Product Description
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Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is no ordinary archeologist. When
we first see him, he is somewhere in the Peruvian jungle in 1936,
running a booby-trapped gauntlet (complete with an over-sized
rolling boulder) to fetch a solid-gold idol. He loses this
artifact to his chief rival, a French archeologist named Belloq
(Paul Freeman), who then prepares to kill our hero. In the first
of many serial-like escapes, Indy eludes Belloq by hopping into a
convenient plane. So, then: is Indiana Jones afraid of anything?
Yes, snakes. The next time we see Jones, he's a soft-spoken,
bespectacled professor. He is then summoned from his ivy-covered
environs by Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott) to find the long-lost
Ark of the Covenant. The Nazis, it seems, are already searching
for the Ark, which the mystical-minded Hitler hopes to use to
make his stormtroopers invincible. But to find the Ark, Indy must
first secure a medallion kept under the protection of Indy's old
friend Abner Ravenwood, whose daughter, Marion (Karen Allen),
evidently has a "history" with Jones. Whatever their personal
differences, Indy and Marion become partners in one action-packed
adventure after another, ranging from wandering the snake pits of
the Well of Souls to surviving the pyrotechnic unearthing of the
sacred Ark. A joint project of Hollywood prodigies George Lucas
and Steven Spielberg, with a script co-written by Lawrence Kasdan
and Philip Kaufman, among others, Raiders of the Lost Ark is not
so much a movie as a 115-minute thrill ride. Costing 22 million
dollars (nearly three times the original estimate), Raiders of
the Lost Ark reaped 200 million dollars during its first run. It
was followed by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1985) and
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), as well as a
short-lived TV-series "prequel."
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
The second of the George Lucas/Steven Spielberg Indiana Jones
epics is set a year or so before the events in Raiders of the
Lost Ark (1984). After a brief brouhaha involving a precious vial
and a wild ride down a raging Himalyan river, Indy (Harrison
Ford) gets down to the problem at hand: retrieving a precious gem
and several kipped young boys on behalf of a remote East
Indian village. His companions this time around include a
dimbulbed, easily frightened nightclub chanteuse (Kate Capshaw),
and a feisty 12-year-old kid named Short Round (Quan Ke Huy).
Throughout, the plot takes second place to the thrills, which
include a harrowing rollercoaster ride in an abandoned mineshaft
and Indy's rescue of the heroine from a ritual sacrifice. There
are also a couple of cute references to Raiders of the Lost Ark,
notably a funny variation of Indy's shooting of the Sherpa
warrior.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
The third installment in the widely beloved Spielberg/Lucas
Indiana Jones saga begins with an introduction to a younger Indy
(played by the late River Phoenix), who, through a fast-paced
prologue, gives the audience in into the roots of his taste
for adventure, fear of snakes, and dogged determination to take
historical artifacts out of the hands of bad guys and into the
museums in which they belong. A grown-up Indy (Harrison Ford)
reveals himself shortly afterward in a familiar classroom scene,
teaching archeology to a disproportionate number of starry-eyed
female college students in 1938. Once again, however, Mr. Jones
is drawn away from his day job after an art collector (Julian
Glover) approaches him with a proposition to find the much sought
after Holy Grail. Circumstances reveal that there was another
avid archeologist in search of the famed cup — Indiana Jones'
her, Dr. Henry Jones (Sean Connery) — who had recently
disappeared during his efforts. The junior and senior members of
the Jones family find themselves in a series of tough situations
in locales ranging from Venice to the most treacherous spots in
the Middle East. Complicating the situation further is the
presence of Elsa (Alison Doody), a beautiful and intelligent
woman with one al flaw: she's an undercover Nazi agent. The
search for the grail is a dangerous quest, and its discovery may
prove al to those who seek it for personal gain. Indiana Jones
and the Last Crusade earned a then record-breaking $50 million in
its first week of release.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Steven Spielberg and George Lucas bring you the greatest
adventurer of all time in “a nonstop thrill ride” (Richard
Corliss, TIME) that’s packed with “sensational, awe-inspiring
spectacles” (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times). Indiana Jones and
the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull finds Indy (Harrison Ford)
trying to outrace a brilliant and beautiful agent (Cate
Blanchett) for the mystical, all-powerful Crystal Skull of
Akator. Teaming up with a rebellious young biker (Shia LaBeouf)
and his spirited original love Marion (Karen Allen), Indy takes
you on a breathtaking action-packed adventure in the exciting
tradition of the classic Indiana Jones movies!
.com
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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,
humor, 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 Graham
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
It’s hard to imagine that a film with worldwide box office
receipts topping $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.
A six-minute introduction by Lucas and Spielberg is the prime
special feature, with both men candidly addressing the film’s
good and bad points (Lucas points out that the second Star Wars
film, The Empire Strikes Back, was also the darkest of the
original three; as for Spielberg, the fact that the leading lady
would soon become his wife was the best part of the whole trip).
Also good are "The Creepy Crawlies," a mini-doc about the
thousands of snakes, bugs, rats and other y critters that
populate the trilogy, and "Travels with Indy," a look at some of
the films’ cool locations. Storyboards and a photo gallery are
included as well. --Sam Graham
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Not as good as the first one, but better than the second. That’s
been the consensus opinion regarding Indiana Jones and the Last
Crusade, the final installment in Steven Spielberg and George
Lucas’ original adventure trilogy, throughout the nearly two
decades since its 1989 theatrical release. It’s a fair
assessment. After the relatively dark and disturbing Temple of
Doom (1984), The Last Crusade (1989) recalls the sheer fun of
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). With its variety of colorful
locations, multiple chase scenes (the opening sequence on a
circus train, with River Phoenix as the young Indy, is one of the
best of the series, as is the boat chase through the canals of
Venice), and cloak-and-dagger vibe, it’s the closest in tone to a
James Bond outing, which director Spielberg has noted was the
inspiration for the trilogy in the first place; what’s more, it
harkens back to Raiders in its choice of villains (i.e., the
Nazis--Indy even comes face to face with Hitler at a rally in
Berlin) and its quest for an antiquity of incalculable value and
significance (the Holy Grail, the chalice said to have been the
receptacle of Christ's blood as he hung on the cross). Add to
that the presence of Sean Connery, playing Indy’s her and
having a field day site Harrison Ford, and you’ve got a most
welcome return to form.
Special features include a six-minute introduction by Spielberg
and Lucas, who discuss the grail as a metaphor for bringing Indy
and his estranged her together and agree that Crusade is the
funniest of the three films; "Indy’s Women," an American Film
Institute tribute with leading ladies Karen Allen, Kate Capshaw,
and Alison Doody each discussing her character (Capshaw candidly
describes Temple of Doom’s Willie Scott as "whiny, petulant, and
annoying"); "Indy’s Friends and Enemies," a look at the films’
various villains and sidekicks; plus storyboards and photo
galleries. --Sam Graham
Indiana 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 -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