The Indiana Jones Collection
(Paramount Region 1 NTSC DVD)
(1981/1984/1989)
review by Head Cheeze

I remember seeing an ad for Raiders of the Lost Ark in the newspaper when I was just around 11 years old. The image of Han Solo wearing a cowboy hat with a whip coiled tightly over his shoulder made me curious. Back in those days, every big event film seemed to have a comic book adaptation, and Raiders was no exception. I'd read it from cover to cover, and then read it again...and again...and again. The film was not due out for months at that point, but I'd already begun playing Indiana Jones in my yard, donning a felt fedora, my sister's leather coat (which was at least two sizes too big) and "whipping" my enemies with a three foot length of rope. Raiders seemed to be an amalgam of all of my current interests at that time: World War 2, archaeology (although I favoured dinosaurs), and the paranormal (thanks, mostly, to a show called In Search Of, which was narrated by Leonard Nimoy and focused on various myths and anomalies). I'd found a new breed of hero; albeit one whose own inspiration came from nearly 40 years earlier.

Now, with the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones series - "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" - merely days away, I feel that same tingle of anticipation I'd felt as a young boy, anxious to catch up with Dr. Jones more than twenty years after his last adventure. Of course, before any of us can do that, we must revisit the original trilogy for a bit of a refresher course, and Paramount has lovingly reassembled the set with a host of all-new extras, and the best looking transfers yet!

"Raiders of the Lost Ark" introduced us to Dr. Henry Jones (Ford), a bookish archaeology professor by day/dashing, globe-trotting adventurer by night (or on weekends!), who is called in by the government to find and secure The Lost Ark of the Covenent before Hitler's occult team beats them to it. Before you can crack a whip, Indy is on the case, seeking out help from a former flame, Marion (Allen), and dragging her halfway around the world after the mysterious SS officer Toht (the icky Ronald Lacey) and Jone's archaeological nemesis, Rene Belloq (Paul Freeman). Raiders, which is still the most magical entry in the series, solidified Ford's status as a bona-fide movie star, and, seemingly overnight, Indiana Jones became an icon.

However, all of that was jeopardised by the infamous 1984 sequel, "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" . Saddled with a PG-13 rating (which this film actually inspired the creation of) Temple was widely regarded as a failure in the eyes of critics who felt that Lucas' script was far too violent and cruel. While the film is a bit more gruesome than it's predecessor, I hardly feel it deserves it's dark reputation. One need look no further than the fun and flashy opening dance number in which Indiana is poisoned and has to scuffle about a crowded dance floor in an effort to grab a vile containing an antidote to see that Lucas' tongue is firmly in cheek throughout.

When the film's third entry," Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" was released, the second installments commercial and critical failings were but a distant memory. Sean Connery joins the advenutre as Dr. Henry Jones Sr., andFord and Connery play off of each other wonderfully, as, once again, they race against the nazis, this time in search of the Holy Grail. The film also features a young River Phoenix as the teenage Indy, and gives us a little insight into Indy's origins. It's obvious that Lucas and Spielberg "familied up" the tone of this one in reaction to the negativity surrounding Temple of Doom, and, as a result, some of the action is over-reliant on humour to soften the violence, which, sadly, is the film's only glaring fault. Otherwise, it's a worthy follow-up.

Paramount presents the Indiana Jones Collection as either a boxed set, or, for the first time, individually packaged. Extras include an introduction to each film by Lucas and Spielberg, as well as some nifty new goodies, including several short featurettes, photo galleries, and even a cool demo for the Lego Indian Jones videogame (and, if you've played Lego Star Wars, you know just how groovy this is). While not as features laden as the "fourth disc" of the previously released Jones set, there's still plenty of extra stuff here that makes this one a compelling purchase for the Indiana Jones fan, as this is the best the series has ever looked...at least until the Blu-ray set comes along!