Rating: 
Summary: Bout Time! Indy rides again...
Review: Like many of us, we've been waiting for the release of the Indy trilogy for ages! Finally, Lucas decided to let go of his baby and allow it to be put on DVD. I believe if Spielberg had his way it would have been on DVD ages ago, but this is Lucas' creation when it comes down to it (you learn that he was debating on creating either Star Wars or Raiders first and opted for Star Wars.)The nitty gritty: Yup, all three on DVD. Nothing cut or added or tweaked just the original films. The fourth disc is mostly featurettes on the backgrounds/behind the scenes look at all three including some candid footage of how humorous they all were when the cameras weren't rolling. Unfortunately, there isn't any deleted scenes in a special section -- the ones there are pretty much incorporated in the behind the scenes featurettes. You do get to see the original screen test of Tom Selleck and Sean Young along with other screen tests of potentials as well as other famous actors. There's plenty of interviews with the remaining surviving casts of all three. The featurettes alone take up some two hours together. They're pretty much the length of a movie themselves. And yes, you get all the dirt. Who got sick on the food in Egypt (except Spielberg who ate only canned food) and when Harrison Ford slipped a disc in his back during Temple and just screamed resulting in being out having surgery with a six week recovery and you learn they cast Sean Connery because since Indy was modeled after James Bond (according to Spielberg) the only logical choice for his father would be 007 -- Sean Connery. If you haven't seen all three (or have lived under a rock and never heard of them) then you're in for a treat. Raiders, of course, gaining an Oscar nomination for Best Picture is easily the best of the three. It's chock full of adventure, romance and action. We're introduced to Indy in a non-stop action movie with scenes like riding a roller coaster. It's the quest for the Ark of the Covenant. We have Marion, his lady who rivals him as his equal and of course, Belloq -- his nemisis in obtaining artifacts, mostly stealing them from under his nose or gunpoint. The second is notoriously known for it's darker scenes and undertone. It's also the weakest. Kate Capshaw's character is supposed to be a primadonna singer who ends up tagging along with Indy and Short Round, a lovely little Asian kid, but she's almost overdone with her non-stop screams; It's supposed to be a joke in the flick, but the audience never quite got it and deemed her a terrible actress. It's also the one Spielberg had more creative control with; It's made up of all the stunts they couldn't use in the first and built the story around it. This includes the infamous father/son relationship that Spielberg puts in all his flicks (i.e., Short Round and Indy.) He likes to put in kids, family stuff, and some scenes that are pretty cheesy -- so much you could spread it on a Ritz cracker. Then we go to the third: The Lost Crusade. For ages, this one was considered "the apology" for the second. It makes up for it in spades! Sean Connery as his father is absolutely priceless. We learn Spielberg didn't want to do the story of the Holy Grail (because it wasn't strong enough... are you kidding, Steve?!?) and also introduced the father/son element again... you know... the father neglecting the son. (On a writer's note, does anyone think that Spielberg really needs a shrink? Seems like this recurring theme is in practically ALL of his movies. Just write a story, Steve, not your life!) Regardless, all complaining aside, it does work beautifully. We don't have a Marion in this one but we do have a wicked blond that makes up for the Kate Capshaw screamer. We also have the original trailers as well as more featurettes on the sound, stunts and special effects. Very, very decent. Plus a preview of the new Indy game that Lucas is putting out (although you can tell Harrison Ford didn't do the voiceover which is highly disappointing.) There is a DVD/website link, but no one ever seems to really care about those. Worth it? Yes. In one of my reviews, (Back to the Future trilogy) I was FLOORED at how many extras were in there. Outtakes, the works. But... unfortunately it succeeds the Indy trilogy in the extras department. Regardless, the pictures are crisp, the sound great and worth the buy. Go get it! Oh yeah -- the best part? THX CHANGED THEIR OPENING LOGO!
Rating:
Summary: Folks, It's Here..
