'Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures' - High-Def Digest Review

[Attebery]

We've just reviewed 'Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures.' E says this is a must own set. Read our review to find out why you need to add this to your Blu-ray collection.

Full review here:
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/6631...ana_jones.html

[twonunpackmule]

Huge fan of your level headed review of Crystal Skull. I don't love the flick...but it's not as bad as so many people made it out to be. At least in terms of its "ridiculous" scenes. It's no worse than the previous entries. It's just that people are so hung up on "believability"/realism now, then they were back then. Nostalgia masks a lot of Indy's camp. This forth film made people see it first hand...through modern eyes.

The only thing I can say that I find a hugely negative about Skull is they showed too much, and it doesn't really have any memorable moments. Also, the script isn't really well focused.

I agree with the flat 3 rating. I actually got more enjoyment out of it than Temple of Doom.

[Super-VHS]

Just to be clear, this doesn't include the "Production Diary: The Making of 'Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls" (80 minute, 6-part) documentary, the "Warrior Make Up" (6 min), "The Crystal Skulls" (11 min), and "Closing Team Indy" (5 min) featurettes, the pre-vis sequences (around 12 minutes total), or the still galleries (approx 300 images) from disc two of the first Crystal Skull release, yes?

[eNoize]

No, it doesn't include all the special features from the 2-disc 'Crystal Skull' BD, you may want to keep that if you like special features.

[dan007]

Any word on any color timing tweaks on 'raiders?

[JSmith]

I don't think nostalgia has anything to do with why people like the original three movies and think the fourth one is crap. The fourth movie is basically a parody of the first three movies, its like what Batman and Robin was in relation to the Nolan trilogy.

[eNoize]

Personally, I didn't notice any significant tweaking in the color timing. There's maybe a slight teal & orange push, but it's negligible far as I'm concerned. Here's a pic of the scene I know everyone seems most concerned with:

[Onslaught X]

Huge fan of your level headed review of Crystal Skull. I don't love the flick...but it's not as bad as so many people made it out to be. At least in terms of its "ridiculous" scenes. It's no worse than the previous entries. It's just that people are so hung up on "believability"/realism now, then they were back then. Nostalgia masks a lot of Indy's camp. This forth film made people see it first hand...through modern eyes.

The only thing I can say that I find a hugely negative about Skull is they showed too much, and it doesn't really have any memorable moments. Also, the script isn't really well focused.

I agree with the flat 3 rating. I actually got more enjoyment out of it than Temple of Doom.

There's just a couple moments that I would have preferred did not make into the 4th film, the nuke scene and the monkey swinging. It's just sort of cringe-inducing. That said, I've never had that strong of a dislike for the 4th film, it's alright. The ending really drags though, but the film itself has some decent stretches.

Temple of Doom has the beginning and the end going for it. The Shanghai sequence is quite wonderful, IMO, and the end is quite good too. The middle is a drag though, I usually dislike plotlines where the main character is not himself.

[Plissken99]

Indeed a spot on review of the fourth, it's not great, but not nearly as bad as some make it out to be when viewed back to back with the original films. The Indiana Jones films were never about realism, just pure popcorn fun at it's finest. Oddly enough what bugs me most about the 4th is Indys baggy pants(that and Shia Lebouf). Amazon already has my set shipping soon, can't wait to get into these!

[dan007]

Personally, I didn't notice any significant tweaking in the color timing. There's maybe a slight teal & orange push, but it's negligible far as I'm concerned. Here's a pic of the scene I know everyone seems most concerned with:

Good to hear!

[twonunpackmule]

I don't think nostalgia has anything to do with why people like the original three movies and think the fourth one is crap. The fourth movie is basically a parody of the first three movies, its like what Batman and Robin was in relation to the Nolan trilogy.

There's quite a few problems with the fourth film. But, parody? Hardly.

One of my biggest problems with the film is that you actually see the Alien. That should have not happened. Every Indy film has been "glimpses" and hints to the other side. This was like, BAM! I don't know...it was very un-Indy in that regard.

I would have been okay with just a glimpse of the ship leaving or something.

However, a vast majority of the complaints all stem from how "ridiculous" it was. Which, I found it no more ridiculous than the previous films. It just didn't have a strong script and seemed to ***** foot about.

I don't love the film. I wouldn't exactly say it's a success. But, I don't have this undying hatred for it that some do. I just don't see the validity of their complaints.

[Super-VHS]

A lot of my issues with the 4th film really have nothing to do with the believability of things anymore, although I still don't like the fridge scene, the tarzan/monkey swinging, the rubbery rope snake, the DOUBLE TIPPED POISON BLOW DART (seriously, what the hell) and the whole "they're aliens but not actually aliens, and rather Inter-dimensional beings, which is the same thing, but not, because wtf, whatever, who cares you already gave me your money, shut up" (not because it's aliens, but because it's just so stupid, and has nothing to do with the mythology of the actual crystal skulls (say that the Ark is also stupid if you want, or the Grail, but at least the Indy version of those tales are similar enough to the actual myth to not insult my intelligence), and the alien design is terrible, and the crumbling temple thing when the ship leaves sort of reminds of the end of Mummy 2, and no one should ever be reminded of Mummy 2).

I just hate "Crystal Skull", stylistically, structurally and in terms of script, acting and overall execution, it's massively flawed. Visually it doesn't *look* like an Indy movie, with the excessive CG/green screen and Janusz Kaminski's blown-out, very Kaminski-ish cinematography. And Karen Allen forgot how to act, Shia's a douchebag and he plays one in the movie, Kate Blanchet gives quite possibly the worst performance of her career (that accent, jesus christ is it fucking atrocious, and she CAN do accents, so I don't know what happened), John Hurt is totally underutilized and also gives a shit performance (in part cause Ox has terrible lines), and worst of all, the story is a very obvious result of a hatchet-job script that combined three or four different different scripts into one because David Koepp doesn't give a shit as long as he gets payed.

And you know why I own it, and will buy it again in this set, even though it has all those other issues? Because Harrison Ford is fucking awesome and at least he didn't disappoint in the otherwise mostly crappy fourth movie. (I also like Ray Winstone's character, the double-triple-quadruple-cross and the banter he has with Ford). And the opening (until the fridge) is really fun, as is the chase through Marshall college.

Anyways... run on sentences are fun. And Raiders is one of the best movies every made, so, yeah.

[Leterface]

I think the movie ratings are spot on! Thanks for the early review!

[Boston007]

The 4th movie SUCKS in every way. I think you are wrong to talk of it as a parody of the previous three. I dislike when people refer it in that regard, it's a cop out, IMHO.

That being said, I will own this set.

I have spoken.

Carry on

Edit: I wanted to add, the reason I was so disappointed with the 4th was because the previous 3 were so great. I guess I expected more from Spielberg. Looking forward to owning this set!

[Attebery]

Oddly enough what bugs me most about the 4th is Indys baggy pants(that and Shia Lebouf).

Huh, until you said that I had never really noticed the baggy pants. Guess older guys like room to breathe.