Harrison Ford is known for the two iconic characters he has played: Han Solo and the other being
Indiana Jones. George Lucas thought of Indiana jOnes before he did STAR WARS. He pitched the idea to director
and best friend Steven Spielberg while on Vacation in Haiwaii (waiting for the opening grosses from STAR WARS to come in).
Steven wanted to do a James Bond film, but George said he had something even better. Thus began their work together
on three Indiana Jones films. Harrison Ford fell into role after Tom Selleck had to drop out due to MAGNUM P.I. being
picked up for series by CBS.
THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK captured the feel of the 1930s adventure serials while teaching Steven
Spielberg how to shoot a film on schedule and budget. THE TEMPLE OF DOOM was a prequel while THE LAST CRUSADE recaptured
the magic of THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (by having Sean Connery playing Dr. Henry Jones- Indy's father). The first
and third film are my favorites of the series. I even went to watch the YOUNG INDIANA JONES series. Now most of
you already know what the films are about and have seen them. If you haven't, you should go do so now. You can
rewatch the films again right before INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL opens in theaters on May 22nd.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
the new featurettes add something interesting, but they in no way match up to the original featurettes
and making of documentaries found on the bonus material disc for the INDIANA JONES Trilogy DVD release back in 2003. Also the new release doesn't have the original trailers. The only new worthwhile extras are the extensive photo galleries for each film (ILUSTRATIONS & PROPS,
PRODUCTION PHOTOGRAPHS, EFFECTS/ ILM, and MARKETING) and the storyboards for a key sequence from each film (SNAKES ALIVE!
THE WELL OF SOULS, HOLD ONTO YOUR HATS! THE MINE CART CHASE, THE BIRTH OF AN ACTION HERO! THE LAST CRUSADE OPENING) which
would have been better with a multi-angle option where you could switch between the storyboards and the final sequence instead
of just showing them side by side.
The introductions to each film are somewhat interesting where Steven Spielberg says THE TEMPLE
OF DOOM isn't his favorite film and that it was responsible for meeting his wife- Kate Capshaw- while the intro for THE LAST
CRUSADE tells how they came to cast Sean Connery as Indy's father.
Featurettes for each film:
THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK-
THE INDY TRILOGY: A CRYSTAL CLEAR APPRECIATION- actors (from the new film) and crew from various
Indy films tell how they admire the first three Indy films.
THE MYSTERY OF THE MELTING FACE- how the melting face effect was made and a re-creation of the
effect today (and saying CGI might be used to enhance it today).
THE TEMPLE OF DOOM-
CREEPY CRAWLIES- a look at the creatures used for each film (snakes for RAIDERS, bugs for TEMPLE,
and rats for THE LAST CRUSADE)
DISCOVER ADVENTURE ON LOCATION WITH INDY- revealing the locations used to shoot for all four Indy
films. This featurette and CREEPPY CRAWLIES have an optional pop-up trivia track
that tells additional facts.
THE LAST CRUSADE-
INDY'S WOMEN REMINISCE- an excerpt from the AFI celebration
of the Indy films for the 2003 DVD release. Each of the main actresses from the
three films talk about their charcters and reactions to them (to how they played them).
Harrison Frod shows up at the end.
INDY'S FRIENDS AND ENEMIES- basically a brief look at the friends and enemies in the first three
films while givinga brief behind-the-scenes peek at the new film- INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (the
trailer for that film is included on each disc in this set). rounding out the
extras is a video game demo for LEGO INDIANA JONES: THE ORIGINAL ADVENTURES.
FINAL ANALYSIS: The INDIANA JONES films are films
that anyone should own. Despite THE TEMPLE OF DOOM being the weak link in the
series, you should have a copy of each film on DVD. If you don't have them already,
the new releases are a good thing to own. If you want extras, it is best to have
the bonus material disc from the first DVD release. If you want to be a
completist, you want to own THE ADVENTURES COLLECTION too. Too bad George Lucas
and Steven Spielberg wouldn't allow a good featurette on the new film or Paramount include movie cash for it (for those who
will buy this set). A perfect primer for the new film in the series.
this DVD Review is (c)5-8-2008 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. send all comments to Lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com
