DVD Review HTF REVIEW: The Adventures of Indiana Jones (Highly Recommended) (1 Viewer)

[Allan Petersen]

I got the Canadian set earlier this week and it's completely identical to the US release. The only difference is a piece of paper covering the back of the package. It's glued on but removes very easily and leaves no mark on the case.

 

[HankM]

Received my set yeaterday along with 28 Days Later. I popped in Raiders just to see how certain scenes looked. I couldn't believe what I saw, the transfer is fabulous. I grew up watching these on laserdisc which were great at the time, now on DVD Indy takes on new life. The 5.1 track was also great due to still sounding like the original mix, the desert truck chase and that John Williams score was like watching this scene for the first time.

 

[Voon Jiet]

Great review Scott

My favourite e-tailer has not shipped and I am dying of anticipation. I have been waiting for the Indy trilogy ever since I got a DVD player and the day I hold the boxset in my hands cannot come soon enough!

By the way, I am told that both the US and Canadian ratings can be found on the packaging that comes with the boxset, so I think this probably means no billingual packaging for Canada

 

[oscar_merkx]

here is an article with John Lowry himself

http://www3.cjad.com/content/cjad_ne...sp?id=e101517A

So the job of restoring the original picture materials fell to the industry master, Toronto native John Lowry, founder of Burbank, Calif.-based Lowry Digital Images, which is on the leading edge of the motion picture restoration business these days.

Lowry says it was a painstaking job but he and his staff and their banks of powerful computers managed to remove numerous instances of flare, flicker and jitter, and an estimated half-million specks of dirt from the frames of the three features.

Each title has its own special problem, too. In Raiders, it was a huge scratch right through some 30,000 frames of the opening sequence.

"Nice blue scratch right through the faces and everything and that, of course, was quite challenging," says Lowry. "But it's gone now. . .there's absolutely no trace of that scratch."

there is much more via the link

 

[Leo]

Got my copy of Indy from [NAME OF RETAILER REMOVED BY ADMIN]. I love the THX intro. Gives the sub a great workout. I'll be watching the series this weekend. Plenty of soda and popcorn and Red Vines.

DO NOT POST THE NAMES OF RETAILERS WHO BREAK STREET DATE.

 

[Larry Sutliff]

I just posted this in in the Retail feedback forum, but more people will probably see it here.

I'm just curious if anyone here who ordered the INDIANA JONES Boxset from DVD Empire has received an email telling them that it has shipped. Usually DVD Empire ships their new DVD's the friday before street date, but I haven't received the email yet that says it shipped. The last time this happened with DVD Empire was with ATTACK OF THE CLONES, so maybe it's a Lucas thing.

Any input appreciated.

 

[John Alderson]

Is there any other sequel in the history of cinema--other than Temple of Doom--that is actually criticized for being DARKER than the original?

So was Empire Strikes Back... if you read the 1980 reviews.

 

[Tim RH]

Technically, Temple of Doom wasn't a sequel though.

 

[rockinricky]

I pre-ordered mine from DVD Empire. I got the email. Indy is on his way to my DVD player.

 

[Jeff Jacobson]

How does this Best Buy bonus disc thing work? If you order the IJ DVD set from their website, will you get the bonus disc? Or do you have to actually go to a Best Buy store and pick it up in person?

The reason I ask is because my brother ordered from the website and said that there was no mention of any bonus disc on the site. He also talked to a friend of his that works at a Best Buy store who didn't know anything about the bonus disc.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Last Crusade was an anamorphically shot film.

There was a rather big article in American Cinematographer about "Minority Report" and part of that article was about the fact that MR had been Spielberg's first Super 35 feature, and that it was not an easy sell to convince him to use that format.

What is interesting to me is that since Last Crusade (I believe), Spielberg never shot another anamorphic film, and only that one Super 35 film. It would seem that a film like Jurassic Park screamed to be shot anamorphically, but nowadays since films aren't projected on huge screens in most places, and since most theaters actually use less of the screen to project an anamorphic film rather than being able to open the screen wider, it probably doesn't matter so much.

