Indiana Jones - Raiders of the Lost Ark

since I biught a blu ray player I've been hoping for Raiders on blu ray, and Last Crusade is a ton of fun too. Cant wait'

 

Those are what kills it for me - Kate Capshaw was so annoying to me in that.

 

Go easy on Kate Capshaw, guys...she's Spielberg's wife!!!

 

Even Kate Capshaw says she's irritating in the film, because mostly all she does is scream and has to get rescued.

 

She is unbelievably bad. Short Round is annoying but not nearly so bad as Kate Capshaw and her character.

"Temple of Doom" also just doesn't look as good as "Raiders." Everything in "Raiders" looked as if it could have been real, even the cave in the opening, but especially the map room, the Well of the Souls, etc. By contrast everything on the inside of the palace in "Temple of Doom" looked corny and cheap.

 

Something to also note: Harrison looks a little "puffy" during "Temple of Doom" - a hold over unexplicable weight gain from "ROTJ". When Han Solo falls out of carbon freezing in Jabba's palace, he looks like he's been living on twinkies and ice cream since the end of "TESB".

 

Yea, but Capshaw looks stunning in that Indian gown with bare midriff.

 

Family Guy had a great gag about that once, IIRC.

 

Actually, Harrison Ford was in the best shape of his life on Temple of Doom. I saw a "making of short" that did about five minutes on his workout regimen with Jake "Body by Jake" Steinfeld in LA; Ford was about as ripped as he could be. The explanation was that the film took place three years earlier than Raiders, therefore, Indiana Jones should look like a more fit, younger guy (even though the actor was actually 6 years older than the character, 42).

 

My review's thoughts on Willie:

"That means that in place of the gritty and assertive heroine Marion Ravenwood from Raiders, we get the screechy, spoiled and hysterical Willie. Many people don’t care for the character and see her as a step back for the positive portrayal of women in movies due to her selfish and whiny personality.

It’s tough to combat those opinions. Granted, Willie becomes proactive on a couple of occasions, and all the anti-Willie detractors ignore how often Indy needs to save Marion in the first flick. Nonetheless, the impression remains, and it’s true that the tough and rough Marion feels like a better romantic match for the pragmatic Indy than does the superficial and silly Willie. I don’t dislike her, but she comes across as pretty annoying at times."

 

Good review. Lucas has been more forthcoming in recent years, and now admits that Temple of Doom's dark and sinister story was influenced by the bad divorce he was going through at the time.

 

Kate Capshaw, terrible actress but must be a wonderful wife.

 

Kate is 57 (still 8 years younger than Spielberg), and looks OK for her age:



I can think of quite a few wealthy Hollywood women who have a little work done and also take care of themselves, and wind up looking pretty good even into their 70s.

 

I was under the impression he buffed up simply because he was going to be shirtless for a chunk of the film.

 

That was a big reason as well, but in the making of doc, he says that he and Lucas were both concerned that he had to play Indy as a younger man, so he wanted to be in good shape. Harrison still looks very good for his age.

I know of films where they deliberately waited until the end of the shoot to do the shirtless scenes, specifically to get the actor in shape for those key shots. CG and good lighting can't do it all.

 

I think changing your films is intrusive and egotistical, like E.T.

This is also coming from the same guy who made War of the Worlds and Indiana Jones 4. So his opinion doesn't hold a lot of weight.

Personally, I think NOT giving commentary tracks is also egotistical, not giving paying fans what they want for extras.

 

Don't complain to me -- complain to Steven:

Amblin Entertainment
100 Universal Plaza - Bungalow 477
Universal City, CA 91608
(818) 777-4600

 

I can understand the lack of commentary. Now put the wires and snake reflection back in!

 

Best Indiana Jones films in order:

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark.
2. The Last Crusade.
3. Temple of Doom.
4. Romancing the Stone.
5. King Solomon's Mines.
6. High Road to China.
7. The Crystal Skull.

 

From some accounts I've heard, Spielberg is one of the most egotistical people in Hollywood and when he's gone the floodgates of stories will open.

Anyway...

I'm excited for the IJ films on Blu-Ray. I was fortunate enough to attend the Indiana Jones exhibit in Montreal and they had hi-def film clips playing on monitors and they looked stunning.

The "look" that Douglas Slocombe achieved in Raiders of the Lost Ark is peerless and in my mind remains one of the most beautifully shot films ever.

In terms of "digital wankering" I suspect that we'll see something similar with Raiders to the USA Network airings (which I haven't seen, full disclosure) where the Truck chase has been tinkered with. Specifically when the Nazi staff car goes over the cliff, ILM created a new shot which replaced the original matte painting.

Add to this the aforementioned snake reflection in the Well of Souls, the boulder guidetrack being removed from the Temple and a few other little cleanups.

In short? The version of Raiders we get on Blu-Ray will likely not be the same version we've enjoyed for 30 years...

Oh well, I've always got the laserdisc...

 

I disagree slightly:

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark.
2. Romancing the Stone.
3. The Last Crusade.
4. Temple of Doom.
5. King Solomon's Mines.
6. High Road to China.
7. The Crystal Skull.

And frankly there is a pretty big gap between 2 and 3 above. I love "Romancing the Stone," almost as much as "Raiders." Some of it is plenty corny, but it all works well for me. As a kid twenty-five years or so ago, or whenever it was, I watched the film over and over one weekend at my grandmother's house and fell in love with Kathleen Turner. I just watched it again on Friday night. It's a great adventure, and the dancing scene during that small village party, and their first kiss, still look amazing. Admittedly it's a bit hard to believe when you step back from it. Joan Wilder's sister has been kidnapped, and is probably at knife point, and yet she's still up for a great time in the village square. Whereas I go on a date and if the girl momentarily misplaces her cellphone and the whole thing goes down the hopper.

Now back to the topic. I will have Indiana Jones on Blu, please. But hold the "Crystal Skull."

 

No, No, No, this is the way it goes:

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark.
2. The Last Crusade
3. Romancing the Stone
4. High Road to China
5. Temple of Doom
6. King Solomon's Mines
7. The Crystal Skull.

 

As an Asian:

In defense of Shortround! I love that kid!



Come on, "You call him Doctor Jones!" is one of the best lines in the series!

 

Better order:

1. Raiders Of The Lost Ark
2. The Last Crusade
3. Romancing The Stone
4. King Solomon's Mine
5. High Road To China
6. The Crystal Skull
7. Temple Of Doom (I hated this. Was such a huge letdown after Raiders.)

 

You guys and your new math...

Let me break it down and hit you with some knowledge:

Raiders>Temple of Doom>Last Crusade>Crystal Skull>Every movie that ever ripped off any of them.

Oh...except Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold. That movie was tits.