Danielle Solzman
The Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection arrives in 4K Ultra HD just in time to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
On June 12, 1981, movie goers were introduced to a new hero of the screen when Harrison Ford donned the fedora and whip. It’s funny though. The character only came about because Steven Spielberg wanted to direct a James Bond film. Alas, James Bond would not be in the cards for Steven Spielberg. However, the other reason is because George Lucas was taking a vacation in Hawaii when Star Wars opened. Lucas also thought the film would be a flop and the rest–as they say–is history.
When it came to this franchise in particular, Lucas was thinking of them as a serial. Star Wars was an homage in many ways so to see these films paying an homage to the classic serials certainly is not a surprise. Think about it for a moment. When you look at how Raiders is constructed, we meet him on one adventure before he starts a new one. Even when you factor in the contributions from John Williams, you can certainly get a neoclassical feel from the score.
I’ve also reviewed the films themselves off of the 2012 Blu-ray in the past so I’m not going to rereview the films themselves. The 4K UHD also comes with remixed soundtrack under sound designer Ben Burtt’s supervision. Burtt stays true to the original intent while achieving a fully immersive Dolby Atmos mix. Review copies are shipping late so I will be watching these films as soon as my copy arrives. I certainly expect the only difference will be in how the picture looks. I’ll also update this page as necessary.
As far the new set itself, it also comes with a collectible booklet with behind-the-scenes images from all four films. The films themselves are on a 4K Ultra HD disc with trailers and access to the digital copies. An additional Blu-ray includes seven hours of previously released bonus footage. I’ve watched a lot of the bonus content on the previous Blu-ray edition but I cannot praise Laurent Bouzereau’s work enough. Bouzereau really is a master when it comes to directing the bonus features. The collection should certainly keep you company until we get the fifth film in the franchise when it hits the big screen.
Along with the upgrade to 4K Ultra HD, the films are also getting a new reissue on Blu-ray.
Bonus Features
- On Set with Raiders of the Lost Ark
- From Jungle to Desert
- From Adventure to Legend
- Making the Films
- The Making of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981 documentary)
- The Making of Raiders of the Lost Ark
- The Making of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
- The Making of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
- The Making of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (HD)
- Behind the Scenes
- The Stunts of Indiana Jones
- The Sound of Indiana Jones
- The Music of Indiana Jones
- The Light and Magic of Indiana Jones
- Raiders: The Melting Face!
- Indiana Jones and the Creepy Crawlies (with optional pop-ups)
- Travel with Indiana Jones: Locations (with optional pop-ups)
- Indy’s Women: The American Film Institute Tribute
- Indy’s Friends and Enemies
- Iconic Props (Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) (HD)
- The Effects of Indy (Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) (HD)
- Adventures in Post Production (Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) (HD)
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg
SCREENWRITER: Lawrence Kasdan
CAST: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies, and Denholm Elliott
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg
SCREENWRITERS: Willard Huyck & Gloria Katz
CAST: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Amrish Puri, Roshan Seth, Philip Stone, and introducing Ke Huy Quan
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg
SCREENWRITER: Jeffrey Boam
CAST: Harrison Ford, Denholm Elliott, Alison Doody, John Rhys-Davies, Julian Glover, and Sean Connery
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg
SCREENWRITER: David Koepp
CAST: Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent, and Shia LaBeouf
