In honor of the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Paramount has re-released the first three entries of the classic adventure franchise. They are now available on DVD, sold separately on the format for the first time, with featurettes not found in the box set. ***

Raiders of the Lost Ark (Or Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark as it's known under its reissue title) is the first film in this classic franchise - first released in 1981. Set in 1936, the film follows the globetrotting adventurer/archaeologist Indiana Jones, as he hunts for the fabled Ark of the Covenant. The Ark is a legendary biblical artifact, rumored to have the power to lay waste to any foe. Unfortunately, Indy isn't alone in his hunt. The Nazis are in power in Europe, and some of their highest-ranking agents have been ordered by Hitler to get their hands on the Ark first. It's up to Indy to get to the artifact first - before it falls into the hands of the Fuhrer's regime. ***

Raiders is the first and best film in this classic franchise. With interesting locales, incredible characters, an intriguing storyline, and great action/adventure sequences, it's a classic for the ages. Harrison Ford gives one of the best performances of his career as the title character, and the rest of the cast won't fail to please either. Nearly three decades after its original release, the movie is as much fun now as it has ever been. ***

The DVD release makes some minor changes to the original film, but this just comprises the deletion of some revealing mistakes, including glass in the snake pit scene, and a few other little miscellaneous things here and there. Don't worry, it's nothing nearly as substantial as what George Lucas did with the Star Wars films on DVD. Hell, if anything, I support these changes. Additionally, the animated menus are not at all unlike those of the box set DVDs. It wouldn't surprise me if these menus were designed by the exact same crew. ---

Image And Sound:

From what I can tell, this is the same transfer Paramount used on the desk featured in the box set. And it's a fabulous transfer that more than does the film justice. The picture clarity is amazing throughout the film, with only a few little scenes here and there suffering from grain issues (and most of this is so small and unnoticeable you probably won't even see it.) Hands down, this is the best the movie has ever looked on a home video format. ---

The question on everyone's mind is “If I already bought the box set, should I buy these reissues for the sake of the bonus features?” I'll give my two cents on the issue after a brief explanation of what features are included in the set. ***

Raiders of the Lost Ark - An Introduction by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas Running roughly 8 minutes, this featurette features the two directors discussing their introduction to and subsequent experience on the film. Lucas explains the situation he was in, having a brilliant idea, but needing to find another director to bring it to life due to his other commitments. A very entertaining retrospective despite its brevity. ***

Indiana Jones - An Appreciation At about 12 minutes, this featurette showcases various cast and crew members from the history of the Indy franchise, including the latest installment, and their experiences and recollections. It's another nice retrospective with a lot of different viewpoints to see and hear from. ***

The Melting Face This featurette deals with creating one of the most infamous scenes in the film's climax - and a recreation of it by the old special effects people from the original film (I won't say anything in particular about the scene in the film, I don't want to spoil the experience for those who haven't seen the movie.) Running about 8 minutes, this featurette is a nice look at what it took to create a classic image from the film, that sticks in the heads of its viewers long after they're done seeing it. ***

Storyboard Sequence - Well of Souls This is a 4-minute featurette that shows scenes from the infamous “snake pit” scene, played alongside some animatics. While this is interesting to watch, the writing presented with the animatics is difficult to read, which may detract from the experience. Still, that doesn't make this little featurette any less fun to watch. ***

Galleries Four Galleries are presented on the DVD, which you can scroll through with your DVD remote. The galleries featured are illustrations/props, production photos/props, effects/ILM, and marketing. These galleries deliver what they promise, nothing less, nothing more. If you're at all a fan of Indiana Jones, you're going to enjoy checking this stuff out. ***

Lego Indiana Jones Trailer and PC Game Demo A brief, minute-long trailer of the forthcoming game is featured here, from the same crew at Lucas Arts who brought us the Lego Star Wars games a few years back. Additionally, if you have a PC with a DVD-ROM drive (and what PC these days doesn't?), there is a brief, playable demo. ***

And now, for the immortal question. Should you buy these discs if you already have the movies on DVD? While these are good features, I don't quite think they merit the double dip. Total, there's less than 40 minutes worth of new features. If you bought the box set, there's no need to give in to the double dip, unless you're the most die-hard of Indy fan who must own every piece of information ever produced on the series. If you don't own the movies yet, though, I would recommend getting these “sold separately” versions over the box set, and buying the box set bonus disc separately from a used DVD store or a site like Amazon. I, for one, am sick of being double-dipped like this by Lucas, but I'm not going to turn this review into an anti-Lucas rant.

Final Words: