'Throw me the idol, I'll throw you the whip!'
Fig 1. Made to Look Like a Bound Book.. Unique
Fig 2, The Debossed Signature of a One Mr Indiana Jones
I Think when it comes to 80's Action and Adventure you don't really get anymore clichéd than The Indiana Jones Films. I never got to see them at the cinema, which is definitely one of my regrets in life, but with the age of modern technology and a great restoration team I'm allowed to enjoy them in all there HD glory. The very creative mind of George Lucas and the direction of Steven Spielberg comes a hero who grows on you from the first moment he appears on the screen. With his Leather jacket, Fedora and that cracking whip, with a little knack of getting in and out of trouble 'Indy' to us all is a childhood idol. The movies tell tall tales of everyday people doing Amazing things. They're about adventure, love, friendship, family, and the value of others over even the most prized possession's or the greatest historical relics. Totally Brilliant Fun..
If you don't know the movies I'm NOT going to ruin them by mentioning ANY of the plots at all, I shall just show you the insides of this Limited Collectors Set and Review the Picture and Sound Quality..
But First Take A Look At The Great Boxset inc ALL extra's in the box.
Fig 3. A Whole lot of Well put Together Goodies Awaits the Rightful Owner
Fig 4. Included in the Boxset are the Following. Copy of the Menu from the Airship in 'The Last Crusade', Box of Matches from Club Obi Wan, Limited Edition Film Cell, 4 Postcards from the 4 Films, 2 Airship Boarding Tickets, A Photo of Indy and his Father, A Signed photo from Marion to Harrison Ford and 1 Dual Ticket for the Pan American Airways System. All very Authentic Looking.
Fig 5. Indiana Jones's Father's Journal, leather bound inc Sketches and Maps.
Fig 6. And Last but no Means Least.. A Grail Rubbing.. Can you get any More Realistic
VIDEO****
All Presented in 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio in 1080p
Raiders Of The Lost Ark
If you imagined you had never seen any of them before and you stuck the First (and in my eyes the best) Film in your black box of Playback trickery called the Blu Ray Player, you couldn't tell if it was made in 2013 or the original year of 1981.. Yep its that bloody good. Film fans are really in for a eye watering treat, you want sold blacks look no further, colour is near enough spot on, maybe a little orange in places but the rest of the scenes like the jungle escape and market scenes look terrific. It plays very well indeed with a clear, well-defined picture. Seeing it big is the best way to see it. Brightness is very good indeed as is contrast, you only need to see Indy fly off after the for mentioned Jungle scene to appreciate it in all its glory. There are a few faults like smudges and a little print damage here and there but its still Demo quality.
Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom
If Raiders looks good then I'd say the same for Temple, the colour palette in total is quite impressive just look at the palace scenes to see how good films can be restored. Sometimes the blacks can look a little and I mean a little greyish, but the overall brightness makes up for that as it isn't really a dark film. The film's best scene comes at the end during the battle on the bridge. The Damaged wood and frayed ropes are absolutely superb, never mind the sweaty and tattered clothes worn by a tired and bruised Indiana. Film grain has not been eradicated and that is definitely a Major plus for all Indy Fans. Great
The Last Crusade
Its video transfer may be the finest in the collection. It's an example of an older film appearing on Blu Ray with the looks of a brand new release. It's sharp, spot on realistic and extraordinarily crisp, with every element brilliantly defined, from the rocky mountains to the cobweb final resting place of the Grail. The rocky textures are striking to say the least. Blacks are spot on From the dark underground chamber in Venice, it really is beautifully brilliant. Inside the church we see the X marks the spot scene like never before, with so much detail and high detail at that. Colours are equally Amazing, looking even and accurate from the lightest hues to brightness of the red Nazi flags. As in the Temple Of Doom grain is nice to see and not to dominant.
The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
As you would expect from a film made in 2008, the Blu Ray shines just like the original 1 Disc release a few years ago. Facial textures are nothing short of fantastic, whether its Ford's weathered face or its LeBeouf's smooth skin it shows every pore and bead of sweat. I think this may have been cleaned up a bit to as it does seem a little more Cinematic to my eyes anyway. Colours are even more natural than ever before in this fourth outing for our hero. The lush jungle bush looks touchable and if you want detail then look no further than the attack of the ants scene very very nice. Of course it stands out a little from the other films but that's to be expected isn't it.
So on with the markings as Always I cant do half stars but if I could It would be 4 and a half out of 5 right here, right now.