Review: Yup, here it is! If you're like me, you've been waiting for these since the day you bought a dvd player. Well, now you can get em! The price is right and the films are tight(you like that? I just made that up). I won't go into the plot details, coz you'd have to be a schmuck if you haven't seen these films about 800 times throughout your life. But I will say that this trilogy is the very definition of Action-Adventure, and Indiana Jones is the definition of Action hero-tied only with James Bond. I don't think any action film since has surpassed these. These were made in the glorious days of action-the 80s. Back when a PG rated film could show people's faces melting, or have a bald nazi hacked up into hamburger helper by an airplane propeller. In fact, Raiders Of The Lost Ark is probably the most violent PG rated film ever. Temple Of Doom says PG on the dvd case now, as opposed to it's original PG-13 rating, but that was probably a mistake. It's still the same film-heart ripping, bug eating, child whipping and all! The dvds are featureless, but that's what the fourth disc is for. Basically, it's the features from all films put on one disc. Not a bad idea. So, I'd suggest slapping yourself a few times if you haven't got it already, then run out and get it, pronto!
Rating:
Summary: Indy arrives on DVD
Review: Tom Selleck, Sean Young and Danny DeVito star in the new DVD release of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Selleck glides through his role as Indiana Jones. Young is perky and involving as his former love interest Miriam. DeVito blusters and bumbles his way through his supporting role as Indy's best friend Sallah. Oh to be in that alternate universe and see that film. This is a glimpse into what might have been if Spielberg and Lucas had had their way in casting Raiders of The Lost Ark (it's discussed in the extras on the fourth disc. See below for more information). Luckily, neither one was available so we got stuck with Harrison Ford and the marvelous John Rhys-Davies. Both were originally penciled in the roles played by Harrison Ford and John Rhys-Davies. Indiana Jones really needs to look into a solid life insurance policy. All three of his big screen adventures come roaring to life on the Indiana Jones Trilogy boxed set released by Paramount. These seminal films capture the excitement of the films that producer/creator George Lucas and director Steven Spielberg grew up watching as kids. While all three films have all the energy and stunts like the serials and B-Movie adventures that the two grew up , they also have a wit, charm and sense of irony missing from the era that bred Indy's predecessors. Raiders is probably the best loved of the three films. Indy (Harrison Ford)is called in by the US government when it is discovered that Hitler is digging in Egypt to find The Ark of the Covenant. The dig is being led by Indy's rival the amoral Belloq. Complicating matters is a medallion. The Staff of Ra shows the the location of the Well of Souls and the only person that could have it is his jilted lover Miriam (Karen Allen). When he goes to Nepal to get it, the Nazis show up there as well. She's still bitter about the end of their relationship and wants in as a partner on this adventure. Indy travels to Egypt to enlist the assistance of his friend Sallah (John Rhys-Davies)in retrieving the Ark. The transfer for Raiders looks a bit rough and it's actually not the best looking film of the bunch. That's no surprise given the age of the film, the stock it was shot on, etc. Although this is digitally remastered with digital clean up, I think the laserdisc edition looks slightly better. Still, to have the entire film on one disc is a big plus and it looks worlds better than the VHS widescreen released a couple of years ago. Temple of Doom is actually the first film chronologically but the second made. It's set in India where Indy must battle an evil cult that is worshipping the goddess Kali. The cult has also been enslaving the local population's children making them dig for the sacred stones lost when the cult was destroyed by British troops some time before. A marvelous transfer with some minor digital and analog blemishes, Doom captures your attention from the opening song and dance number Anything Goes sung in Chinese. Although Kate Capshaw's character Willie is annoying (Lucas claims the dark tone of the film and the relationships were influenced by his ongoing divorce), Spielberg makes the set pieces the real stars of the film. The chase in the mine is a classic and was the basis for the Disney ride. The Last Crusade is actually quite daring. Returning to the formula of the first film, Spielberg and screenwriter Jeffrey Boam turn the formula inside out in many respects. Spielberg had always wanted to make a Bond film (which is how he ended up making Raiders)so what better way to spice up the third film by casting Sean Connery (James Bond)in the role of Indy's headstrong father Professor Henry Jones. While the first film is humorous, there's an adult humor at work here as well. Last Crusade deals with a lot of serious themes but in an entertaining manner. The opening sequence with the late River Phoenix playing the young Indy is a blast. We learn a bit about why Indy became the person he did. It's a brilliant gambit and adds considerable depth to the third film. While not as popular as Raiders, the character development and depth of the script is significantly greater than Raiders. Last Crusade looks terrific although I did note some problems with picture crawl and some minor edge enhancement issues. It still looks and sounds great regardless of the minor flaws. The interactive menu for all three films is quite clever; the images change from a "sketch" of what a character or scene would look like to the actual image from the film. The fourth disc has all the extras. There's a number of featurettes on the stunts, opticals and music of the film. I was most interested, though, in the feature length documentary (which can also be viewed in three aparts to compliment the films). There's audition footage of Tom Selleck and Sean Young, Karen Allen and Tim Matheson as well as quite a bit of footage shot on the set during the sequence in the Well of Souls. Watching that footage wiil give you new respect for snake handlers. On the whole Indy has never looked so good. Although I felt that Raiders didn't look quite as good as the other films, that's just a matter of critical opinion. The transfer looks exceptional despite some limitations/blemishes inherent in the DVD transfer process. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: GEORGE... STOP SCREWING WITH YOUR CLASSICS
Review: Lost Arc and Crusade are unchanged... BUT Temple of Doom has been re-edited!!! Notice the NEW PG Rating... Temple used to be PG-13. George is messing up his own movies AGAIN! Lets hope that when SW comesout on DVD we'll be able to get the old version. Oh yeah... these movies are still awesome.
