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The Adventures of Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark/The Temple of Doom/The Last Crusade) - Widescreen Customer Reviews (106 - 108 of 140 Reviews)

The greatest movie series there is.
Raiders of the Lost Ark-The one to start it all, there's no experience quite like watching this film for the very first time. This movie's got it all: exotic and mysterious settings, close calls, elaborate booby traps, shootouts, fistfights, chases, and that joyous sense of awe and discovery. The movie's standout sequence is the famous desert chase, with Indy hanging off the side of the side, in front of, below, and behind a Nazi truck! With all the fantastic action and stunts, it's even more amazing that what makes Raiders stand out is Harrison Ford's perfect performance. John Williams' rousing score makes the already thrilling action scenes even more exciting.
*****/*****

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom-The first of the Indy sequels has caught an undeserved rep. Much like say, The Matrix Reloaded, the consensus is that this is a good, solid sequel, but good is disappointing when compared to the ground-breaking original. But I'm afraid I can't agree. Even though Temple of Doom boasts a slightly less solid plot than Raiders of the Lost Ark, this is an even faster-paced, equally wonderful movie experience. Harrison Ford matches his first performance with a touch more humor and he's got a great sidekick in Short Round (Ke Huy Quan), a young Chinese kid who holds his own next to Indy. John Williams' score is somehow even better and the action setpieces are eye-poppingly spectacular. Not only are there the "usual" shootouts and fistfights, Jones is also trapped in a mid-air freighter with no fuel, goes through a literal rollercoaster ride on a mine cart, and literally hangs off a cliff with hungry alligators below! The last half-hour is just non-stop excitement, the greatest extended action sequence in cinematic history.
*****/*****

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade-My personal favorite of the series, Indy's quest for the Holy Grail is the most fun one can have watching a movie. Except for the climactic tank chase, none of the action here really surpases what was accomplished in Temple of Doom in terms of sheer thrills (though a motorcycle chase and zeppelin battle come close), but that's okay. The point of The Last Crusade is that it intends to be a more mature and character-oriented addition to the trilogy. The addition of Sean Connery was a brilliant movie; he makes a wonderful dramatic and comedic duo with Harrison Ford. Ford, in particular, delivers the best and most difficult performance of his career. Difficult, you say, but he's just reprising a role he's played twice before, right? True, but this time he has to craft Jones as a character with his own flaws and demons (exemplified by his strained relationship with his father) while still maintaining the larger-than-life action heroics. He pulls it off with flying colors.
*****/*****

Directed by Steven Spielberg, the trilogy remains the greatest example of Hollywood movie magic, proving the filmmaker's talents for recreating the sense of joy that we all thought we could only feel as children. Nice to see there's someone out there who knows how to make us feel like kids again.

INDY'S BACK AND DVD HAS GOT HIM!
By now there's no point in reitterating the saga of Indiana Jones. In a nutshell he's an archeaologist with a penchant for stirring the pot and ticking off villians and the women he courts with equal portions of charm and insolence. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" follows Dr. Jones on his quest for the ark of the covenant that is supposed to contain the original Ten Commandments. This is the film that makes everyone feel like their going to the movies for the very first time. A marvelous piece of fiction that is as close to perfect as movie-making gets. Part two - The Temple of Doom - is a much darker excursion into cult worship. The film is brilliantly staged - full of memorable moments, but somehow doesn't seem to get the recognition it so rightly deserves. (It doesn't help that Spielberg himself says that 'Temple' is his least favorite. What does he know? Here's a man who re-did E.T. on DVD!!!) Part III - The Last Crusade - is shameless in its rehash of plot devices and cliches,with a hoaky parade of uncompelling characters - topped off by Sean Connery's ineffective bit as Indy's dad. "Junior?!?"
TRANSFERS: WOW! The trilogy has been remastered frame by frame and the results are astounding. Colors throughout are rich and nicely balanced. Blacks are deep. Shadow and contrast levels are superb. There is a slight amount of edge enhancement but it is barely noticeable. The audio is 5.1 and, while many may boo-hoo the fact that DTS wasn't employed, this soundtrack will definitely give your speakers a work out.
Extras: A host of documentary footage that does a rather indepth job of covering the production of each of the three films. Theatrical trailers also included. One oversight: NO AUDIO COMMENTARY TRACK FOR ANY OF THE FILMS!!!!
BOTTOM LINE: This is a must for any collector, even if the final act is less than stellar!

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 interpreted "raising the volume a little" as "remastering a soundtrack", the Indiana Jones come along amd managed to restore my faith.
What great sound and picture these DVDs back ! I hadn't watched these films in a long time and, having only seen them at home on cropped videotape over the years, this is like watching them for the first time again.
The movies themeselves are fantastic (yes, all 3 of them), the Documentaries are terrific. This is easily one of the best releases since the DVD format came out.
Can't wait for next year's similar release of Star Wars IV, V and VI !

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