It is the definition of a modern cinema classic.  Stylistically fresh yet seemingly inevitable, director Steven Spielberg's RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK felt as comfortable and well-worn in 1981 as the fedora trademark of its hero, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones.  Amid the success of his Han Solo appearance in the original STAR WARS trilogy, actor Harrison Ford created a second iconic character in his exploding film career as the imperfect action hero in the mold of Bogart, Cooper and other leading stars of cinema's golden age.  Retitled INDIANA JONES AND THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, it's still the original and the best of the film series now collected by Lucasfilm and Paramount in this new INDIANA JONES THE ADVENTURE COLLECTION 3-disc box set, boasting all new bonus materials leading up to Indy's fourth film this May!

Legend tells that executive producer George Lucas, fresh off his 1977 blockbuster success of STAR WARS (Episode IV: A NEW HOPE), and director Spielberg, riding the box office crest of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, met during a Hawaii vacation to get away from the Hollywood hoopla.  Yet it wasn't long before Lucas pitched the tale of a globe-hopping chase for a mystical treasure of antiquity, which mirrored Spielberg's own longing to direct a high-octane James Bond film. With that creative spark ignited, the cinematic duo agreed to make the ultimate B-movie, an homage to the cliff-hanging, devil-daring adventure matinee serials so popular decades before.

Sketching out a story line, Lucas and Spielberg hired Lawrence Kasdan to write the RAIDERS script, having just completed the script for STAR WARS' hit sequel, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.  Kasdan fleshed out Professor Jones along with his former love Marion Ravenwood, weaving their troubled romance through a breakneck race around the world to find the Lost Ark of the Covenant.  Pitting the couple and their cohorts against Nazi henchmen sacking the globe for occult treasures to empower Adolph Hitler completed the old Republic serial formula for hair-raising thrills and chills.

RAIDERS opened in theaters to clamorous praise from critics and flocking audiences who appreciated this stylish roller coaster ride on multiple levels: better acted and produced than any Saturday serial story, and more fiendishly fun than Hollywood's typical stunt-filled flicks, this adventure had it all. Packed with first-rate performances by Ford, Karen Allen as Marion, John Rhys-Davies as Indy's dig partner Sallah, and Denholm Elliott as Jones' scholarly mentor Marcus Brody, the good guys and gal take action to preserve a priceless artifact of history before the clutches of evil can seize this holy prize.

Paul Freeman turned in a charming and morally challenging performance as Rene Belloq, Indy's darker mirror image in this archaeological race.  Belloq proved himself a suave seducer as Jones' rival for Marion's interest, his continental sophistication and worldly manners outclassing Indy's rough-edged but sincere if cynical heart.  Shades of moral ambiguity were also personified by Alfred Molina in his first major film role as Indy's traitorous trail guide, Satipo. Leaning totally to the dark side, Ronald Lacey made a menacing and indelible impression as the Nazi leader Toht, the villain audiences loved to hate, and Wolf Kahler was equally, enjoyably despicable as the German colonel Dietrich, who together steal the Ark from Indy's grasp in Egypt.

From the opening 'climax' of a previous adventure in South American jungles to a gunfight in Marion's Nepalese tavern, to the snake-filled Well of Souls in Egypt and the supernatural terrors of the Ark's revelations, RAIDERS embodied lighthearted suspense and heart-pounding fun in every frame.  Redefining the action genre for a generation, the original Jones adventure still delivers exciting stunts and edge-of-your-seat thrills over twenty-five years after it first wowed audiences.

Spielberg's direction borrows the style and tone of 1940s cliffhanging serials and injects them with sequence after sequence of jaw-dropping chases and escapes, shootouts and showdowns, each topped by the next.  Impelled by Kasdan's crackling good script, John Williams' indelible march of a musical score, and still-impressive visual and sound effects by Industrial Light and Magic, INDIANA JONES AND THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK was the original and remains the very best of the film series to this day.

THE DVD PRESENTATION

RAIDERS' DVD transfer for this INDIANA JONES THE ADVENTURE COLLECTION 3-disc box set duplicates that presented in the trilogy's previous 2003 box set collection for only the feature film itself.  The widescreen presentation is standard now in this 2008 set, and the crisp image transfer preserves the visual integrity of Douglas Slocombe's 2.35:1 ratio cinematography in a letterbox format with black bars above and below the film image.  I know some viewers dislike the letterbox look, but no viewer should miss the cinematic glory of the desert truck chase or the Ark's ghostly secrets by having nearly half the image cut off in a cropped "full frame" presentation... and thankfully this box set retains RAIDERS' splendor unspoiled.

DVD menus are enhanced for 16:9 televisions, also bringing back the sketchpad animation created for the 2003 release but, of course, updated to include the new Bonus Material.  As reviewed on a 32" Panasonic HDTV, the film retains all the clarity and deep contrast of its theatrical release, and remains the optimal transfer available — at least until Paramount releases the INDY films in high-definition Blu-Ray format in the future.