Rating: 
Summary: 5 star release, minus one star for making us wait!
Review: Spielberg FINALLY got the message. Why the long wait to release this stuff, huh Steve? A lot of the bonus footage is as old as the films themselves, so it is not like you were out trying to create a lot of new stuff for us.
No commentaries? That's actually okay. Sometimes hearing TOO much about the film will dilute the movie experience.
But for such an "event" release as this one the packaging and extras seem somewhat pedestrian.
It would have been nice to have the films available for individual sale as well as in the box set (with the bonus disc available only with the box set purchase, of course), but then you've never been one to think of the customer first, have you Steve?
You and George Lucas would rather toy and tinker with your classic films than to let them age gracefully in the hearts and memories of the fans who made them hits. Digitally removing guns in "E.T.", adding "Indiana Jones and the..." to the "Raiders" title, George having Greedo shoot first,... I could go on. In short, thank you Steven for finally releasing this trilogy on DVD. Hope you didn't break a sweat trying to make it too special a release. Thanks for finally getting with the program and getting on board with DVD so long after the format has proven its staying power. DVD is now the medium of choice for watching the great films at home. Sorry you missed the first 250 memos about that. We'll try to keep you better updated about that in the future. Now go run off and lie to your friend George about how "great" his "Episode 3" is gonna be.
Rating:
Summary: THERE ARE NO DELETED SCENES!!!! (but buy it anhow!)
Review: There's no need to go on about how great the series is. Everyone knows THIS is the greatest series ever made! My son of eight grew up on them and loves Indy as much as I do. There's also no need to go on about how much better this series is on DVD then on tape. The bonus disk is fantastic for what it delivers, which is three hours of fantastic interviews and behind the scenec archival footage. I am SO glad to own this series! It WAS, however, almost CRUSHING when I came to the realization that the long rumored deleted scenes I'd so longed for were NOT included, perhaps packed away in some Government warehouse with the Ark itself. There's a brief clip and mention of Salah's execution from Raiders, there's a bit of Indy vs. Unknown Thug in Last Crusade, but only enough to taunt you. Who made up the bonus disc? Toht???? Glad as I am to finally have this on DVD, I'm still reeling from the actualization that there are NO DELETED SCENES. Mr. Speilberg... Mr. Lucas... I implore you... I'll gladly shell out for a disk of nothing but deleted scenes, just as gladly as I just shelled out for the Trillogy on dvd when I had the re-release on VHS, just as gladly as I shelled out for the re-release on widescreen when I had them on VHS, even as gladly as when I shelled out for VHS to replace the ones I had on Beta! (Blame my folks! I was just a kid then!) Just take a little pity on a life long fan who wants MORE,MORE,MORE!!!!! The purpose of this review is NOT to discourage anyone from buying this. THIS IS A MUST OWN! I just want to soften the blow for other die-hard Indy fans who have their heart set on seeing what landed on the editing room floor. I know this may come across as obsessive, but I grew up on Indy. Even at 32, he's still my hero. I remember waiting and waiting for it to come out on tape the first time around. I grew up in the rural foothills, and I remember how long the months seemed to take for Marvel to put out the newest Indy comic. It didn't mater what the other kids were playing on the playground, I was always Indy. I had my first bullwhip at the age of 9. I played with my Indy action figure till the thumb came off! It PAINS me not to give this 5 of 5 stars. I could have survived no running commentary. There's a whole disk full of it. I just couldn't handle not getting the deleted scenes. It's like getting almost everything you wanted for Christmas, but not the one thing you wanted most. So it goes. Buy the set. With the above knowledge to brace the blow, you should be able to give it the 5 stars of 5 it otherwise so richly deserves.
