Rating: 
Summary: Indiana Jones and The "eh" DVD Box Set
Review: The second (the first is "Star Wars") most requested DVD title, "Raiders of The Lost Ark" (& its prequel & sequel), finally became available this past September. Sadly, the results for this boxed set, for me, at least, is pretty mixed. The films themselves get the two thumbs up. "Raiders" is a modern-day classic (most, if not all, of the people that wrote reviews for this set bought it just for this film. I give it five stars). George Lucas can call it "Raiders of The Lost Potato Salad" for all I care, millions of people will forever know this film as "Raiders of The Lost Ark". I give "Temple of Doom" four stars. Its a lot darker than the first and third film, and is absolute non-stop action. "Last Crusade" is a family affair with Indiana searching for his missing father & The Holy Grail. It also explains Indiana's trademark origins and the film gets four stars, also. The DVD set is a four disc affair. The first three are the films themselves with the fourth disc housing supplemental features. This set is a ho-hom affair. The packaging is attractive looking but nothing new ("Paramount" & "Lucasfilm" have been using the same artwork for these films ever since there video debuts). The special features are good but, if your a die-hard Indy fan (yeah, me too) then there is really nothing new here, either. The feature length documentary is segragated by there respective films and must be watched seperately (there is no play all feature, where the viewer can watch it all the way thru). Watching the trailers are a blast from the past, but I really didn't need a trailer for the "Indiana Jones" video game. What the fans really want is what they are still clamoring for. The set doesn't contain any deleted scenes, gag reels, poster art concepts, etc. "Lucasfilm" & "Paramount" seem to always under utilize these films. I would have liked to have seen a 20th anniversary theatrical re-release to "Raiders" in 2001, but that never happened. Why couldn't both companies wait & produce a 25th anniversary DVD set with everything but the kitchen sink thrown in ? Including commentary tracks from Lucas, Ford and Spielberg (tie them up in chairs, if thats what it takes!) Overall its a DVD set that's worth getting for the sake of having "Raiders" on DVD. Its good, but, you know it definitely should have been a lot better.
Rating: 
Summary: Good popcorn flicks
Review: Let's face it, this trilogy only has one first-rate movie (the first). Hard to even add anything, praise-wise, to 'Raiders'. I'll buck popular opinion and say "Temple" is the second-best film of the three. Yeah, it's loaded with flaws; I don't like Kate Capshaw's performance anymore than the next guy, for starters. But the action set-pieces are choice entertainment. The final half-hour or so is a real thrill. Also, I gotta give Lucas and Spielberg credit for have the chutzpah to be so downright UNfamily-friendly in this movie. The whole thing is just a real corker, a popcorn movie deluxe (albeit, one that is loaded with flaws). As for "Last Crusade," I once regarded this- as so many people seem to- as the second-best of the trilogy. While I found my appreciation for 'Temple' had grown when revisiting the film on dvd, I found the opposite had occured with 'Crusade'. This thing is such a safe and scrubbed-clean piece of family entertainment, it makes the original "Raiders" look like an R-rated movie! I realize it was the best way for Lucas/Spielberg to take the series from a commercial standpoint. But this movie plays as a pale remake of 'Raiders'. The SOLE saving grace is Sean Connery's performance as Indy's father. It's really the only new element in the movie, and it gives the flick a badly needed burst of energy. Don't even get me started on the climax of the movie- without spoiling anything plot-wise, let me just say that the ending is simply ludricous and emotionally hollow. As for the Special Features disc, I tossed it into the circular file immediately after opening the set. Just kidding, I didn't go that far, but in all honestly I haven't watched a single feature. I just don't care enough. And I must say, I rather admire Mr. Spielberg for choosing not to ever record a commentary. So "Raiders" is a classic- if essentially featherweight- piece of well-crafted escapism. 'Temple of Doom' is a good enough actioner to put most of the more recent similar pics to shame (like the Mummy movies, to name but two). And 'Last Crusade' is basically an anemic attempt to recapture the magic of the first (and as a result, falls flat on its overly-familiar face). Spielberg's a very erratic moviemaker.
Rating:
Summary: very much like the godfather trilogy
Review: i doubt this trilogy needs to be summerized.im pretty sure everyone and their cousins has seen these.the first 2 parts were spectacular,then comes the mockery part 3.and whats this spliting up full frame/wide screen versions?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?gollywood strikes again.in closing,the 1st 2 were spectacular,the 3rd was amazingly forgettable.how long before giftbox set special version with never befores?!?!?!?!?!?
Rating: 
Summary: Been a long wait.
Review: It's been a long wait, but finally it is here. Indian Jones on DVD.
3 great movies plus an extra DVD with behind the scenes stuff from all 3 movies.
