Search - Indiana Jones - The Adventure Collection (Special Editions of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark / Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom / Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 10/24/2020...

Classic adventure at it's best! Harrison Ford shines!

The Bonus Material described. Not worth buying again, but st

Paul J. Mular | San Carlos, CA USA | 05/05/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am giving this ***** because the DVD set itself is very good, it is loaded with bonus material. And it should be rated for what it is, ignoring any previous DVD releases.

That said, I would not suggest spending more money to get this set. The bonus material could bore you. I prefer interviews & documentaries produced at the time the films were made. The labeling on the box is designed to deceive by stating "Includes All 3 Films, First Time Available - Special Editions". Like there was no special edition before.

Oh, the slim cases are nice, but I like the original brown box more.

I will group the "12 All-New, Must-See Special Features" (their wording, not mine)by catagory.

1) New Introductions to the films by Steven Speilberg & George Lucas.

STORYBOARDS, unless something differs greatly from the film, I have trouble sitting through these:
2) Snakes Alive! The Well Of Souls. - From Lost Ark
3) Hold On To Your Hat! The Coal Mine Chase. - From Temple of Doom.
4) The Birth Of the Action Hero! The Last Crusade Opening Scene.

MEMORIES, modern interviews with those who worked on the films back then. These are always a little jaded for me.
5) The Indy Trilogy, A Crystal Clear Appreciation. - The cast & crew of the new movie talk about how well they like the original three.
6) Indy's Women Reminisce. - a reunion of Indy's main women.
7) Indy's Friends & Enemies. - Steve, George, & the writers discuss character creation, including a look at the new movie.
8) Creepy Crawlies. - Steve George & Frank Marshall remenisce about snakes, bugs & rats.

BEHIND THE SCENES, new documentaries about the making of the originals:
9) The Mystery Of The Melting Face. - a re-creation of the original special effect in "Ark".
10) Discover Adventure On Location with Indy. - A slightly misleading title as this is also a modern day travel around the world, showing where the films were originally shot.
11) Photo Galleries from each film.

And then there is:
12) LEGO Indiana Jones.- promotional demo games.

Again, this makes a very good DVD release, but nothing worth replacing your older set for. I prefer the original box set extras, especially the bonus 4th disc some stores sold that contained an original 1980's documentary about the films!"

For Diehard Fans Only

Cubist | United States | 05/11/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Being a big fan of the Indiana Jones films I find myself conflicted about this new box set. While it's no surprise that the studio decided to re-release the films to coincide with the release of the new Indy film, they have royally screwed over fans by including a new collection of extras thereby forcing them to buy the films over again if they want them. So, is it worth it? Short answer: no. Nothing is going to beat The Adventures of Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark/ Temple of Doom/ Last Crusade) - Widescreen Edition's two-hour making of documentary and many of these new extras are nothing more than left over bits from it.

On the Raiders of the Lost Ark disc there is an "Introduction" that features Lucas and Spielberg talking about the genesis of the film. Spielberg wanted to do a globe-trotting James Bond-type story and Lucas introduced the idea of an archaeologist. They both agreed that they wanted to pay homage to the old 1930s cliffhanger sequels.

"Indiana Jones: An Appreciation" was done on the set of the new Indy film as Lucas, Spielberg, Harrison Ford, and Karen Allen reflect on the character and the trilogy - its impact on them and popular culture. Cast and crew from the new film also give their impressions and everyone recounts their favourite scene from the trilogy.

"The Melting Face" takes a look at how they pulled off the climactic scene when the Ark is opened and Toht's face melts. The effects artists who did it take us through the process and there is vintage footage of it being done.

"Storyboard: The Well of the Souls" shows illustrations from this sequence with footage from the film to show how close the two match.

There are "Galleries" that feature character sketches, props, behind-the-scenes photographs taken on the set, effects shots, like Matte paintings, and models used, various designs for the film's logo, and finally, posters from all over the world.

