Rating: Summary: EXCELLENT! Review: i have been waiting years for this dvd release and it was worth the wait.my poor VHS tapes were worn ragged by the time the Indiana Jones trilogy came to dvd.GOD BLESS George Lucas and Steven Spielberg for this wonderful trilogy and for FINALLY releasing it to dvd!
Rating: Summary: Why did we have to wait so long? Review: I hadn't seen an Indiana Jones film in well over a decade, and I guess my movie-watching experience has broadened considerably since then, so these films no longer seem as wonderful as they did as a kid/teen... but they're still pretty solid action-adventure films, and Harrison Ford is great in the role... though after seeing Jackie Chan's similar films the Indiana Jones action scenes look pretty tame.After waiting so long for the DVD release so they could do frame-by-frame restoration, I thought the presentation was going to set new standards for quality... unfortunately that's far from true. The picture and sound are good, but definitely not great - there's distracting edge enhancement and compression noise, and the surround sound remix on ROTLA is *terrible*. They're not bad DVDs in the overall scheme of things, but definitely an anticlimax after the wait.
Rating: Summary: This Collection Will Keep You "Jones"in For More!!! Review: From the very first moment in the jungles of a dense jungle in "Raiders of the Lost Ark," to the serene image of Indiana Jones and his entourage riding off into the sunset at the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", the Indiana Jones trilogy is a collection of adventures that date back to the glory days of Hollywood filmmaking. All three films, each under the direction of Steven Spielberg, and produced by George Lucas, (whose combined film credits account for most of the highest grossing movies ever made,) are masterfully crafted tales of renouned archeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones. This fedora wearing, bull-whip toting college professor by day/treasure hunter by night was brilliantly brought to life by Hollywood legend, Harrison Ford. Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first in the trilogy of films, introduces us for the first time to Indiana Jones, who is hired by the United States military to locate and recover the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazi's do. Set in the height of the second World War, the story is an out and out adventure and a race against time to uncover the secret hiding place where the Ark was hidden 2000 years before. His adventures will take him to Syberia and Egypt, and place him in peril as he fights his way to the ark and rescues it from the hands of the Nazi's, who believe its powers will give Hitler an undefeatable strength that will lead him to world domination. With a strong supporting cast, incredible special effects, intense action sequences, great music by John Williams, and a strong story, this is arguably the best of the series. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the second film in the series, is a darker, more convulted adventure than the first. This time, Indiana Jones and his entourage, having narrowly escaped a band of powerful crime lords in China, finds themselves in India, after the plane they were travelling in crashes. While there, they discover a small village that has fallen into despair after three magical stones that protected and blessed the Indian community were stolen from them. When a villager returns from his captivity in the "temple of doom" and tells of the horrors that are being performed there, Jones decides to go after the stones to save the village. Of the three films, this is considered by many critics to be the weakest in the series, though avid fans of the movies support it and embrace it. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the third and final installment of the film, finds Jones paired up with his father, Henry Jones (brilliantly portrayed by Sean Connery). Connery, who has had a life long passion to discover the Holy Grail, the cup that caught the blood of Christ at his crucifixtion, is kidnapped, presumably by the infamous Nazi's, who once more are in pursuit of powers that will give Hitler ultimate power. Jones, angered by his father's kidnapping, goes after him, travelling first to Venice, Italy, where he stumbles upon clues that will ultimately re-unite him with his father, and set him on a quest to discover the whereabouts of the Holy Grail. This final film of the trilogy is probably the most fun, with many memorable moments between Sean Connery and Harrison Ford that are very entertaining. Though this DVD set does not contain many extras, the quality of picture and sound is top notch. The picture has been restored and greatly enhanced, giving the movies the feeling of being brand new, though the newest of the three is more than ten years old already. Each film is an experience the whole family can enjoy (though some viewer discretion should be advised when viewing Temple of Doom.) This collection is wonderful, and a must have for any Indiana Jones enthusiast. Scott Kolecki
Rating: Summary: Not perfect but worth the wait (widescreen explained). Review: We've waited so long for this now we are griping. Get over it! The transfers are excellent, sound great. The aspect ratio IS correct, the bars are normal. My original review included a URL to a site explaining anamorphic widescreen, Amazon deleted it so while the title of my review said "widescreen explained" the edited review didn't So let me explain it here. These movies were orginally presented in a "wider" aspect ratio (2.35:1) than HDTV (1.78:1) so black bars are still required! The only way to eliminate them would be to "pan and scan" the original film down to the 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Are you all surprised there is no commentary by Spielberg? Has he ever done one? And who wants to listen to Harrison Ford? Sure, I would rather have not had to buy the vanity project that was "Temple of Doom" but two great films out of three ain't bad!
