Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3213 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-10-20
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Formats: Box set, PAL, Subtitled
• Original language: Arabic, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Nepali, Spanish
• Number of discs: 4
• Running time: 259 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
As with George Lucas's other movie franchise, there's a vein of mysticism running through the Indiana Jones Trilogy. Watching all three back-to-back it's possible to unravel the chronology and chart the spiritual journey of our hero: the idealistic Young Indy ("It belongs in a museum", implores River Phoenix in the opening escapade of The Last Crusade) grows up to become a cynical fortune-hunter seen trading archaeological treasures with Chinese gangsters at club "Obi-Wan" in The Temple of Doom. From there we follow his path to redemption via three mystical religious objects: respectively Hindu (the Shankara stones in Temple of Doom), Jewish (the Ark of the Covenant in Raiders), and Christian (the Holy Grail itself in Last Crusade).

But that's just the subtext. Along the way, this knight-errant archaeologist undertakes improbable adventures (featuring spiders, snakes, rats, insects and Nazis galore), rescues damsels in distress (even when they really don't want to be rescued, such as Kate Capshaw in Temple of Doom), and still finds time to bond with his dad (Sean Connery, in one of cinema's great cameo roles as Dr Jones Sr.)

Steven Spielberg revels in Lucas's recreation of 1930s cliff-hanger serials, infusing every scene with kinetic energy and infectious enthusiasm and creating any number of iconic sequences that have become touchstones of cinematic history. Director and producer are more than ably assisted by regular composer John Williams, whose swashbuckling Korngold-inspired "Raiders" theme casts Harrison Ford as a modern-day Errol Flynn. Although a fourth movie is promised, this trilogy plays like a self-contained whole that leaves nothing wanting: from the witty dialogue and breathtaking action choreography to the near-perfect casting, this is popular movie-making at its very peak.

On the DVD: The Indiana Jones Trilogy four-disc box set, as has been widely noted, contains the slightly edited version of The Temple of Doom--1 min 6 seconds of cuts according to the BBFC--though this is exactly the same version that was originally shown in UK cinemas and released on video (missing is a bit of extra blood and gore during the heart-ripping scene). By way of compensation, the digitally remastered anamorphic 2.35:1 picture and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound for all three movies are joyfully impressive, the screen crammed full of colour and rich detail accompanied by one of Hollywood's most glorious soundtracks. The fourth bonus disc contains about three hours of additional material, most of which can be found in the new 127-minute documentary that takes the viewer chronologically through the making of the series and includes plenty of interviews and fascinating nuggets of background information. There are also independent featurettes "From the Lucasfilm Archives" on John Williams's music, the sound design, stuntwork and the special effects. There are subtitles in various European languages. --Mark Walker

Special Features

DVD Special Features:
Widescreen anamorphic 2.35:1
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Bonus disc containing over three hours of extra material, including:
A new, feature-length documentary on the making of the trilogy
From the Lucasfilm Archives: "The Stunts of Indiana Jones", "The Sound of Indiana Jones", "The Music of Indiana Jones", "The Light and Magic of Indiana Jones"
Trailers
Weblink to exclusive content

Synopsis
In 'Raiders Of The Lost Ark' Indiana Jones is assigned to find the mystically empowered Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can obtain it for their own evil use. In 'Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom' Indiana goes in search of the Ankara Stone, but manages to free hundreds of children in the process. In 'Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade' the fearless archaeologist is once again pitted against the Nazis as he musters up every last ounce of courage and cunning to rescue his father and the Holy Grail.

Customer Reviews

DEFINITION OF ACTION ADVENTURE!
The original trilogy all together in one FANTASTIC box set - the 4th disc being a stand alone special features Bonus DVD (Visual FX, stunts, character development, story arc etc). Very informative & detailed.
3 x Great movies; Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981) - still the best! Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom (1984) - dark & moody! and Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989) - closer in tone to the first film but perhaps slightly too comedic??
Great plots, memorable characters, fantastic action setpieces (some of the very best gun fights, fist fights & car chases ever filmed), stunning locations, stunning cinematography/editing & some truly awesome visual effects ( All 3 movies have supernatural elements, most prevalent in Raiders Of The Lost Ark).
And all this under the masterful direction of a Spielberg firing on ALL cylinders, and with a career defining performance from Harrison Ford that makes for one of the most engaging heroic characters ever created!
These are perfect films for all generations, although it should be pointed out that Raiders & Temple Of Doom are quite bloody in places, with some farly violent scenes - for all the old fashioned feel, there's no shortage of blood & bullets at times!
Absoluteley no sexual content or any bad language whatsoever, so safe for the grandkids (who all love a bit of blood & guts!)
Let's also never forget the impressive scores by Hollywood legend, John Williams. The Indiana Jones theme is right up there alongside his other great works such as the Star Wars saga & is every bit as iconic as the James Bond motif.
I've reviewed the new movie on Amazon UK & I thought it was good, better than I expected! Closest to Raiders in tone.
I have to say that I love the packaging to this DVD set, it comes in an absoluteley gorgeous brown case that almost looks like an old book which given the archaeological nature of the movies is highly appropriate.

Perfect Intro for the New Indy
This is the perfect choice for Indiana Jones afficionados but not only - there is quite a few billion people around who never had the chance to see the movies before. These three film rank among the best adventure movies of the last half century (OK - they ARE the best ;) so don't think too long but grab at the opportunity to be really prepared for the last part of Indiana Jones' adventures.
You get a major handful of extra material thrown in but it is the movies that really matter. And they are so fresh and full of live that it is hard to believe it has been a while since Indiana Jones seemed to have retired for good.

Action! Adventure! Indy!
This four disc set contains three classic action movies and one disc loaded with bonus material.

Up first is "Raiders of the Lost Ark." In it, we meet our hero, archeology professor Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford). Indiana isn't just a classroom professor. When the right opportunity presents itself, he heads out to the field in search of some priceless artifact. This particular time, he's searching for the Jewish Ark of the Covenant. But he's not the only one on the trail. He has to race the Nazi's around the world to uncover its hiding place.

Next is "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom." Set a couple years before the first movie, Indiana gets stranded in India when an attempt to sell his latest find goes bad. The only way the locals will give him directions out of there is if he retrieves their sacred rock from a nearby temple where a cult uses it in some horrid practices.

Finally comes "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." When Indiana's father (Sean Connery) goes missing, it's up to Indiana to find him and the Holy Grail before the Nazis do.

All three of these movies are fun. They are filled with lots of action, yet the story holds together. "Raiders" is easily the best of the series. Everything was fresh and new here. "Temple of Doom" is the weakest of the lot. It is darker in tone and the story wanders a bit more. Things definitely improve with "Last Crusade." Sean Connery is funny as Indy's dad, and that dynamic makes it seem fresh again.

For years, this set has been the only way to get the classic trilogy on DVD. And that's not a bad thing. Each movie gets its own disc. The set came in both widescreen and full frame editions. I have the widescreen, and the picture looks great. The sound is wonderful as well. All the extras are on the fourth disc. And all the features are new. The highlight is the two hour documentary on the making of the trilogy. There's plenty of behind the scenes information here. There are also four featurettes that focus more on the music, special effects, stunts, and sound effects.

These movies are pure fun, and that's all they were trying to be. So if you are looking for a good time at the movies, look up Indiana. And if you are a fan, you'll be quite satisfied with this set.