The Temple of Doom disc features an "Introduction" by Lucas and Spielberg. The director says that he had always wanted to make a trilogy of films and Lucas wanted this one to be darker and edgier, like The Empire Strikes Back (1980). They admit that Temple of Doom got terrible reviews but at least Spielberg met his wife on that one - Kate Capshaw.

"The Creepy Crawlies" examines how each film has some creepy element to it: Raiders with snakes, Temple of Doom with bugs, and the Last Crusade with rats. There are segments from each film are shown with a trivia track option.

"Travel with Indy: Locations" examines the various exotic locales seen throughout the films. We see how Hawaii doubled for South America and so on. This featurette can also be viewed with an optional trivia track. Associate producer Robert Watts takes us through key locations while dishing production anecdotes.

"Storyboards: The Mine Car Chase" allows you to view the illustrations for this sequence along with the actual scene from the film.

The "Galleries" section is identical to the one on the Raiders disc only pertaining to Temple of Doom.

The Last Crusade disc starts off with yet another "Introduction" where Spielberg admits that he wasn't crazy about the idea of the Holy Grail and suggested using it as a metaphor for the father-son relationship between Indy and his father. Lucas and Spielberg talk about the casting of Sean Connery and what he brought to the role.

Easily the most entertaining and engaging extra of the entire set is "Indy's Women: The American Film Institute Tribute" reunites the leading ladies from each film: Karen Allen, Kate Capshaw and Alison Doody. They talk about their characters and working with Spielberg. They all look great and speak candidly about their experiences. In particular, Capshaw and Doody talk about the reaction to their characters.

"Indy's Friends and Enemies" takes a look at the sidekicks, love interests, and villains in the trilogy. Spielberg speaks admiringly of the leading ladies and the strengths of each character. This featurette also explores the role sidekicks and villains play in the film with plenty of clips.

"Storyboards: The Opening Sequence" shows the sketches for the film's exciting opening action sequence with a young Indy (Phoenix) alongside the actual scene in the film.

Finally, the "Galleries" features a nice collection of snapshots from various aspects of the film like the galleries on the other discs.

The extras on these discs are well done and interesting to watch but do not warrant you double-dipping unless you are a hardcore fan that MUST have everything. If this is the first time buying the Indy films and you don't know which set to get, purchase the first one because each film does not share disc space with extras and for the two-hour making of documentary which is superior to all of the extras on this new set combined."

Pure Thrill Rides!

Ervin Griffin | Bluefield, WV | 05/20/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Before I begin, let me note there are THREE different Indiana Jones' sets. Two of them came out in 2003 (one was full-screen, the other widescreen). The one discussed in my review will be the newest one.

All the films are in widescreen format and each come with a behind the scenes look at each film along with other extras too numerous to mention here.

Now, for my opinions of each:

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK - Indiana Jones races to get the legendary Ark Of The Covenant from the hands of the Nazis. Along the way, he encounters an old flame from the past which is revisited in the fourth film "Kingdom Of The Krystal Skull."

TEMPLE OF DOOM - After nearly escaping death from a chinese gang, Indiana Jones crash lands in India with singer Willie Scott and a little chinese kid named Short Round. Seeing the plight of these people, he agrees to help them save their children from slavery and recover their Shakara stone from an occult group.

It should be fair to note that this film, while fun, is the darkest of the three that are out so far and some parts may not be suitable for kids.

THE LAST CRUSADE - While trying to find his missing father (played by Sean Connery), Indiana Jones becomes involved in a chase for the cup of Christ. The very cup that Jesus drank from at the last supper before his crucifixion. Again, he goes against the Nazis in this two mission race.

All three films are great thrill rides in my view! I am personally biased towards Temple Of Doom but all of them are great. I also think these film put Harrison Ford's name on the map, moreso than Star Wars did (only my opinion).

Anyway, if you haven't bought the original box sets, then pick up the new one! Worth the buy!"