RAIDERS sounds as good as it looks, offering a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround in English which utilizes the wide audio field across main dialogue, front and rear surround channels.  THX mastering make bullets seemingly ricochet around your room amid the Nazi's gunfight with Indy in Marion's bar, and the Well of Souls sequence exploits the potential of spooky echoes and snake hisses implying danger from all sides in the darkness.  Additional audio tracks in Dolby 2.0 Surround for French and Spanish complete the options, along with English/French/Spanish subtitles.

NEW BONUS FEATURES PREVIEW INDY'S CRYSTAL SKULL ADVENTURE

Now that a fourth and final adventure returns Indy to the screen this summer, the fun continues as trilogy expands to quadrilogy with the May 22nd release of INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL. 

This ADVENTURE COLLECTION DVD release of RAIDERS boasts all-new Bonus Features created during production of KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, featuring cast and crew interviews plus teasing glimpses of the upcoming fourth feature:

• THEATRICAL TRAILER FOR KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
  First released in theaters this February, the CRYSTAL SKULL trailer gave fans their first look at a new Indiana Jones adventure in nearly twenty years.  Of course Harrison Ford returns as Indy, a little wiser and grayer than we last saw him, but still partnering with his former flame Marion Ravenwood, in a return performance by Karen Allen.  Joining Dr. Jones on this new discovery are the young troublemaker Mutt Williams (TRANSFORMERS' Shia LaBeouf), competitive archaeologist Mac (BEOWULF's Ray Winstone), Soviet villainess Colonel Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett), the mysterious Harold Oxley (John Hurt) and new academic fellow Dean Stanton (Jim Broadbent). Time may have passed, but the name for adventure is still Indiana Jones!  The CRYSTAL SKULL trailer precedes the feature film in auto-play upon loading.
  
• RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK: AN INTRODUCTION
  Hosted by director Steven Spielberg, both in vintage clips from production of RAIDERS two decades ago and a new interview recorded for this 2008 DVD release, this introduction recaps the genesis and genius which went into creating this action-packed film series. This nearly eight-minute recap of the RAIDERS legend boasts a treasure trove of film clips, still photos, concept art and cast interviews, many of which have not been seen before on any DVD bonus feature.  Fans will see more on-set behind the scenes footage than ever as Lucasfilm and Paramount have cracked open their archives for this new DVD collection.
  
• INDIANA JONES: AN APPRECIATION
  The cast and crews spanning all four INDY films join up to celebrate their favorite moments and recollections of the blockbusting franchise.  Interviews include with CRYSTAL SKULL executive producer Kathleen Kennedy, producer Frank Marshall, writer David Koepp and cast members Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Jim Broadbent and John Hurt. It's a fond reminiscence exploring how Indy has changed yet remained true to his adventurous nature over the years, and how each retain their affection for Indiana Jones today even as they join his exploits in this new film.
  
• THE MELTING FACE
  Special effects artists and original crew members recall the difficulties of creating RAIDERS' climactic face melting of Toht as the wrath of God exacts revenge on the Nazi treasure robbers who attempt to turn the Ark into a weapon.  Since little archival footage and stills remain available of the makeup procedure used to recreate actor Ronald Lacey's screaming pose, contemporary artists duplicate this effect with a stand-in to show how they originally did it nearly three decades ago. 
  
• STORYBOARDS: THE WELL OF SOULS
  This feature compares the final film scene below corresponding storyboard sketches of Indy and Marion being trapped in the Well of Souls by Belloq and the Nazis.  It's a prime example of Spielberg's thorough trust in and reliance on pre-visualization as a organizing reference tool in all his feature productions.
  
• GALLERIES
  Four separate and extensive galleries appear as DVD slideshows viewers control with their remotes: ILLUSTRATION & PROPS offer rare, often never-before-seen concept art and prop photographs; PRODUCTION PHOTOGRAPHS & PORTRAITS contain numerous still shots and publicity photos of the cast and crew; the EFFECTS/ILM gallery reveals more rare glimpses into the models, matte paintings and visual effects shots used to create the stunning Ark finale; and the MARKETING gallery gathers concept art for title treatments and one-sheet poster designs for RAIDERS theater advertisements.
  
• LEGO INDIANA JONES: THE ORIGINAL ADVENTURES GAME
  LucasArts gives fans a sneak preview of the new LEGO-brand video game coming this summer, shrinking Indiana Jones down to Lego toy size while computer graphics keep the adventure and excitement of all three previous films rolling, swinging and shooting across your TV or computer screen at home.  PC users can also insert this DVD disc into their computer drive to give LEGO INDIANA JONES a test-drive online before the game arrives in stores on June 3rd.

Overall, this first disc of the new ADVENTURE COLLECTION DVD box set makes inclusion in fans' movie libraries nearly essential, whether the mission is to relive Indy's original and best adventure in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK from 1981, or to bring a new generation of fans up to speed on Indy's cinematic legacy just in time for the release of INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL this May.

READ OUR INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL REVIEW HERE

READ OUR INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM REVIEW HERE

READ OUR INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE REVIEW HERE