Indiana Jones – The Adventure Collection

Just in time for the release of one of the most eagerly awaited films in years comes a new box set of the Indiana Jones Adventures. The problem is that these transfers are not upgrades so, aside from squeezing out a few extra bucks, what’s the point? I’m sure that The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull will add hundreds of millions to the Paramount coffers, so this just looks like greed to me.

Harrison Ford is the top selling actor in Hollywood these days. He owes this distinction in no small part to a couple of trilogies he did early in his career. While Star Wars might have been a chance for Ford to break out, Raiders of the Lost Ark and its sequels defined his abilities. Indiana Jones is the perfect hero. He’s strong, intelligent, and above all, moral. Unlike the stereotypical hero, Jones is also vulnerable and at times flawed. Credit Steven Spielberg for the iconic stature Indy occupies today. Left to his own devices, George Lucas would have given us Tom Selleck as the cigarette-smoking, morally bankrupt Indiana Smith.

Raiders of the Lost Ark brought back the cinematic tradition of the 2-reel serials. These shorts would combine with a newsreel, a cartoon, and a feature film to provide a splendid moviegoing event in the early days of talkies. To those of us too young to remember them, the Indiana Jones saga is a time machine to a much simpler day of good guys and bad guys. While even Spielberg himself admits that Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom was inferior to the rest of the trilogy, even this weaker film provided a historic filmmaking moment. Because of its dark nature and gore elements, the film did not fit neatly into the PG rating. The filmmakers did not want this “family” adventure labeled with R, so the ensuing conflict brought us PG-13, now the most widely used rating on films. Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade dared to show us a much more vulnerable hero with the addition of his father. The relationship is a complicated one, but a relationship every father and son can instantly recognize and relate to. Right Dad?

George Lucas has a problem, and there doesn’t seem to be a support group for it. He simply can’t let well enough alone. His special editions of Star Wars have become comedic fodder. South Park did an episode where the boys steal the master print of Raiders to protect it from Lucas’s attempt to “redo” it. For the most part Raiders is the same, but Lucas simply couldn’t help himself. A few f/x shots were tinkered with to fix flaws noticeable on the original print. The most notable change was the glass reflections from the pane that separated Ford from the real king cobra in the Well of Souls. These corrections are minimal and don’t change the film, thankfully. I am disappointed that the first film was renamed Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark to make it conform to the rest of the set. Does the term classic mean anything any more?

Raiders Of The Lost Ark: I simply refuse to refer to this film as Indiana Jones And The Raiders Of The Lost Ark. Dr. Jones is fresh home from his most recent adventure. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very successful. His fellow archaeologist and nemesis, Dr. Rene Bellog,  has taken an impressive idol from him. As he returns to his teaching gig, he attempts to parlay what trinkets he did bring back into a ticket to retrieve the idol. Unfortunately, the feds have other plans. It seems the Nazis are looking for the Ark Of The Covenant and are seeking a vital clue from Indy’s old mentor, Dr. Ravenwood. Ravenwood is dead, but his daughter is very much alive, running a bar in Nepal. She has the necessary piece, but Indy’s not the only suitor. Together they go in search of the Ark, attempting to stay one step ahead of the Nazis and their expert, none other than Bellog. It’s a race all over the world, and finally a close encounter with the divine, and perhaps God isn’t too happy with the Nazis. Indy proves a dynamic character, globetrotting and raiding tombs long before Laura Croft got into the picture; OK, she looks a little better. Raiders Of The Lost Ark was the mold from which a genre sprang.

Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom: God, this film is bad. Indy is accidentally dumped, from a runaway airplane, into the heart of India. Here he encounters a village that has had their sacred stone stolen. The natives believe that Indy fell from the sky because God wished him to help. What’s a guy gonna do. He tracks down the stone, only to find it is being used by an evil cult complete with ram’s skull masks and molten lava sacrificial pits. With too much Three Stooges slapstick, Indy recovers the stone, and everyone lives happily ever after.

Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade: The film opens with the tragic River Phoenix as a young Indy. He actually is quite convincing and better than the television actors ever were. We get to see how many of his trademarks came to be: the whip, his chin scar, fear of snakes, and sense of righteousness. Then it’s back to adult Indy. After he settles an old debt, he is told that his father has gone missing during a quest for his life’s passion, the Holy Grail. It’s Indy vs. the Nazi crowd again, only this time he has Pop along for the ride. What can anyone say about Sean Connery’s portrayal of Dr. Henry Jones? It was inspired, and sadly won’t be repeated in the fourth film. The two share incredible chemistry, and after the sad Temple Of Doom, Indy is back like never before. The Last Crusade is every bit as good as Raiders was, perhaps arguably better.

Video

All three films are presented in their original aspect ratios of 2.35:1. The enhancement for wide screen televisions is excellent. The prints are immaculate. No evidence of any artifacts or specks will be found. Colors display a vibrancy that defies the age of the films. Blacks are perfectly layered and deep. Flesh tones are reference. The many vistas that provide the backdrop for Indy’s adventure are simply breathtaking. It’s obvious all three films were carefully preserved, and care was taken with the transfers. These transfers appear to me exactly like the set from 2003. I did extensive side by side comparisons and absolutely know these transfers are identical right down to the bit rate.

Audio

All three films boast a very well thought out Dolby Digital 5.1 track. While not always very aggressive, this track pays attention to detail. Subtle nuances of the sound are brought to life not by mixing it louder but by placing it appropriately in the mix. This track shows an understanding of what the distinct channels were always intended to be used for. John Williams gives us one of his most inspiring scores, and the production here doesn’t let us down. Don’t you just feel right there with Indy when you hear those marvelous brass overtures? Bass response is superb, and there is no evidence of distortion in any frequency range. Dialog is delightfully well placed. You’ll hear every word. Again, exactly as the set from 5 years ago.

Special Features

Each film appears on a separate disc this time held in a slim case. Each film has an optional Introduction by Spielberg and Lucas. They each run anywhere from 5-7 minutes long. These pieces include footage, but mostly stuff we’ve heard before from each of them. Both discs contain a trailer for Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. Add a storyboard sequence and photo gallery section for each film.

Raiders contains the following features:

Indiana Jones An Appreciation: Heck, who needs help appreciating Indy? Actually this is a promo for the fourth film. You hear from that film’s cast and crew talking about how much they respect what has come before. Very much a lovefest going on for a little over 11 minutes.

The Melting Face: Who can forget the climatic opening of the Ark? The bad guys get the fire in the house of wax treatment, and here’s an 8 minute look at how it was done, almost.

Temple Of Doom contains the following features:

The Creepy Crawlies: Here’s an 8 minute look at the wiggly critters from all three of the Indy films.

Travel With Indy – Locations: One thing is for sure, Indy gets around. Like James Bond, one of the important elements to the Indy films is the stunning locations. In this 10 minute feature we get a look at some of these interesting places and the challenges they posed.

The Last Crusade contains the following features:

Indy Women – The American Film Institute Tribute: Again like Bond, each Indy film features its Indy girl. Kate Capshaw obviously got the role because Spielberg had the hots for her. Can you believe he dumped Amy Irving for that? Sheesh! All three Indy girls participate in panel discussion about the films and women’s roles in general.

Indy’s Friends And Enemies: These films have had their share of colorful characters, and this 10 minute feature looks at the best of them.

Final Thoughts

As good as these films are, I’m not a fan of the double dipping right now. Yes, I know it’s timed with the new film, but when Crystal Skull comes out near Christmas it will also be available in Blu-ray HD. I would be willing to bet that these films will also make the jump to Blu at the same time. Why buy the same transfers you already own now, only to have a shot at what I’ll bet will be spectacular HD versions in less than a year. Makes no sense for what little extras you get here. If you already have the 2003 set and you’re planning to hold off for the HD versions, “You have chosen wisely”.