Indiana Jones - The Ultimate Collection [DVD]

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Product Description All four films from the hugely popular 'Indiana Jones' series. In 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' (1981), the year is 1936, and Indy (Harrison Ford) has been charged with retrieving the Ark of the Covenant, which US intelligence believes contains the original Ten Commandments. The agents of Hitler are also on the trail, however, and it is up to Indy and old flame Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) to get to the Ark first. In 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' (1984), it is 1935, and Indy (Ford) is forced to escape from some villains in a Shanghai nightclub with singer Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) and 12-year-old Short Round (Ke Huy Quan). They end up in an Indian village, where the adventuring archaeologist is asked by the locals to retrieve a sacred stone from a Khali cult. In 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade' (1989), Indy (Ford) comes up against the Nazis once again after they kidnap his father, fellow archaeologist Dr Henry Jones (Sean Connery). Father and son are soon putting family tensions to one side in a search for the Holy Grail, which the Nazis also want in order to achieve eternal life. Finally, 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' (2008) is set at the height of Cold War paranoia during the 1950s and finds the intrepid archaeologist involved in a plot involving Soviet agents. They want Indy (Ford) to find a legendary crystal skull that is said to grant the owner supernatural powers. If the Soviets get their hands on the skull, they will be able to control the world. Indy manages to escape from the Russians and soon he is in a race to find the skull. He is joined by young rebel, Mutt (Shia LaBeouf), the son of Indy's one-time love, Marion (Allen). Together, the pair travel to South America, where the skull is reputed to be found. There they join forces with Marion. At the same time, the Soviet agents, led by the brilliant, ice-cold Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett), are also hot on the trail. They have the help of Mac (Ray Winstone), Indy's one time partner: Indie doesn't know which side Mac is really on. Also involved is Ox (John Hurt), a brilliant professor who was driven insane after being exposed to the crystal skull. Can Indie get to the skull first, or will the Soviets be able to dominate the world? .co.uk Review Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark It’s said that the original is the greatest, and there can be no more vivid proof than Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first and indisputably best of the initial three Indiana Jones adventures cooked up by the dream team of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Expectations were high for this 1981 collaboration between the two men, who essentially invented the box office blockbuster with ‘70s efforts like Jaws and Star Wars, and Spielberg (who directed) and Lucas (who co-wrote the story and executive produced) didn’t disappoint. This wildly entertaining film has it all: non-stop action, exotic locations, grand spectacle, a hero for the ages, despicable villains, a beautiful love interest, humour, horror… not to mention lots of snakes. And along with all the bits that are so familiar by now--Indy (Harrison Ford) running from the giant boulder in a cave, using his pistol instead of his trusty whip to take out a scimitar-wielding bad guy, facing off with a hissing cobra, and on and on--there’s real resonance in a potent storyline that brings together a profound religious-archaeological icon (the Ark of the Covenant, nothing less than "a radio for speaking to God") and the 20th century’s most infamous criminals (the Nazis). Now that’s entertainment. --Sam GrahamIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom It’s hard to imagine that a film with worldwide box office receipts topping US$300 million worldwide could be labeled a disappointment, but some moviegoers considered Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the second installment in Steven Spielberg and George Lucas’ 1980s adventure trilogy, to be just that. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad effort; any collaboration between these two cinema giants (Spielberg directed, while Lucas provided the story and was executive producer) is bound to have more than its share of terrific moments, and Temple of Doom is no exception. But in exchanging the very real threat of Nazi Germany for the cartoonish Thuggee cult, it loses some of the heft of its predecessor (Raiders of the Lost Ark); on the other hand, it’s also the darkest and most disturbing of the three films, what with multiple scenes of children enslaved, a heart pulled out of a man’s chest, and the immolation of a sacrificial victim, which makes it less fun than either Raiders or The Last Crusade, notwithstanding a couple of riotous chase scenes and impressively grand sets. Many fans were also less than thrilled with the new love interest, a spoiled, querulous nightclub singer portrayed by Kate Capshaw, but a cute kid sidekick ("Short Round," played by Ke Huy Quan) and, of course, the ever-reliable Harrison Ford as the cynical-but-swashbuckling hero more than make up for that character’s shortcomings. --Sam GrahamIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade The third episode in Steven Spielberg's rousing Indiana Jones saga, this film recaptures the best elements of Raiders of the Lost Ark while exploring new territory with wonderfully satisfying results. Indy is back battling the Nazis, who have launched an expedition to uncover the whereabouts of the Holy Grail. And it's not just Indy this time--his father (played with great acerbic wit by Sean Connery, the perfect choice) is also involved in the hunt. Spielberg excels at the kind of extended action sequences that top themselves with virtually every frame; the best one here involves Indy trying to stop a Nazi tank from the outside while his father is being held within. For good measure, Spielberg reveals (among other things) how Indy got his hat, the scar on his chin, and his nickname (in a prologue that features River Phoenix as the young Indiana). --Marshall FineIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Nearly 20 years after riding his last Crusade, Harrison Ford makes a welcome return as archaeologist/relic hunter Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, an action-packed fourth installment that's, in a nutshell, less memorable than the first three but great nostalgia for fans of the series. Producer George Lucas and screenwriter David Koepp (War of the Worlds) set the film during the cold war, as the Soviets--replacing Nazis as Indy's villains of choice and led by a sword-wielding Cate Blanchett with black bob and sunglasses--are in pursuit of a crystal skull, which has mystical powers related to a city of gold. After escaping from them in a spectacular opening action sequence, Indy is coerced to head to Peru at the behest of a young greaser (Shia LaBeouf) whose friend--and Indy's colleague--Professor Oxley (John Hurt) has been captured for his knowledge of the skull's whereabouts. Whatever secrets the skull holds are tertiary; its reveal is the weakest part of the movie, as the CGI effects that inevitably accompany it feel jarring next to the boulder-rolling world of Indy audiences knew and loved. There's plenty of comedy, delightful stunts--ants play a deadly role here--and the return of Raiders love interest Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood, once shrill but now softened, giving her ex-love bemused glances and eye-rolls as he huffs his way to save the day. Which brings us to Ford: bullwhip still in hand, he's a little creakier, a lot grayer, but still twice the action hero of anyone in film today. With all the anticipation and hype leading up to the film's release, perhaps no reunion is sweeter than that of Ford with the role that fits him as snugly as that fedora hat. --Ellen A. Kim