Complete with fedora, whip and disarming smile, Indy rides again in Paramount's triple-threat repackaging of the classic adventure series.

CRITIQUE

For those who haven't heard the tale before, bonus segment interviews with Spielberg and Lucas will regale viewers with Indy's origins. In a nutshell: both directors were in Hawaii, literally basking in the box-office afterglow of Star Wars and Close Encounters when they conceived our reluctant hero as a tributary collage from their favorite childhood cliffhangers. Unlike the 1940s RKO serials, the wunkerkind filmmakers spared no expense for their globe-trotting archeologist's adventures... and thus a classic series was born. (And who better to star than Harrison Ford?)

Since it's unimaginable that readers have somehow managed to elude a viewing of this trilogy, only a cursory introduction is necessary. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) kicked off the franchise in grand style. Essentially a cross between Ian Fleming's James Bond and H.R. Haggard's Allan Quatermain, Indy's two-fisted brand of academia revealed a penchant for attracting femme fatales and formidable opponents in his quest for priceless historical iconography. Young contemporary audiences who blithely identify National Treasure with this archetype would do well to see where it all started (and was performed much better) before Nicholas Cage was old enough to manage a convincing smirk.

No less than the Ark of the Covenant would suffice for Indy's first adventure — one of [literally] biblical proportions. Let it suffice to say that ancient death traps (like a giant rolling boulder!) and torturous Nazis couldn't keep the Prof from his big box of Old Testament retribution.

After melting Nazis, infiltrating The Temple of Doom might seem like a walk in the park. Yet this Indian cult's practice of ripping out the beating hearts of their live human sacrifices earned the series an early PG-13 rating. Temple's rip-roaring runaway mineshaft car provides major thrills (and the basis for the Disneyworld ride) but Kate Capshaw's whiny Willie Scott is no match for Raiders tough-girl Marion Revenwood (Karen Allen). Worse yet, the kiddie character Short-Round should receive the Jar-Jar Binks Award for Most Annoying Supporting Character in a Lucas/Spielberg Production.

Harkening back to New Testament hijinks, Indy is next joined by his disapproving dad (Sean Connery) to lead The Last Crusade in a quest for nothing less than the Holy Grail. By now the series was firing on all cylinders. Visual FX by Industrial Light and Magic were spectacular as always, especially during the cavernous finale where Indy crosses an invisible bridge... but Last Crusade is mostly a triumph of tight scripting and humorous character bits. The interplay 'tween father and son is fueled with the kind of chemistry that only two of the world's most beloved actors — old-fashioned “movie stars” in the finest sense of the phrase — are capable of delivering.

That the Indiana Jones series seems so alive twenty years later is a testament (New, Old and creative) to the abilities of Spielberg and Lucas at their best; unencumbered by the kind of of pretentious baggage that bogs down some of their later work. Their desire to please audiences is genuine because at its heart, the Indy series was first designed to please themselves; or rather their childlike desire to see more old-fashioned adventure films that were sadly missing from the silver screen.

Perhaps less pure in spirit is Paramount's desire to re-release the DVDs; clearly a marketing tie-in to promote Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. (While Skull is definitely worth seeing, is does pale in comparison to the trilogy. Despite its complete technical competence and Ford's obvious comfort with his character, the lightning-in-a-bottle factor just couldn't be fully recaptured in 2008.)

A positive note regarding this commercial exploitation is that Indy fans now have a fresh set of prints to savor. (At least we think they're new. There was a boxed set issued four years ago.... )

THE VIDEO

All films are presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. Deep blacks and a wide color palate (with dusty emphasis, naturally) make this set hard to beat. A minor bit of pixelization during action scenes is acceptable.

THE AUDIO

Each film is presented in English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround. Crisp, clear, vibrant mixes; Skywalker Ranch style dressing! Come on... would Spielberg and Lucas release cheesy audio? Today's DVD mixes blow away the old theatrical versions. Optional subtitles are available in Spanish and French.

THE EXTRAS

To be clear: the value in this re-release lies strictly in the films themselves. An older boxed set included a two-hour “making of” documentary that's conspicuously absent here, and the "12 All-New, Must-See Special Features" are all just promotional fluff.

Introductions by Spielberg & Lucas: The old “Hawaiian Beach” origin story is trotted out yet again, plus more well-know trivia and minor BTS stories that most fans have all heard before.

Storyboards -

A) Snakes Alive! The Well Of Souls (Raiders)

B) Hold On To Your Hat! The Coal Mine Chase (Temple of Doom)

C) The Birth Of the Action Hero! (The Last Crusade)

These sequences prove little except the fact that Hollywood rarely calls upon the services of great comic book illustrators to create their action boards. Of course, the utilitarian nature of storyboards are to create a visual blueprint that's not really meant to be seen outside the studio... but these drawings are nonetheless mundane. Some conceptual art from Raiders — painted by Jim Steranko, a true comics pro — is another story. Wish there was more.

Memories: Contemporary interviews with individuals who worked on the films. Zzzzzzz, you get the idea.

The Indy Trilogy, A Crystal Clear Appreciation: From the set of Crystal Skull, the cast ands crew hype the original three films. Indy's influence on “popular culture,” yadda yadda. Comes across like a lame Entertainment Tonight gab-fest.

Indy's Friends & Enemies: More puffery about sidekicks and love interest. Vapid.

Indy's Women Reminisce: a reunion of the leading babes. See how time and gravity work their magic! Über vapid.

Creepy Crawlies: Snakes, bugs and rats! No, it's not a lunch meeting of agents and producers at Frank & Musso's, it's an unnecessary ramble about stuff that fans know all too well.

The Mystery Of The Melting Face: Now here's a moderately entertaining re-creation of the original Raiders scene wherein the Nazi gets a gander at God and gets his face melted. (Hint: You'll never eat Jello again.)

Discover Adventure on Location with Indy: A contemporary travelogue, with one of the lesser-known producers jabbering away about how he secured all the nifty locations. Gee, it's so cool to be a highly paid travel agent, huh? (Especially with back end points... )

Photo Galleries: These offer character sketches, props, BTS stills, FX shots, like matte paintings, logo designs and international posters. Decent stuff for the hardcore Indy aficionado.

LEGO Indiana Jones: This is a promotional demo video game; a sell-out segment that is downright brain damaged!

FINAL THOUGHTS

For those who don't own the trilogy: a must-have! For those who just want to see the supplemental material: pass.