Blu-ray Review: Amazing Set For ‘Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures’

CHICAGO – A few years ago, I was asked why Blu-ray hadn’t taken off at the time and replaced DVD as so many fans of the format thought it should. The answer was simple — “Because Raiders of the Lost Ark isn’t on Blu-ray. You could have replaced “Raiders” with “Jaws,” “E.T.,” “Vertigo,” or any other number of beloved films that weren’t available at the time. Until the technology allowed buyers to own their favorite movies in HD, it would never really resonate. Well, a major step forward in that movement comes today with the Blu-ray release of the year to date in “Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures,” a five-disc set from Paramount that is the definition of a must-own Blu-ray release.

Rating: 5.0/5.0

Do I need to praise “Raiders of the Lost Ark”? Seriously, if you’re someone who can’t appreciate one of the best movies ever made you just don’t like movies. Critics like to say that a movie has “held up well” over the years. “Raiders” doesn’t just hold up, I admire it more every time I see it. I was lucky enough to see a remastered print on the big screen a few years ago and it was the best thing that I saw in a movie theater that year. The movie is perfect from frame one until the last credit and owning a remastered version of it along with the special features about its making is worth the purchase price for this entire set.

While there’s universal agreement on the general awesomeness of “Raiders,” there’s just as much debate about the quality of the other three films. I know this sounds blasphemous, but all three are underrated. Yes, call me a fan boy. Even “Crystal Skull,” which I’ll openly agree is the worst film of the set, gets a bad rap. It’s not the end of cinema that some trolls would have you believe. And “Doom” and “Crusade” are GREAT.

As for what Blu-ray brings, the remastered transfers are beautiful, particularly the bright colors of “Doom,” which has never looked this impressive. It is perfectly mastered in a way that makes it look like it could come out today. One expects a recent film like “Skull” to look impressive in HD but “Doom” is the breathtaking one.

The fifth disc is made up entirely of special features including nearly an hour of interviews, clips, and behind-the-scenes footage for each film. Rare footage is included like the screen test between Tom Selleck and Sean Young for “Raiders” along with amazing trivia like the fact that his name was once Indiana Smith or that it was almost called “The Temple of Death.” These making-of featurettes are spectacular. On top of the four individual features, there’s a whole new documentary of archival footage from “Raiders.” The disc adds up to seven hours of bonus material, which may sound like overkill for some franchises but “Indiana Jones” is not your average franchise. It’s a reason to buy a Blu-ray player.

Indiana Jones: The Complete Series was released on Blu-ray on September 18, 2012
Photo credit: Paramount

Synopsis:
From the award-winning duo of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, experience every heart-pounding thrill like never before with Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures on Blu-ray! For the first time ever, all four unforgettable films are offered together on Blu-ray, featuring brilliant high definition picture quality and 5.1 audio presentation. This five-disc collection boasts fully color corrected digital master versions of The Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade, and the highly anticipated frame-by-frame full restoration of The Raiders of the Lost Ark. Dive into the unforgettable adventures and spectacular action of the Academy Award-winning Indiana Jones series with hours of special features including new content created exclusively for this release. Only one name defines the ultimate hero - only one format delivers the ultimate experience!

Click here to buy “Indiana Jones”

Special Features:
o On Set With Raiders Of The Lost Ark
o Film Foursome: The Making Of All 4 Indiana Jones Films
o Cast & Creator Interviews
o Behind The Scenes Peeks

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com