Indy is finally coming to high-definition.
Raiders of the Lost Ark
All four Indiana Jones movies will be on Blu-ray in the fall, although an actual street date hasn’t been set yet. The Complete Indiana Jones Blu-ray Collection also will include a “best of” collection of the documentaries, interviews and featurettes that have been on earlier DVD editions, according to Paramount Home Entertainment. But the studio does also promise “a few new surprises.”
One of the most anticipated franchises still not on high-definition, the Indiana Jones series was created by two of the greatest adventure filmmakers (arguably): Steven Spielberg (War of the Worlds) and George Lucas (Star Wars).
The series kicked off in 1981 with Raiders of the Lost Ark. Harrison Ford (Cowboys & Aliens) immortalized the great archeologist and adventurer, who tried to keep the Ark of the Covenant out of the hands of the Nazis.
Spielberg went on to direct three more films, all with Ford:
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in 1984, with Indy trying to retrieve a mystical stone to save a desperate village in India. This film also brought Spielberg together with his future wife, Kate Capshaw (Dreamscape), who starred with Ford.
From 1989, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade joins Jones with his father, played brilliantly by Sean Connery (Highlander), as they search for the Holy Grail.
The last movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull finds Indy entangled in a Soviet plan to uncover the secret behind mysterious artifacts. Cate Blanchett (Hanna), Shia LaBeouf (Transformers: Dark of the Moon), Ray Winstone (Hugo), John Hurt (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Jim Broadbent (Another Year) and, returning to her role in the original film, Karen Allen (White Irish Drinkers) also star.
The franchise racked up a bunch of Academy Awards. Lost Ark was the big winner with four, for art direction, visual effects, editing and sound. Temple of Doom won for its visual effects, and Last Crusade won for its sound effects.
We at Disc Dish say roll on fall so we can see that giant ball rolling in high-definition picture and sound.
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