Raiders of the Lost Ark is probably the best story of the three and is one incredible movie. They even fixed the scene where Indiana falls in front a snake, but you can see it's reflection in the window that seperated Harrison Ford from the snakes (VHS version). You can't see it now.
The Temple of Doom was a very good movie though not as good as Raiders. It was funnier than Raiders, but something about the story just didn't captivate me like Raiders.
The Last Crusade is my personal favorite. It is probably the funniest of the 3. After changing lanes in story for Temple of Doom, they returned to the religious roots of Raiders with an exceptional story packed with action.
And the behind the scenes stuff on the extra DVD is excellent. There is plenty of content here with new information that you probably haven't heard before. This is a must buy for all Indian Jones fans. You won't be dissappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Lucas & Paramount -- Issue "Raiders of the Lost Ark" solo!
Review: I cannot rate this trilogy release beyond the one star (I'd skip rating it at all, but the Amazon system won't allow it), as I REFUSE to purchase it. I Loved, Loved, LOVED the now-classic first film...only tolerated the second...and thoroughly enjoyed the third. However...the only one I MUST have on DVD is the first one. But...I cannot (at present) BUY What I Want, because in their arrogance, George Lucas and Paramount assume I Must Have ALL of their product in this case, leaving me No Choice Except to Buy Three or Buy NONE. Ridiculous -- and with luck, the market will convince them of this. If not (shrugs) I buy none and I guess I live without it and keep running my VHS tape until it breaks. I understand the Godfather Trilogy DVD Box set didn't do as well as was orignally hoped, forcing the studio to release the first film separately...I'm keeping my fingers crossed for another such event.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Movies, but no Deleted Scenes on 4th disc...
Review: These movies were great and my favorite was the first movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark. This set could be improved, because THERE ARE NO DELETED SCENES. Actually, there is one, and it is in the making of Raiders of the Lost Ark and it is only part of the scene. It is a scene where Marion kisses Indy right before he leaves Marion's bar in Nepal.
Rating:
Summary: INDY INDY! INDY! DOCTOR JONES!
Review: What can I say!, classic classic classic. Ther'es no other word for stories of Doctor Jones and all his addentures, doctor Jones was toatl dog, three different woman in each movie!, and the settings all around the world gave it that tasteful falvour, this is a all time favorite and worth all $ you spent on it.
Rating:
Summary: Finally! Harrison Ford is an Icon.
Review: These films represent Hollywood at its old-fashioned best! Harrison Ford's portrayal of Indy re-defines the hero. Finally they are given the DVD attention they deserve. Great movies presented in a great collection! Don't miss out...
Rating:
Summary: TEMPLE OF DOOM
Review: For the eagerly awaited sequel to RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, Spielberg and Lucas wanted to take Indiana Jones (and their audiences) on an even more thrilling, terrifying ride. INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, while still in the vein of it's predecessor, would take Indiana Jones into darker territory, facing Indy against a cult of devil worshippers and leaders of a child slavery ring. While being of a darker tone than RAIDERS, the action was still the main focus and the humor was to be even broader (and less subtle). Many detractors of the film would even accuse the movie of having too much action, in that it never gave the audience a chance to catch their breaths (not a completely fair criticism). The story begins in Shanghai, 1935 (a year before the events of RAIDERS) in the nightclub Obi-Wan (an in-joke to the STAR WARS series) as Indiana Jones, suavely decked out in a white tuxedo, tries to bargain with Chinese gangster Lao Che and his men over the exchange of a precious diamond for the ashes of Emperor Nurhachi, which Indy has in his possession. Things fall apart, of course, and Indy finds himself entangled with nightclub torch singer Willie Scott. He and Willie escape the murderous thugs in the club (with the help of Indy's sidekick in the film, a young Chinese boy nicknamed Short Round). The trio of heroes rush to the airport to escape Shanghai and Lao Che's wrath, headed to (or so they think) to Siam. In flight, they find out the airplane they booked is owned by none-other than Lao Che himself. The pilots bail out, and after one of the film's most incredible (albeit unbelievable) setpieces, the trio arrives off-course, in India. The heroes follow a shaman to a small village called Mayapore. When they enter the desolate village, they notice it is devoid of children. The shaman and a village elder tell Indy that he has been chosen to go to Pankot Palace, where a great evil has taken the children and stolen a sacred stone that protected the people and their village. That night in the village, a half-dead boy from the village, newly escaped from Pankot, falls into Indy's arms, clutching a scrap of sacred parchment that leads Indy to consider the predestination is indeed real. He boldly takes up the quest and in the morning, Indy, Willie and Short Round head to Pankot Palace. After a trek via elephant through the jungles of India, the heroes arrive at the