The Adventures of Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark / The Temple of Doom / The Last Crusade)

Includes: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark; Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Doom; Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade; and bonus material.

The trailer that begins each of the three DVDs is indication enough that the release of Indiana Jones: The Adventure Collection, a boxed set of the original trilogy of blockbuster adventure films concocted by director Steven Spielberg and executive producer-story writer George Lucas, was timed to coincide with the May 2008 theatrical release of the long-awaited fourth installment, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Whether that’s a crass marketing ploy or simply good business is hardly the point, because considering the quality of the movies (in a word, they’re good), the affordable price, and especially the raft of new special features accompanying the set, there’s enough here to make this an appealing purchase for those who don’t already own them and a tempting one for those who do.

The first of the three films, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), is also the best, a certified classic loaded with non-stop action, grand spectacle, a hero for the ages (played by Harrison Ford), a beautiful love interest, humor, horror, and 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 villains (the Nazis). Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), the second entry, is generally considered the weakest of the lot--certainly it is the most dark and disturbing--but it’s still very entertaining, while The Last Crusade (1989) is closer to Raiders in many respects, with fine acting contributions from River Phoenix (as the teenage Indy) and Sean Connery (as Indy’s father), a strong James Bond-type feel, and the return of the Nazis, who this time are competing for another antiquity of incalculable value and significance (the Holy Grail). Although the collection is missing the extra bonus disc (with a two-hour "making of" documentary) that accompanied the 2003 DVD issue of the films, all three discs include new and insightful introductions by Spielberg and Lucas; there are also storyboards from various scenes and photo galleries on each disc. Among the best of the other features are "The Creepy Crawlies" (about the thousands of snakes, bugs, rats and other scary critters that populate the trilogy), "Travels with Indy" (a look at some of the exotic locations where the movies were filmed), "Indy’s Women" (a candid discussion with leading ladies Karen Allen, Kate Capshaw, and Alison Doody), and a behind-the-scenes detailing of the "melting face" effect seen in Raiders' thrilling ark-opening scene. --Sam Graham