The Adventures of Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark / The Temple of Doom / The Last Crusade) (Widescreen)

 

 

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Everyone is going to have a favorite film. However these work well as a set and are worth the purchase. And the extra goodies or special features of the set add to the experience.

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Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

This is the first in a series of fun to watch action packed movies based on what an archeologist should be. Being a first you will not notice the pattern of the film unless you are used to Saturday matinees.

We hit the deck running on this one as we see Indiana Jones making a John Wayne type of entrance. So much that you do not notice the dubious looking character next to him Statipo (Alfred Molina). Until he says "Give me the Idle and I will give you the whip."

Now settled down, after his near miss with the natives, Harrison Ford is a professor (Indiana Jones) teaching the fact that archeology is a search for facts not some thrill ride.

That very afternoon he is confronted by some government agents. It seems that his old professor Abner Ravenwood has disappeared. They picked up some radio transmissions that contained the name of Abner and a city Tannis. Immediately Indiana Jones knows that the Nazis (natural bad buys) are looking for the Ark of the Covenant (which can be used as a weapon of unspeakable power) and somehow he must bet them to it for the sake of the world.

He is helped by an old love interest Marion (Karen Allen) and rivaled by an old nemesis Dr. Rene Belloq (Paul Freeman).

Does it really exist?
How can he beat them to it?
Why is he on the outs with Abner?

Hold on for a thrill a minute and don't eat any bad dates.
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Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

The "now standard Indiana" formula is there and there are a lot of fun parts to this movie. However the bad guys are too bad and the situation is too spooky. Be sure to watch "Riders of the Lost Ark" first even thought this takes place chronologically earlier.

Once again James Bond has nothing on Dr. Jones (Harrison Ford) as he negotiates for a treasure and is double crossed at every turn, barely escaping with his life, also the acquisition of a steriotipical blond singer Wilhelmina Scott (Kate Capshaw), and his new sidekick Short Round (Jonathan Ke Quan).

In his hasty retreat he does not realize that there are greater forces at work insuring that he fulfill his destiny to recover a sacred object and all the children of a beleaguered village.

Is he up to the challenge?
In this case does being blond help or hinder?
Will Short Shot prove that size does not matter?
Take heart!

Be prepared for a dark passage "a little too dark for my taste".
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Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

It may just be coincidence but this time Harrison Ford that was a carpenter is not Dr. Indiana Jones (Junior) and his last crusade (until the next film) is to obtain a cup of a carpenter.

Even though this film can stand on its own, it can be more fully understood if you watch "Raiders of the lost Ark" first.

Once again we start out with a young Jones trying to save an artifact from pillagers. This lets us know of his heroic energy and introduces his father Professor Henry Jones (Sean Connery) and his obsession with the Holy Grail, even to the exclusion of his relationship with Junior.

Now grown Dr. Indiana Jones gives a class and explains that Archeology is a pretty strait forward science and not some search for legends. He receives a mysterious piece of post.

He is then approached by group of rich people that are in search of the Grail. It turns out that their top researcher has disappeared. Yep it is Professor Henry Jones. What can Indiana do but go looking for his father. He is accounted by his best friend who runs a museum Dr. Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliottt) as they team up with the last person to see his father Dr. Elsa Schneider (Alison Doody.) He gets a final warning "Do not trust anybody."

Will he find his father?
If he dies what will they have to talk about?
Does the Grail really exist?
Who are the mysterious people following him?

One of my favorite scenes is where Dr. Jones disguised in a German uniform bumps into Hitler (Michael Sheard of Star Wars fame).

Have fun watching this great film with the banter between Hennery and Junior. And remember "do not trust anybody."

Finally, the Indian Jones Trilogy has made it to DVD. And it was worth the wait! With amazing picture quality, superb sound, and a few nice touch-ups thrown in throughout the series (one notable example being the snake/glass scene in "Raiders") this DVD set is definitely worth its meager price. All of the special features are contained on a fourth DVD with three extensive "Making of..." documentaries on each film. Additionally, a few short featurettes are included on various aspects of the technical crew, from stunts to sound. The documentaries are very interesting to watch for anyone who loves the films. One learns all sorts of interesting facts and trivia and gets to watch footage from the filming sessions. It's nice to see how the idea started small and developed into a gigantic success.