palace and are greeted by the Maharajah's major domo, Chatter Lal. He graciously puts the guests up in rooms and invites them to a lavish banquet. There, after finding out the Maharajah is a prepubescent boy, dining (a feast of gross-out dishes that are showstoppers!) talk turns to local legend about a cult of devil worshipers called the Thuggee. Indy pushes the point (playing a connection between the Mayapore village and clues he has found to the existence of the Thuggee near the palace). Chatter Lal and the young Maharajah both seem to take offense and Indy apologizes, his suspicions fueled. As nighttime falls on the palace, Indy, after trying to seduce Willie, is attacked by a Thuggee in his quarters. He finds a secret passage in Willie's room, and Indy, Short Round and Willie descend down into the bowels of the castle, far below into booby-trapped passages, and ultimately, the Temple of Doom, where they witness the live sacrifice of a man to the object of the Thuggee cult's devotion, the devil goddess Kali Ma..... While TEMPLE has notable flaws (Kate Capshaw's performance in the role of Willie Scott and the character conceptions of both Willie Scott and Short Round), the film is very underrated in certain regards. When looking at the Indiana Jones trilogy as a whole, TEMPLE, for following RAIDERS was a very welcome change, as it is wholly original in mood and story from its predecessor. Had the filmmakers followed RAIDERS blueprint as they had with LAST CRUSADE for the first sequel, it would be interesting to see if the public would have responded, or would have complained that it was retread of RAIDERS. Even if one isn't a fan of TEMPLE, appreciating the filmmaker's braveness to try a different take on the now famous character of Indiana Jones' adventures should be praised. Before of the release of TEMPLE in the summer of 1984, Spielberg/Lucas and Paramount had trouble with securing a desirable PG rating due to the film's graphic violence (i.e.-- a man getting his heart ripped from his chest while still alive, and then, burned alive in a lava pit, etc.). Spielberg vigorously defended his film, saying it was not R rated material (as he did with POLTERGEIST). The suggestion for a new rating between PG and R for films of this ilk was raised. Jack Valenti, president of the (studio-backed) MPAA would not back down and create a new rating, but pressure from Paramount (due to concerns of putting out an R-rated Indiana Jones movie) made Valenti and the MPAA grant the uncut film a PG rating. When the film premiered, parents expecting to take their kids to a fun, action-filled film were outraged at the film's excess violence. Spielberg defended his work, saying the title of the film was not "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Roses" and with a title like that, people would know what they were about to see. Later, as complaints filled the media, Spielberg did soften his stance (possibly as a face-saving move), stating that the film was too dark, and that he had gone to far. He suggested that no one under ten be taken to see the film. Between the violence of TEMPLE and another Spielberg production that summer, Joe Dante's GREMLINS, Spielberg took a lot of flack in the media, as did the MPAA. Jack Valenti, due to the negative publicity of TEMPLE and GREMLINS finally agreed to a new rating: PG-13. Despite controversy, TEMPLE made a strong showing at the box-office, becoming the third highest grossing film of the year (trailing behind the supernatural effects comedy sensation GHOSTBUSTERS and the Eddie Murphy comedy vehicle, BEVERLY HILLS COP). For the third Indiana Jones film, INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE, Spielberg and Lucas would purposely retreat back to the winning formula (and plot devices) of RAIDERS, leaving the darkness of THE TEMPLE OF DOOM behind them.
Rating:
Summary: Indiana Jones Trilogy
Review: I'm young but I grew up with Indiana Jones. I grew up watching it every year with my family. A while back, I remember thinking to myself, "Why is it not out on DVD?". I went to Amazon and proceeded to preorder it. These movies are magic. The acting is supurb and the eloquence with which the movies are brought to the screen is fantastic. Raiders of the Lost Ark follows Indiana Jones in his quest to stop the Nazis from obtaining the Ark of the Covenant, which all think will bring them enough power to rule the world. Along the way he encounters colorfeul characters such as Marian (Indy's love interest) and the monkey. The movie portrays a sense of old time action adventure. It goes substantially against the grain of the time it was made in, and was a tribute to the great Adventure movies of the past. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was the more gory and dark of the three movies. It tracks Indy as he infiltates an ancient temple and in the process saves hundreds of kids from slavery. Scenes like the railroad ride and the heart ceremony stay in your hear for a long time. Although it is still a great film, it is probobly the weakest of the three. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade returns to the Nazis. This time, they want the holy grail. And in a web of deception and greed, our hero must fight them back. It returns to the grain of the first movie and is a fine end to the trilogy (Although there is a 4th movie in the works right now). As for the DVD, the features are weak. There is little bonus content and the real joy is in the movies themselves. After all, thats what counts...
|