Rating:
Summary: "Hang On Lady, We Going For a Ride"
Review: Back when George Lucas knew how to write and produce good movies, he gave the world one of the best adventure heroes of all time. The Indiana Jones trilogy is the standard by which all other action movies are judged. Its brimming with over-the-top action pieces, great comic timing and just enough good acting to let the audience suspend its disbelief for the length of the picture. Few movies can offer so much action and not fall off the deep end into stupidity (Armageddon, I'm looking at you...). As far as the movies themselves go, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" best captures the spirit of the Indiana Jones character, but I think they are all good. "The Last Crusade" could've suffered from its over-simularity between it and the first film. But, the on-screen chemistry between Connery and Ford really shines and makes it just as good as the first one and adds some extra "zing" to the trilogy. "Temple of Doom" is the "red-headed step-child" of the series. Critics and fans regularly denounce it for its grotesque violence, shallow characters and unbelieveable/supernatural scenes. The first and the last charges could easily apply to any of the movies in the trilogy. Afterall, two Nazi's heads melt off and one explodes in Raiders. And unbelieveable scenes??? That's what action/adventures have, unbelievable scenes that entertain us! The characters, in my opinion, are more fully developed and dynamic than most any adventure movie (save Lord of the Rings) and they are just as interesting as the ones in Raiders (although they do not top Connery's performance). Anyway, that's my brief apologia for the much maligned "Temple of Doom," decide for yourself what you think about it. Since most people who own DVD players have seen the Indiana Jones movies several times, the real question is this: how does the DVD release measure up and is it worth it to buy all at once? This is one of the few instances that I would say that the studios ramming stuff down our throats and forcing us to pay more is not such a bad thing. You get one of the most pristine DVD transfers of a movie that I've ever seen. For the bonus material, Lucasfilm decided to go with quality over quantity. Although I would love to have heard audio commentary for each scene of every movie and taken a peak at some deleted scenes, what they left us is awesome. A documentary for the making of each film, complete with film from the sets and interviews with all of the principles (including head scratching revelations like Spielberg saying that either Tom Selleck or Tim Matthison could've played Indy, yikes!). You also get a look at all of the behind-the-scenes aspects of the films from the music, the effects and the stunts. All-in-all its a good thing to splurge on. Afterall, you've probably watched all of the films a hundred times already, why not a few hundred more, with better picture quality to boot?
Rating:
Summary: Alison Doody
Review: Everybody knows how good this three movies are, for sure, I'm not going to tell you that again. I'm going to praise the beauty and talent of Miss Alison Doody, the magnificent blonde who brights as a star in "The Last Crusade." It was wonderful to see her talking about her role 14 years later, and she's still as beautiful as she was on that movie. Too bad she dissapeared and we never saw her in a big role. Maybe she already knew that Showbiz life ..., and that's why she didn't put the effort. Hot and clever as Elsa...
Rating:
Summary: All the wait was well worth it!
Review: I've never seen DvD's restored tis well and I personally own many,many dvds.The picture quality is better than most films today. no artifacts or snow or anything You will be amazed how great the picture is.AS for the 5.1 DD surround its great two you cant tell it was made 20 years ago,the only complaint I have is the Diologe seems to be a bit muffuled it doesnt seem to match the music or sound effects it doesnt really take away from any thing becouse if your like me youll have these movie's cranked up!!
Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Classic Collection
Review: I love all the Indiana Jones Trilogy it is what movies is all about. From the classic scene in Raiders of The Lost Ark with the boulder to the very dark Temple Of Doom and who could not forget in the Last Crusade the classic scene where he is on the bridge to when he picks up that rusty old cup. I'm only 22 years old so I would of just been born when the first one came out. I am planning to become a director one day and when I do I will definatley do a movie like this. So Buy this collection it's worth it. Next Classic collection Star Wars Trilogy.
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