Review: INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL DVD & Blu-ray

Author: Keith Aiken Source: Paramount Home Entertainment and Click Communications Official Website: Indiana Jones Special Thanks to Scott Neumyer

Nineteen years after riding off into the sunset, Indiana Jones returned to theaters with INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL. The film earned $770 million at the box office as audiences worldwide rushed to see the newest adventure of the famous archaeologist. The movie itself was somewhat of a mixed bag. The passage of time— with an older, world weary Dr. Jones dealing with Soviet villains, an alien mystery, and Communist paranoia at home— created a new and welcome feel from the previous films. But much of the action sequences seem repetitive and by the book, only differing from the past in their over-reliance of CGI. Some of the changes that were made apparently did not please critics or fans of the series. The return of Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood was welcome, but her character in KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL is oddly "spaced out" rather than the smart and tough-as-nails portrayal the won over fans in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. And while the other Indiana Jones movies used real animals, KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL instead features CG monkeys, gophers, and ants that look and act like CG monkeys, gophers, and ants. Despite its flaws, INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL is the proverbial "fun ride" and its good to see the film get the quality treatment from Lucasfilm Ltd. and Paramount Home Entertainment. The 2-DISC SPECIAL EDITION DVD presents the 122 minute-long feature film in the original 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio, enhanced for 16:9 televisions. As was the case with Paramount`s IRON MAN DVD, the picture quality is clean and sharp with strong colors and detail and no artifacting. Audio options include THX Certified Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround and English, French and Spanish subtitles. In addition to the film, Disc 1 includes a pair of featurettes about the making of KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL. The 17:30 "The Return of a Legend" features comments from Harrison Ford, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and screenwriter David Koepp about the many years of starts and stops that eventually resulted in the fourth Indiana Jones movie. As the title suggests, "Pre-Production" (running time: 11:45) looks into the early work done before the start of filming. Disc 2 leads off with "Production Diary: Making of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", an in-depth look at the making of the movie. The documentary can be viewed as six short featurettes or one 80 minute long feature. While not as thorough as similar features on IRON MAN or the LORD OF THE RINGS sets, this documentary does a good job of covering the filming of KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL. Next are six additional featurettes, each focusing on a specific aspect of the production. Of particular note are "The Crystal Skulls"— the history of the skulls and how they were design and created by Stan Winston Studio— and "The Effects of Indy"— a look at how miniatures, practical effects, and CGI were used in the film. There are also pre-visualization animatics for three sequences from the film: "Area 51 Escape", "Jungle Chase", and "Ants Attack". Next up are images galleries for the Art Department, Stan Winston Studio, Production Photographs, Portraits, and Behind-the-Scenes Photographs. Combined these galleries present 424 different images. Rounding out the package are two INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL theatrical trailers, a promo for Paramount`s DVDs of the classic Indiana Jones trilogy, and a Xbox 360 demo of LEGO INDIANA JONES: THE ORIGINAL ADVENTURES.

The INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL Blu-ray includes everything from the DVD set (all in HD) plus four theatrical trailers (presented in 1080p with Dolby 5.1) plus a new feature, the "Indiana Jones Timelines", which allows viewers access interactive timelines that include video featurettes, in-depth information and unique imagery. The feature is broken into three timelines: "Story" (showcasing key events from the film), "Production" (a making-of chronology), and "Historical" (the real-world historical influences that are referenced in the film). With Blu-ray, INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL becomes the first film in the series released in 1080p High Definition, and the film looks fantastic. Once again, Paramount presents the highest picture quality with no noticeable artifacting. Audio and language options include THX Certified English 5.1 Dolby True HD, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles. The sound mix is rich and robust, reaching the high expectations associated with the THX name. While INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL did not equal the heights of other summer releases like IRON MAN and THE DARK KNIGHT, it is nonetheless and enjoyable new chapter in the Indiana Jones saga. The home video presentation is top notch and definitely worth a look. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ For more information on INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL please see the earlier coverage here on SciFi Japan: