922-1992), Jones travels across Europe and the Middle East to solve the riddle of the grail's location against Walter Donovan (Julian Glover) and the deceptive, but beautiful Dr. Elsa Schneider (Alison Doody). Included in this film is an understanding of how Jones got his hat, his love of bullwhips and his ophidiophobia.Overall, I rate the 4-disk "The Adventures of Indiana Jones DVD Set" with 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it to everyone. It's a great set of films that can be watched again and again without becoming tiresome.

Since the advent of the DVD format, no films (with the possible exception of the Star Wars Trilogy) have been more widely anticipated than the Indiana Jones movies. Now, at last, they are here, and for the most part they live up to expectations. All too often, DVD releases, and in particular those from films released before DVD's, have a sterile, over processed quality to them, but these films have maintained their freshness and sense of adventure in fine style.There's no point in rehashing the plot here, given that these are three of the most popular movies ever made, I rather doubt there's anything I could add to the discussion. Instead, I'm going to limit myself to the technical aspects of the release, and the extras. First off is the picture is spectacular; I'm sure compared to the original releases it is excellent, but when compared to the fullscreen television versions we're used to seeing it is breathtaking. The movie literally looks like it was shot yesterday, as the colors leap off the screen. The resolution is superb on my regular DVD player, what it would look like on a progressive scan player, I can only imagine.The sound is equally outstanding; as anyone who has seen these movies knows, sound effects and score are essential to the success of these films. Both are superbly rendered in 5.1 surround, such that every punch, gunshot and whip crack has never sounded better. Likewise, John Williams' award winning scores all sound fantastic.Then there are the extras. First off, I have seen statements at various locations on the internet that deleted scenes are part of the set. This is simply not true, each movie is presented exactly as it was released in the theaters, and the fourth, bonus disc does not contain any deleted scenes. This is somewhat disappointing, as I have to assume there are ample scenes which didn't make the films. While I wouldn't advocate modifying the originals, deleted scenes are always fun to watch as a separate feature.What the bonus disc does contain are documentaries detailing the conceptualization, casting and filming of each of the three episodes. In addition, there are several short features covering sound, special effects, etc. There are aspects of these documentaries that I really enjoyed, particularly the evolution of each episode from concept to script; Spielburg's and Lucas' insight into the creative process was well presented and interesting. However, these features would have been better had they discussed some of what was abandoned as the story evolved; some of the most insightful commentary from directors often comes from what is left behind, as it casts light on what makes it onto film. Finally, the original theatrical trailers are included; more than anything, they are amusing, as they seem downright primitive when compared to the extravaganzas we see at the theaters today.To sum up: fans of these movies are going to buy them regardless of what I say, but you can rest assured that you are getting your money's worth. While I think the extras could have offered a bit more, what made it on to the discs is interesting in its own right. Moreover, the presentation of the films, which is what really matters, is second to none. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the picture and sound on these movies is as good as any I have ever encountered.Enjoy!Jake Mohlman