Indiana Jones is a relic from a time when big movies used to be big.

 

[Sam_K]

I got mine from Amazon on October 16th. They shipped on October 13th.

 

[Neil S. Bulk]

Originally posted by Josh Steinberg:
It would seem that a film like Jurassic Park screamed to be shot anamorphically...

Jurassic Park was shot flat so that the dinosaurs would look even bigger next to the humans.

Neil

 

[Jefferson Morris]

My copy has shipped and I'm hoping it'll arrive at my office on Monday. Can't wait to finally see the greatest adventure film of all time on DVD.

Still a little irked that I have to buy three discs of what I consider extraneous material in order to own Raiders. As far as I'm concerned, this series goes precipitously downhill with each successive installment.

Temple of Doom's problems lie primarily in its pacing, not its shrill sidekicks (although they don't help much) or supposed "darkness." With its more serious tone and brutal violence, Raiders is clearly the "darkest" of the three - though I'll admit that Doom's heart scene gives the melting faces a run for their money.

Trouble is, after the largely playful opener in Shanghai, Doom just stops dead for a good hour. Until they actually get into the Temple proper, all we get is an Indian travelogue, weak quasi-romantic comedy, and a couple of "eew, gross" scenes for the kiddies (banquet and bug room).

Now, once the climax gets moving in the Temple, it's a pretty good ride. It's no truck chase, but it's not bad, and certainly more exciting than anything in film three. But there's only 20 minutes or so left in the movie at that point. Raiders never let you go longer than 10 or 15 minutes without throwing at least a little bit of action your way. Doom just needed another good set piece to anchor the first hour, but alas, there's none to be found.

Last and certainly least... To this day, the esteem many hold Last Crusade in mystifies me. Come on, admit to yourself how cringe-inducing that "Tapestries!" scene is. Admit it! Who is that? That's not Indy. It's Harrison Ford, but it's not Indy. It's not even Rick Deckard. Connery hollering "Joon-yor!" every two minutes. Virtually bloodless violence. That geriatric knight. Turning Brody and Sallah into bumbling morons. Blech.

Sorry for being so splenetic about films that many here love, but it's just my opinion. It can't hurt anybody. Whatever our differences, we'll always have Raiders...

--Jefferson Morris

 

[John KB]

Hello FELLOW CANADIANS. Don't spend the extra money to buy it from amazon.com. There is no french anywhere to mess about the covers. I have nothing against french, but I do agree that it makes the covers look crowded, and honestly, just plain ugly.

 

[Jon Mercer]

OH THANK GOD - no french to mess up my cover!!!
I really hope your right, I gotta wait til Tuesday

 

[David James]

"To this day, the esteem many hold Last Crusade in mystifies me. Come on, admit to yourself how cringe-inducing that "Tapestries!" scene is. Admit it! Who is that? That's not Indy. It's Harrison Ford, but it's not Indy. It's not even Rick Deckard. Connery hollering "Joon-yor!" every two minutes. Virtually bloodless violence. That geriatric knight. Turning Brody and Sallah into bumbling morons. Blech."

Last Crusade is my favorite by a mile, Raiders next and Temple in the basement.

"Virtually bloodless violence"

Ah, yeah, that's a good way to measure a movie.

 

[Andy_MT]

yup, no french on the canadian cover. could it be that dearly beloved customer has made their way to the top of paramounts list of priorities. nah, i doubt it. probably just a one off, but enjoy it while it lasts i say, however brief.

 

[Dave H]

I haven't seen Last Crusade in years and look forward to watching it again with I get the DVD. However, it was always my least favorite of three. I think similarly to Jefferson about it.

 

[Kwang Suh]

Regarding Paramount and their biligual covers in Canada, I noticed that "Better Luck Tomorrow" has an English only cover. So maybe Paramount is going back to English covers in Canada (yay!) for all their new releases.