Released in the summer of 1981, Raiders Of The Lost Ark quickly became a smash
at the box office. Directed by Steven Spielberg and executive produced by George
Lucas, the film introduced the movie-going public to Indiana Jones, a two-fisted
archeologist roaming the world in the 1930s for lost treasure. Raiders was a
valentine to the action/adventure movie serials of old, but done with the big
budget of a 1980s Hollywood popcorn blockbuster. It quickly established actor
Harrison Ford as a star outside of the Star Wars films, and saved Spielberg’s
bacon after he directed the disastrous comedy 1941 (Spielberg’s next film after
Raiders--E.T.--would only solidify his reputation as being one of the
true superstars of filmmaking). After many years of waiting, home video
enthusiast finally got Raiders and its two sequels in a special DVD box set,
which was released in October of 2003.
Described by a character in Raiders as a "professor of archeology, expert on the
occult, and obtainer of rare antiquities", Indiana Jones’ first adventure deals
with the quest for the Ark Of The Covenant. It’s 1936, and the Nazis are scouring the
world, looking for rare artifacts. Adolph Hitler is a fanatic about the occult,
and feels that the more sacred objects he collects, the more magical mojo he’ll
have on his side. One of these artifacts is the Ark, which is buried somewhere
in Tanis, an ancient city that the Nazis have dug up from the Egyptian sand. The
Nazis are led by Belloq (Paul Freeman), an unscrupulous archeologist who’s Indy’s
arch enemy. Indy goes to Nepal in search of his old mentor, Abner Ravenwood, who
has the medallion to the staff of Ra, a device which can pinpoint the location
of the Ark within Tanis.
But instead of his old mentor, Indy finds Marion Ravenwood instead. A tough
as nails broad who can outdrink the toughest right under the table, she still harbors resentment towards Indy from a
romance that went sour years ago. Karen Allen is marvelous as Marion, a
strong-willed woman who never backs down from a fight. Spielberg manages to
craft a truly classic film out of the impressive stunt work, the eye-popping
special effects, and Lawrence Kasdan’s literate, witty script. Although it’s
now over 25 years old, Raiders still holds up very well as an exciting, rousing
adventure.
The next film in the box set, Indiana Jones and the Temple Of Doom, was released
in the summer of 1984. It’s 1935, a year before the events of Raiders, and after
barely escaping with his life from Chinese gangsters in the nightclub Obi Wan,
Indy--along his little sidekick Short Round (Ke Huy Quan) and nightclub singer
Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw)--survives a very rough landing from an airplane,
only to find himself in India. Indy and the gang wind up in a devastated village,
which had its sacred stone stolen from its rightful altar, and--even worse--all
of the children have been abducted by an evil force that has once again taken
refuge at the infamous Pankot Palace, the former home of the bloodthirsty
Thuggee Cult. The Temple Of Doom deviates from the winning story formula that
worked so well in Raiders, and that’s mainly why it’s not as good. From the
1930s-style musical number that opens the film, to the overly grim tone that can
depress even the most cheerful viewer, Temple of Doom feels like a bad misstep
in the wrong direction.
One of the few bright spots here is Kate Capshaw, who is genuinely engaging and
funny as Willie. The late Bollywood star Amrish Puri is another standout as the
villain Mola Ram. The Temple Of Doom was considered so dark that it--along with Gremlins,
which had also been released that summer--sparked a movie ratings controversy
when many people complained that it was too intense for its PG rating. The PG-13
rating was created in response to the complaints. Another interesting factoid
about Temple is that director Spielberg wound up marrying Capshaw, and they
still remain together today.
The third film in the box set, Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade, takes us back
to the very beginning of Indy’s adventures. A prologue that takes place in the
wilds of 1912 Utah shows us how young Indiana, well-played by the late River
Phoenix, became the adventurer whom we know and admire--right down to showing
how he gained his phobia of snakes, when he first used a whip, and how he got
his fedora hat. Years later, in 1938, Indy receives his father’s diary in the
mail. His old man, Dr. Henry Jones (wonderfully played by James Bond himself,
Sean Connery) is a historical scholar with a passion for the Holy Grail. Indy learns that the Grail was the treasure
that his father was seeking when he mysteriously vanished. As he picks up the
hunt for both his father and the Grail, Indy finds himself once again crossing
paths with his old enemies, the Nazis.
The Last Crusade turned out to be a far more satisfying film--as well as being a
more worthy successor to Raiders--than the Temple Of Doom. It recaptured the
sheer, exhilarating fun of Raiders while sending Indy and his cohorts all over
the world on another grand adventure in epic style. Spielberg has never done an
audio commentary for the DVDs of his films, and this box set is no exception.
However, the three Indiana Jones films are joined by a fourth disc that contains
bonus material, which are a series of superbly produced documentaries that
detail all aspects of the production of all three films. This box set is highly
recommended for fans of the Indiana Jones series, as well as action/adventure
fans in general. Fortunately, The Last Crusade would not turn out to be the last
cinematic adventure for the good Dr. Jones. A fourth Indiana Jones film has been
announced for release in May, 2008.
--SF
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