Fig 7. All 5 Discs, A bit Plain but the Disc Holder Itself has Some Nice Artwork
AUDIO*****
DTS MASTER HD AUDIO English 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
German Dolby Digital 5.1 and Italian Dolby Digital 5.1
As with now most of the brilliant Paramount Re-mastered, Paramount's DTS MASTER HD AUDIO 5.1 lossless soundtrack shines with every explosion, all the supporting sound effects, and of course each note of John Williams', classic, and instantly recognizable main theme whizzes around your room with more aplomb than EVER before. Bass is tight with a huge sense of depth. Lets have a listen at the plane scene. The roar of the engine is heard and felt as the plane carrying Indy to Nepal takes off, and the gunfire inside Marion's bar that follows explodes into the front and rear soundstage.
And moving on to say Temple Of Doom and we hear Willie. Her vocals aren't piercing or to sharp but rather lifelike. Her singing subtly drifts off to the side when she moves towards the right side of the soundstage, very realistic indeed. But to me its when the heroes escape, Lao Che's plane whizzes across the stage with great power, and the crash and sonic assault that when Indy and company slide down a mountainside on an inflatable raft is met with loud but balanced power. But it has to be the mine sequence for me that sounds the best. The clinking around the mining site is true, and the sense of power delivered by both the waves of water and the shrieking, rattling ride through the mine's cart system places listeners in the cart itself. Crusade has its moments to. Spacing is true, the surrounds are used to brilliant and tantalising effect, and the clarity of every note through the entire range is perfect. Bass bombs from the explosions and the car/tank chase is a marvellous thing to hear and feel, and when Indy takes his trip into the Nazi castle and the fire breaks out you really get a sense that you need to grab a bucket of water. Last but not least of all we have Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull.
On the original release it was a DOLBY TRUE HD track, but here they have moved it up to DTS MASTER AUDIO, but is it for the better?. You better believe it is. Bass is tighter more depth charging and hard hitting, treble is crisp but not ear piercing, from the opening barrage of automatic weapons fire at the military checkpoint that sounds and feels like it's ripping through the stage from front to back and back to front again. When our hero has to seek out the crates for the soldier's you get the sense that the pellets from the gun cartridge is actually flying around your room. Fantastic and that is just the start of things to come.. I urge you to but this set, even if its to just hear the audio quality from ALL four films.. a straight 5 from 5 here pick it up today, yesterday, tomorrow, just pick it up.
Fig 8. The Box Containing the Discs has Raised Embossed Lettering
EXTRAS****
Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Teaser Trailer, Theatrical Trailer, Re-Issue Trailer
Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom
Teaser Trailer, Theatrical Trailer
The Last Crusade
Teaser Trailer, Theatrical Trailer
The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
Theatrical Trailer 2
Theatrical Trailer 3
Theatrical Trailer 4
Bonus Disc 5
ON SET WITH RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.
From jungle to dessert Documentary inc interviews with Ford, Spielberg and Lucas
Behind the scenes footage
Making of scenes
Cast and crew
Deleted scenes, Bloopers and Outtakes
FROM ADVENTURE TO LEGEND.
A continuation form the previous piece, looking back at set construction and
scene preparation
THE MAKING OF RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.
Director Steven Spielberg recounting his first memories of motion pictures.
THE MAKING OF RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.
A more modern retrospective piece that opens with George Lucas speaking on his idea for the Indiana Jones series, shelved before making Star Wars and later revived. Lucas also discusses naming the lead character after his dog
THE MAKING OF TEMPLE OF DOOM.
George Lucas and Steven Spielberg open with a discussion of ideas meant for the first film but Scrapped and ultimately incorporated into The Temple of Doom
Cast and crew discuss story evolution
Casting Kate Capshaw and Ke Huy Quan
Harrison Ford's absence from the set following surgery, constructing and shooting on the bridge seen at film's end and much, much more
THE MAKING OF THE LAST CRUSADE.
Spielberg, Lucas, Ford, Connery, and others discuss the plot's development
Opening the film with a young Indiana Jones adventure and establishing character lore
Returning characters from the original film and casting new roles
Casting Sean Connery and his development of the character beyond the original script
and much more
THE MAKING OF THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL.
Steven Spielberg opens by addressing the fans' craving for a fourth Indiana Jones picture
The plot's origins and the 1950s B-movie and 1930s serials combination
The Cold War and the overhanging threat of nuclear war
keeping the plot under wraps prior to release
and a discussion of the movie's surprise finale and so much more
You can't get much better than this, yes we've seen most of it before on the DVD boxset release but to carry it over and add a bit more, hey I'm not going to complain.. for any Indy fan its a must see.
4 from 5 for me and that's just because there's not to much 'New' footage. but it is 7 hours worth. so bloody cheer up and enjoy..
Fig 9. The Front and Back of the Set.. I Must Say I do Love the Art
Stick it in your collection today, yes I know you own them already but not looking and sounding like this. Pick it up from £99.00 on Ebay and from Amazon 'New' from £84.00 it's all up to you really.
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