Customer Reviews
Bring the Adventure Home 
2008-10-02
Lucasfilm took their sweet time putting out the original Indiana Jones trilogy on DVD. In fact, it wasn't until the Indy 4 rumors stopped looking so much as rumors and started to become a reality that the company released the Indiana Jones films for the first time on DVD in this rustic-looking box set. With the advent of INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, the movies have since been re-released on DVD (and slightly altered as well). Many people won't mind those changes, but I enjoy watching the films the way I originally saw them in the theatres.
This DVD set includes the first three Indiana Jones movies (RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, and INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE) as well as an extra Bonus Material DVD that is full of extra features. The set is worth buying for the three movies alone (now that the films have been re-released and are about to be re-re-released you can get this whole set cheaper). However, the extra special features DVD is a very nice addition. The Bonus Material DVD includes several documentaries and featurettes including "The Light and Magic of Indiana Jones", "The Sound of Indiana Jones", "The Stunts of Indiana Jones", "The Music of Indiana Jones", "Indiana Jones: Making the Trilogy", the trailers for all three films, and some bonus DVD-ROM content. I especially enjoyed the "Indiana Jones: Making the Trilogy" documentary. It's very informative and actually feels like watching a documentary film.
As already mentioned, you can purchase all of the Indiana Jones movies separately now and even get a new boxed set with all four Indiana Jones movies. However, this is the DVD set that is the best set to own. Well, at least until Lucasfilm re-re-re-releases the movies in another few years in the Ultimate Indiana Jones DVD Box Set.
Pulp Adventure at Its Best 2008-09-24
In 1981, Steven Spielberg (Jaws) and George Lucas (Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope ) reinvented the pulp adventure genre that they had fallen in love with during their youth. Their film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, was the perfect tribute to Saturday matinee serials and boys' adventure magazines. Not only did Spielberg and Lucas create the greatest action film in decades (and perhaps in the history of American movies), but they also introduced movie audiences to the greatest adventure hero since the days of Allan Quatermain, Tarzan, and Doc Savage. Harrison Ford, who lent his devil-may-care attitude to the globetrotting archaeologist, embodied Indiana Jones as no other actor could. Raiders of the Lost Ark became more than a blockbuster; it was the birth of an American icon and the first chapter in one of the greatest film franchises ever.
Raiders of the Lost Ark - 1981
Adventurer and archaeologist, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) searches for the fabled Lost Ark of the Covenant while being pursued by insidious Nazis and their vile henchmen. Along the way he reunites with his former lover, the feisty Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) and confronts charming, treasure-hunting rival, Belloq (Paul Freeman). Indiana also encounters tarantulas, poisonous serpents, a deadly Arab swordsman, and a host of other perils and pitfalls, all of which he overcomes with a sly grin. But can even this daring heroic figure survive the lure and the power of the legendary Lost Ark?
After the huge success, both commercial and critical, of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas set out to tell a second fantastic Indiana Jones story. However, this time they decided to use darker thematic material and in so doing caused some controversy. When Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was released in 1984, it became immediately apparent that the film was darker and, in all likelihood, too violent and intense for children. The film utilized elements of pulp adventure stories, as had Raiders of the Lost Ark, but there was a greater emphasis on violence and horror. Many critics accused the film of being too extreme and even disturbing, and said that it lacked the spirit of fun that made the first film so accessible. Despite the negative reviews, no one could deny the film's commercial appeal or its originality.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - 1984
After narrowly escaping from Asian gangsters, Indiana Jones, his young sidekick Short Round (Ke Huy Quan), and ditzy American singer Wilhelmina "Willie" Scott (Kate Capshaw) find themselves stranded in a small village in India. They soon take notice that there are no children in the village and they are told that the children were taken by a cult that worships the Goddess of Death, Kali. Indiana Jones finds connections between the story of the missing children and old legends of sacred stones that hold great power. He, Short Round, and Willie Scott go to Pankot Palace, where they discover that the cult has taken over the palace using a supernatural method of brainwashing, voodoo practices, ritualistic human sacrifice, and worse... they've enslaved the villagers' children. Can Indiana Jones find the sacred stones, stop the cult, and return the stolen children to their parents?
In 1989, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas released their third Indiana Jones film. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was a more light-hearted adventure with the welcome addition of Sean Connery as Indiana's father, Prof. Henry Jones. The film relied heavily on action and comedy, and was at times overly formulaic and reminiscent of the first Indiana Jones film. Despite some flaws in the script, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade became another mega-hit and provided the characters with a wonderful finale (which has since been rendered moot by the decision to make more Indy films) where they actually ride off into the sunset.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - 1989
After his father, Prof. Henry Jones (Sean Connery), goes missing during his search for the Holy Grail, Indiana Jones teams up with Elsa (Alison Doody), an Austrian researcher to find him. When Indiana Jones rescues Prof. Jones from the Nazis, he discovers that Elsa is a traitor and that the Nazis are close to uncovering the resting place of the Holy Grail, which has the power to give whoever drinks from it immortality. Can Indiana Jones and his father beat the Nazis in this epic race between good and evil?
These three films form one of the most successful trilogies of all time, and it's no wander that Indiana Jones is still in the public eye after all of these years. The three films feature an extraordinary cast including Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott, Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan, Amrish Puri, Sean Connery, Alison Doody, Julian Glover, and River Phoenix.
