The last two years have been wonderful for DVD collectors. Since August of 2001, we have seen the release of “The Godfather” trilogy, “E.T.”, the “Back to the Future ” trilogy and many other classic films, way too great a number to mention here.
All that really remained in terms of classic franchises were the original three “Star Wars” films and the “Indiana Jones” films. And as of October 21, it will only be “Star Wars” that collectors will still be left without.
At long last, the great “Indiana Jones” comes to DVD. I, for one, am glad to finally see this release, as it is one of the greatest collaborations between filmmakers in the history of cinema. This is George Lucas and Steven Spielberg at their absolute best. Throw Harrison Ford into the mix and you have a team that rivals Kurosawa and Mifune.
The first movie of the three, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” is far and away the best in the trilogy. With an episodic plot structure, fun action sequences and a magnificent adventure story, few action movies that can compare to it. It has a pace that few films can match, never slowing down to get boring. Great acting, superb story and flawless direction make it a perfect throwback to ’40s and ’50s serial cinema.
Story-wise, “The Temple of Doom” is the weakest of the three. The plot is just not as interesting as “Raiders.” However, it is by no means boring, and Spielberg makes up for it with well-directed, fun action sequences. Entertaining characters with a surfeit of idiosyncrasies also spice up the film, especially Indy’s junior sidekick Short Round (Jonathan Ke Quan, “The Goonies”).
“The Last Crusade” improved greatly on “The Temple of Doom,” especially with the introduction of Indy’s father played by none other than the great Sean Connery. The chemistry between Ford and Connery is spot on. It’s nice to see Connery play a role that’s something more eccentric than his usual ones. The adventure and story is grand, more reminiscent of “Raiders.” No complaints here!
The picture quality can be summed up in one word: phenomenal. Never having seen “Raiders” in the theater myself, this is by far the best I have ever seen the film. The colors are vivid and blacks are as black as they can get. The restoration job performed on these films is nothing short of astonishing. The movies really look like they were filmed just a year ago.
The soundtrack has been remixed into Dolby Digital 5.1 with excellent results. The dialog is easily heard, not muted like some older movies turn out when remixed to 5.1. Best of all is John Williams’ score coming out of the rear speakers. It benefited the most from the digital upgrade and has never sounded better.
The main “Special Features” event is the behind-the?scenes feature, “Indiana Jones: Making the Trilogy.” At two hours long, you get new interviews with Lucas, Spielberg, Ford and just about anyone else that worked on the films.
One part in “Raiders” contains a portion of Tom Selleck’s test screening for the role of Indy. Other featurettes cover sound, effects, stunts and the scores of the “Indiana Jones” films. There is no reason anyone should pass up this DVD set.
Even if you have the VHS tapes already, the restoration of these DVDs alone is worth the purchase. It took Spielberg and Lucas long enough to get these films out, but after seeing the quality work they put into this set, I can easily say it was worth the wait.
If only Mr. Lucas can do this well on the original “Star Wars” trilogy. Knowing his demand for quality presentation, I think we’ll all be in for a real treat when those films come out.
Overall Rating: A