That being said, it's disappointing that there aren't more special features to be had in this set. I would have liked to have seen Director's commentaries on each film and deleted scenes. This set definitely does not have some of the extra features that other sets include, but the documentaries make up for this fact to a certain extent.

All in all, what's really worth the price of this set are the restored films. Having seen these movies only on VHS and TV myself, it was stunning to see them without any defects or tracking lines. And the sound blew me out of my seat. One can really gain an appreciation for the sound effects editing and the score with this release. At a price of just $15 a film (plus the extra DVD with the documentaries), this set is definitely worth the investment and should be in everyone's collection.

Indiana Jones has been one of my fave series of movies since I was little. Raiders of the Lost Ark is so great, it's so exciting and I really liked the female lead. I always had a crush on Indiana, and the movies have a great blend of humor, action and adventure. Last Crusade is also excellent, I love Indy's scenes with his father, they're so funny together. I really love the opening scene too, with the late River Phoenix (who was extremely talented, check him out in Stand By Me as a boy). It shows how Indiana became afraid of snakes and how an old rivalry started. Temple of Doom is my least favorite Indiana movie, Kate Capshaw wasn't my fave of the girls and it was kind of strange but I'd still rewatch it, just not as much as the other two. To tell the truth, even if there were commentaries and stuff, I wouldn't listen to them. Sometimes extras are really cool to me and sometimes they aren't, and for most movies I don't really care why the director lit a scene the way he did, or what an actor thinks of how he said his line. These movies are grea and stand on their own. I have the bonus disc though, not the one in the set but the other one that was taped outside the package. I'm not sure but I heard they aren't being sold that way anymore.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A fictional hero doesn't get any better than this
How can one not love Indiana Jones? The guy is brilliant, tough, not afraid to get his hands dirty, he doesn't mind shooting the bad guy rather than just delivering him to... Read more

Published on Dec 28 2007 by J. Tupone

4.0 out of 5 stars Can we call these "classics" yet?
I'm not much of a fan of "Temple Of Doom", but I think "Raiders Of The Lost Ark" and "Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade" are excellent. Read more

Published on July 12 2004 by Alan

4.0 out of 5 stars Aged like a fine wine - but we wanted more DVD extras!!
Far be it for me to presume to evaluate these films. They are seared into my consciousness, as the first was released in 1982, when I was but a wee lad of 12. Read more

Published on July 3 2004 by Craig MACKINNON

5.0 out of 5 stars The most wonderful movies.
The Indiana Jones Trilogy comprises my very favourite movies of all time, in fact these movies are one of the most important things in my life. Read more

Published on July 1 2004 by Jacob Goering

4.0 out of 5 stars Pity about the second movie,..
otherwise this set would rate 5 stars. But to die-hard Indy lovers, this set is essential. Definitely keep youngsters away from #2 Doom, but older kids will be fine with the 1st... Read more

Published on Jun 23 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic action films
Action adventure films don't get any better than this. These are true classics of the genre that will still be loved years from now. Read more

Published on Jun 21 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Great remaster!
Now, this is what re-mastering a movie for DVD is all about ! After being badly dissapointed with re-releases of films such as SCARFACE and ANIMAL HOUSE for which someone... Read more

Published on Jun 16 2004 by Jenny Blickman

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Trilogy
In the present day and age, a new action movie is announced practically daily. Quite frankly, most of them suck. Read more

Published on Jun 10 2004 by darkwolf255

2.0 out of 5 stars George Lucas should have been interviewed more....
This was likely a cheap move on Paramount's part to say that these movies were all Steven Spielberg;'s creations and all George did was help produce them.... Read more

Published on Jun 10 2004 by Joe Mac Guy

4.0 out of 5 stars Raiders is the best, BUT.....
Raiders of the Lost Ark is on nearly every "Best Movies Ever Made" list in existence. I have seen it more than any other film, probably 30 times or more, and I have... Read more

Published on Jun 3 2004 by Mark J. Fowler

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