Besides the wonderful cast, one of the main reasons for the longevity of the Indiana Jones series are the action set pieces, which include some of the most memorable stunts ever captured on film. Who can forget the first time that they saw Indy skillfully swing across a chasm using his trusty bullwhip, or outrunning a giant boulder, or survive being in a room full of lethally venomous asps, or being chased by cult members in a mine cart, or cutting a bridge in half while he's still on it, or chasing an armored tank while on horseback?
Since his debut, Indiana Jones has been emulated and imitated, but never duplicated. The quality of the writing, the direction, the acting, the production design, and the stunt work are unmatched by any other films within the genre. The series is also given an emotional resonance with the help of John William's brilliant theme music and scores. Though the series, much like Indiana Jones himself, has seen its share of ups and downs, it will undoubtedly go down in cinematic history as the greatest adventure films ever made.
The Adventures of Indiana Jones- The Complete DVD Movie Collection contains Indy's first three classic films, which have been gloriously restored and remastered for maximum video and audio quality. Also included in this excellent 4-disc set are the following bonus materials: the comprehensive three-part documentary Making the Trilogy, The Stunts of Indiana Jones featurette, The Sound of Indiana Jones featurette, The Music of Indiana Jones featurette, The Light and magic of Indiana Jones featurette, theatrical trailers for all three films, and access to exclusive online features.
I think it's safe to say that the man in the hat will be around for many more years to come.
Also recommended:
The Tarzan Collection
King Kong
She
Jungle Jim
Casablanca
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
King Solomon's Mines
Lawrence of Arabia
indie fan 
2008-09-16
Love the feel of these movies. Make you feel as if you are watching old time serial movies. Harrison Ford play the part well. I like the fact that he is not perfect.
Indi 2008-08-29
I enjoy my Indiana Jones box set... now I'll need to add the new one though!
Great Adventure Series 2008-08-21
What a treat to have the three original Indiana Jones movies in one set!!
I purchased the set as a gift and the recipient was absolutely delighted with it. This set is a "must have" for anyone who likes Indiana Jones or Harrison Ford!
Great Movie Package!! 2008-08-11
As with
Star Wars, the George Lucas-produced
Indiana Jones trilogy was not just a plaything for kids but an act of nostalgic affection toward a lost phenomenon: the cliffhanging movie serials of the past. Episodic in structure and with fate hanging in the balance about every 10 minutes, the
Jones features tapped into Lucas's extremely profitable
Star Wars formula of modernizing the look and feel of an old, but popular, story model. Steven Spielberg directed all three films, which are set in the late 1930s and early '40s: the comic book-like
Raiders of the Lost Ark, the spooky,
Gunga Din-inspired
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and the cautious but entertaining
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Fans and critics disagree over the order of preference, some even finding the middle movie nearly repugnant in its violence. (Pro-
Temple of Doom people, on the other hand, believe that film to be the most disarmingly creative and emotionally effective of the trio.) One thing's for sure: Harrison Ford's swaggering, two-fisted, self-effacing performance worked like a charm, and the art of cracking bullwhips was probably never quite the iconic activity it soon became after
Raiders. Supporting players and costars were very much a part of the series, too--Karen Allen, Sean Connery (as Indie's dad), Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan, Amrish Puri, Denholm Elliot, River Phoenix, and John Rhys-Davies among them. Years have passed since the last film (another is supposedly in the works), but emerging film buffs can have the same fun their predecessors did picking out numerous references to Hollywood classics and B-movies of the past.
--Tom Keogh
Indianna Jones trilogy 2008-08-09
The product was great as it is necessary to refresh the story line to fully enjoy the new release. My kids who never saw these movies loved them too.
Never received the item! 
2008-08-08
Can't really review the product as I never got it. Should have been here by 25 Jun 08 and it is now 8 Aug 08. I have made allowance since I live at an APO address overseas and sometimes mail takes longer but now it has been a couple months. I paid for it so I hope it will get here sometime in the near future, otherwise the seller can refund me my money. Thanks
Harrison Ford, in the role that suited him best... 2008-08-07
Ford stars as Indiana Jones, an archaeologist adventurer, who spends his time traveling all over the world through jungles, deserts, oceans, and caverns in search for hidden treasures--like the priceless long-lost Ark of the Covenant (the Hebrew sacred artifact that held the supposed Ten Commandments). Unfortunately, a group of treasure-hungry Nazis wants it too, having heard that any army who wins it would receive supernatural powers...
With his trademark hat, whip, leather jacket, and pistol for backup, our stubborn, intelligent, determined and loyal hero escapes innumerable dangers, evades multiple obstacles including fearsome thugs in a busy Cairo bazaar, and hangs underneath a fast-moving truck in an exciting chase through a road... These are only some of the film's incredible set pieces... Steven Spielberg likable hero is not invincible, though, facing impossible odds, capable of getting beaten, struck violently, heart broken, and falling asleep after the first kiss...
The villains--especially Indy's suave and cultured French rival wearing a Panama hat and white suits, Rene Belloq (Paul Freeman)--are not really that much different from him, except in their motivation... The shrill heroine, Marion (Karen Allen)--is not the girl always in discomfort either, but a resourceful, dynamic and formidable woman who doesn't require the hero at all...
"Raiders of the Lost Arc" is a perfect package of unforgettable scenes, countless action, humor, astonishing technical effects, thrilling sequences, and terrific performances... It was followed by three fun sequels...
Excellent set 2008-08-06
If you don't have them separately, then this is the set for you. I tossed the bonus material, don't have time to listen to drivel.