Rating: Summary: Good Movies, A Bit Feature Lacking Review: First off, I'll say that the movies themselves are excellent, they were very well made when first released, and they look and sound even better on DVD. The adventures of Indiana Jones are pretty darn classic. That being said, I was a little dissapointed with the lack of features on this DVD set. The fourth disc, which is supposed to be loaded, isn't really. All the features could have EASILY been seperated and put on the same disc as the movie (look at the Back to the Future Trilogy) but they wanted four discs to make it look more impressive I guess. A feature commentary would have been nice, too. Perhaps some deleted scenes? I figure that if they were going to go ahead and make a fourth disc, it really should have been loaded with extras, like they claimed it would be.
Rating: Summary: Heroic Accomplishments Review: The legendary globe-trotting archeologist Indiana Jones has finally arrived on DVD with "The Adventures of Indiana Jones" 4-DVD Box Set. This highly anticipated box set contains the entire Indiana Jones series (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom & Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) with a superb DVD presentation. The entire trilogy is presented in 2.35:1 THX-certified widescreen format. The picture quality is wonderful with rich color detail and smooth sharpness. Its 5.1 Dolby Digital sound is surprisingly dynamic and enhances John Williams' marvelous score. Disc 4 contains the films' supplemental extras including the 126-minute "The Making of the Trilogy" documentary, multiple behind-the-scenes featurettes, theatrical trailers and DVD-ROM extras. Overall, "The Adventures of Indiana Jones" 4-Disc Set is an excellent addition to any DVD collection and definitely gets an "A".
Rating: Summary: DEFECTIVE Review: I had to return the DVD set twice. I always get one of four disks defective and does not play through the movie... Amazon.com said that the "problem with this item is more widespread than we originally thought," and refused to send me another copy any more. Beaware customers. You better wait buying this set until the studio fixes the problem. Great movies though.
Rating: Summary: Indy on DVD(finally!!!!!) Review: After the first Star Wars trilogy,The Indiana Jones trilogy was the most sought after movie series that was in demand to come out on DVD. The movies themselves made between 1981-89 were the collective work of Director Steven Spielberg,Producer/Writer George Lucas,and Harrison Ford as archeologist/adventurer Indiana Jones.The movies have aged very well(thanks to the movies being 1930's period era),and even the primitive pre CGI special effect still holds up and shows more ingenuity than many CGI loaded movies(including Lucas' latter day Star Wars Movies). The first film Raider of The Lost Ark was released in 1981 as Indy race against the Nazis to find the Ark of the Covenant.The most memorable scenes were the prelude which includes a Peruvian idol followed by a massive boulder chase,A basket chase in Cairo,a chamber filled with asp,a desert chase,and finally the opening of the Ark.A mixture of smart writing,high adventure and at the time inventive special effects made it a runaway hit out the gate. 1984's Temple of Doom was the series least popular installment as Indy search for the Shankara stones that are being held by a bloodthirsty cult in India.The movie featured kidnapped children as prisoners,sacrifices,and other dark elements that even an exciting escape including a high speed minecar chase can't take the bad taste out your mouth. 1989's The Last Crusade was a lighter movie than TOD.Featuring Sean Connery as Henry Jones Sr.,TLC harkened back to the fun spirit of Raiders,as the prize this time is the Holy Grail which memorable scenes includes a prelude into Indy's youth,Catacombs filled with rats in Venice,a motorcycle chase in Germany,a desert tank chase,as well as the "Three Challenges".It brought back the lively spirits that TOD seemed to have soured. The only minuses of the DVD set is the lack of Commentary,deleted scenes and other assorted goodies that a group of films of this stature deserves,as well as the fact that we many shell out more money when the fouth installment(due in theaters summer 2005)comes out on DVD.But just the fact that Indiana Jones' adventures are on DVD is reason enough to find fortune and glory all over again.
Rating: Summary: "Let's... see... it... in... THX" Review: When those words come up before the Indy movies, I feel a rush knowing I'm about to see a DVD produced to the highest possible standards. Lucas is as fascinated with that subject as Hitler was with the occult! Believe me, he would not put out a lame DVD of his great movies. Even his lame movies make great DVDs! (e.g. the SW prequels.) Anyone in this forum who trashes the video and sound of the Indy collection either has substandard equipment or just has it set up wrong. These discs look and sound absolutely beautiful on my Toshiba 51" widescreen and Kenwood surround setup. Oh, and I love all 3 flicks, but Temple of Doom may be the most entertaining in terms of humor and wild action set pieces that breathlessly flow into each other! Roger Ebert has always championed this as one of the greatest adventure movies ever ... turn off the lights and crank the sound, you will see why... the DVD breathes a life into Temple of Doom I never appreciated before.
Rating: Summary: It's about time! Review: Finally we're getting Indy out on DVD! Lucas really does seem to have some wierd strategy about releasing DVDs that just frusterated me. Lots of great features on this DVD serries! Only problem is that there is no audio commentary with each film. Thats always one of my favorite features. I'm still hoping its hidden in there somewhere and I didn't find it the first time through. 4 stars for the lack of audio commentary and becuase Lucas is too obsessed with making money and buying this helps him. Otherwise the movies are the best!
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