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DVD Review: ‘Indiana Jones: The Adventure Collection’
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Week of Geek: Indiana Jones

Indy CollectionIndiana Jones:
The Adventure Collection

Includes:
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Kate Capshaw, Sean Connery
Paramount Home Video
Release Date: May 13, 2008

Next to the original Star Wars trilogy, the Indiana Jones movies are my favorite of all time. I’m a big fan of George Lucas‘s early works … in their original form. Since Lucas executive produced the Steven Spielberg-directed Indiana Jones trilogy, and had a big influence over the films’ stories, I have to admit, I was afraid — very afraid — of what might be contained in Indiana Jones: The Adventure Collection. My greatest fear when I unwrapped this all-new boxset was that when I popped in Raiders of the Lost Ark there’d be a giant dewback strolling by in the background during the excavation in Egypt. Or even worse, Han … I mean Indy wouldn’t shoot first when faced with the swordman in the Cairo marketplace.

Thankfully (on my hands and knees thankful, I am) the trilogy remains untouched. Guns are still shot, whips still cracked, and Indy’s utterance of “Oh shit” when evil henchmen encroach upon him on the rope bridge can still be heard.

Glory be!

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then 1) are you serious?, 2) how did you even find this website?, and 3) no, serious … are you serious?

I could easily write a Master’s thesis on this film trilogy, but for the purposes of this review, I’ll keep the synopsis brief. Harrison Ford plays the early 20th century kick-ass archaeology professor cum world adventurer Indiana Jones, who we first meet in 1982’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. In this first film, Indy reunites with his old flame Marion (Karen Allen) and the couple embark on a quest to find the biblical Ark of the Covenant before the ruthless Nazis do.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which served as the catalyst for the creation of the PG-13 movie rating, is a prequel tale which takes Indy, along with his kid sidekick Short-Round and prima donna nightclub singer Willie Scott, to India. There, they face a ritualist cult that performs human sacrifices and kidnaps the local children, forcing them into slavery.

Indy’s final adventure, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, gives us a glimpse of the action hero as a young teen and introduces us to Henry Jones, Sr., Indy’s estranged father, played by Sean Connery. The duo reluctantly join forces on a quest for the Holy Grail, once again racing against the Nazis.

If you’re a fan of these movies, even a casual one, then run right out and get this boxset. Don’t even think about it, just do it. There’s no reason not to. Now, if you’re a fan, but you already own the movies, well, that’s where the decision gets tough. For this, we must look to the bonus features contained on this 3-disc set.

DVD Bonus Features

A lot of the bonus footage was already included in the first boxset released in 2003. On this new 3-disc DVD release, each disc contains a set of extras, though not always ones that are specific to that movie. The new elements are newly filmed introductions to each film by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Each disc also contains two or three special featurettes, along with storyboards and galleries, plus the trailer for the upcoming LEGO Indiana Jones videogame. Unfortunately, there’s still no audio commentary, which is what every fan has been eagerly awaiting since the beginning.

Indy Collection

Raiders of the Lost Ark

  • An Introduction [7:40] Spielberg and Lucas explain how they wanted to make an international action-adventure movie like the James Bond films and that Tom Selleck was originally cast in the lead role before Harrison Ford. The filmmakers also talk about their budget and scheduling constraints, and how they ended up with Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones.
  • Indiana Jones: An Appreciation: Indy 4 Looks Back at the Original Trilogy [11:32] The producers and cast of the upcoming fourth film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, talk about working on the films and their first impressions.
  • The Melting Face [8:32] This feature, which is undoubtedly the best extra on the disc, details the special effects from Raiders. The film’s effects artist recreates Toht’s melting face effect and explains how he came up with the technique, as well as making Belloq’s head explode.
  • Storyboards [4:09] A comparison of some of the scenes from the film against their original storyboards.
  • Galleries: Spec art for Illustrations & Props; Production Photographs & Portraits: behind the scenes photos of the cast and crew on-set and some special effect make up applications; Effects/Film (props and effects photos); Marketing: poster images and sketches.
  • LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures Game: trailer for the LEGO game.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

  • An Introduction [5:50] Here we learn that Lucas came up with the idea of doing the Indy films as a trilogy before Raiders was made and that he wanted Temple of Doom to be darker, much like Empire Strikes Back was to Star Wars. The duo wanted the movies to be episodic, but didn’t want to have to explain why Karen Allen wouldn’t be in the second movie, so they decided to do a prequel.
  • The Creepy Crawlies [11:50] This is the stand-out extra on this disc, which you can play with or without pop-up trivia. The filmmakers describe how it was working with the snakes, bugs, and rats from the film trilogy, while star Harrison Ford explains Indy’s fear of snakes. A nice touch here is the interview with animal wrangler Jules Sylvester, who worked on the first two films.
  • Travel With Indy: Locations [10:30] You can play this feature with or without pop-up trivia. Here we learn about the numerous exotic locals of the film trilogy and how Sri Lanka was substituted for the scenes in India. There’s also some tidbits about where the upcoming fourth film was shot.
  • Storyboards: Comparison of scenes from the Mine Cart sequence against the original storyboards.
  • Galleries: Spec art for Illustrations & Props; Production Photographs & Portraits: behind the scenes photos of the cast and crew on-set and some special effect make up applications; Effects/Film (props and effects photos); Marketing: poster images and sketches.
  • LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures Game: trailer for the LEGO game

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

  • An Introduction [6:13] No surprise, it was Lucas who wanted Indy to go after the Holy Grail in this third film, while Spielberg wasn’t really into that, so he decided to make it a father/son movie, with Indy’s dad as the grail expert. Spielberg details how he came up with the idea of Indy’s estrangement with this dad — played by Sean Connery — and how he acts when he’s with his father.
  • Indy’s Women: The American Film Institute Tribute [9:23] In 2003, to celebrate the release of the Indy trilogy for the first time on DVD, the three female lead stars of the trilogy — Karen Allen, Kate Capsaw, and Alison Dooby — united for a discussion with AFI’s Jean Firstenberg. Each lady talks about their relationship with Indy and what they tried to bring to their respective characters.
  • Indy’s Friends and Enemies [10:46] This takes a look at Indy’s trusty sidekicks, numerous lady loves, and, of course, the various villains he’s up against. Raiders screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan talks about the Indy/Marion relationship; the Temple of Doom writers explain how Indy’s relationships are just those for the moment. There’s also some behind the scenes clips of the upcoming fourth film.
  • Storyboards: Comparison of the Opening Sequence against the original storyboards.
  • Galleries: Spec art for Illustrations & Props; Production Photographs & Portraits: behind the scenes photos of the cast and crew on-set and some special effect make up applications; Effects/Film (props and effects photos); Marketing: poster images and sketches.
  • LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures Game: trailer for the LEGO game.

1 Comment »

  1. I have the older box set. But this sounds great for someone who doesn’t have that. I never get tired of watching them.

    Comment by Cinema Junkie — May 14, 2008 @ 8:35 am

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