Blu-ray Review: Indiana Jones 4

THE MOVIE: 4 stars out of 5
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was one of the most anticipated movie sequels in history. When Steven Spielberg completed Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, he figured it was the last one and felt that the last scene with Indy riding off into the sunset was a great way to end the trilogy. However, after the passage of several years, people began to ask him when he would do a fourth. It wasn’t until Harrison Ford himself asked him about doing a fourth and got George Lucas on board that Mr. Spielberg got serious and began working on the concept of a fourth film.

Was the wait of 18 years between the third and fourth films worth it? For me, a fan of the series, I can unquestionably say yes, as I really enjoyed this film. It is a real roller coaster ride from start to finish and a load of fun. The film is set in 1957 which is appropriate given the fact that Harrison Ford is now in his sixties. No amount of makeup can make him look as he did 20 years ago. The Nazis are also replaced by the Soviets in the role of the bad guys.

The film opens with a hot rod racing along a highway in Nevada with an Elvis tune streaming from your speakers, placing you right in the late fifties. The bad guys pull up to what turns out to be Area 51 looking for an alien artifact and out pops Indy being dragged from the trunk of the car having been kidnapped in Mexico with his signature fedora rolling on the ground as it always seems to do. From there, the movie really takes off with escape and chase scenes coming one after the other that are extremely well done and a bit over the top in keeping with the feel of the first three films. Don’t expect reality here as that it not what the Indy films are all about. They are about fun and adventure which this film delivers in spades. After all, who else would survive a nuclear blast in a lead lined refrigerator than Indiana Jones?

The only quibbles I had with the script involved the scene where Shia LeBeouf imitates Tarzan and the next to last scene with the alien space craft. I thought that the Tarzan scene was really cheesey and a real reach. The climactic scene with the spaceship was also overdone and way too long. Would I have preferred that the alien story line be left out of the script? Sure but it is a George Lucas property and he insisted. Further, given that the film was in part an homage to the space based B flicks of the fifties, I guess it is a fit. Regardless, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a real thrill ride filled with the type of action sequences and humor that we have come to expect and love in the series. Just sit back and enjoy while not trying to think too much! Highly recommended.

THE VIDEO: 4 7/8 stars out of 5
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is encoded with AVC and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:40:1 and looks fantastic. In fact, the film looks exactly as it did in the theater and it looked fantastic there as well. The overall image here is a bit on the warm side so that it fits in stylistically with the first three films which employed a different cinematographer who has since passed on. The film has a slight golden hue which effects the fleshtones and is especially apparent in the scenes shot in daylight. Again, this is how I remember the film looking in the theater. Overall, the color here looks very natural with the exception noted above and is well saturated. Black level is deep and stable resulting in an image of great clarity and depth. Detail and shadow detail is outstanding as well with the textures of the walls and backgrounds as well as skin textures clearly visible.

As noted before, the clarity of the image here is outstanding, even in low light interiors which do not lose much in the way of depth, detail and clarity in comparison with the sunlit exterior scenes. The cinematography here is outstanding and a joy to watch. Pay particular attention to the scene inside the asylum in Peru. Take note of the detail on the walls and floors. Despite the lack of light, all the fine textures on the wall, including the writing and figures carved on the wall are visible, even in distance shots. The same is true of the floor as well. This cinematographer really knows how to capture fine detail as well as light and shadows in every scene. No detail is lost, even in the shadows. Perhaps an Oscar nomination is in the offing? In any event, fans of the film will be thrilled with this Blu-Ray encode. Very well done.

THE AUDIO: 5 stars out of 5
The high res audio track here is encoded with Dolby True HD and is simply amazing and is one of the best I have heard to date. What really hits you about this encode is how the sound surrounds you during the entire film. The surrounds are actively engaged through the entire film, placing you smack dab in the middle of the action, whether you are in a classroom, library, bar, aircraft hanger or Amazon jungle.

The acoustics of each locale are captured very realistically.The dialogue track is recorded with excellent fidelity and remains clear and distinct throughout each scene, regardless of the level of cacophony. Dynamics are simply off the charts with deep and thunderous bass. The scene in the Area 51 hanger is outstanding with the sound of bullets and vehicles coming at you from every direction. Listen as the test rocket blasts off and flies right through your room. One can feel the concussive effect of the nuclear explosion and can hear the aforementioned refrigerator fly over your head and bounce around the front of your room. This is a reference encode in every way and was a real pleasure to listen to.

EXTRAS
This release is filled with extras, most if not all of which are in HD. There are three extras on disc 1 which contains the film including trailers and a two short films about the making of the film featuring interviews with Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, George Lucas, Shia LeBeouf and Karen Allen among many others. A second disc is included containing many extras including a production diary and features regarding the makeup, crystal skulls, iconic preps, special effects, pre-visualizations and post production as well as extensive photo galleries all of which are in HD. There is plenty here for film buffs to digest.

IN CONCLUSION
While not quite up to the level of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a fun and action filled film that is a worthy addition to the Indiana Jones legacy. This release on Blu-Ray features excellent video and audio quality and is another fine effort from the folks at Paramount, coming on the heels of the amazing looking and sounding Iron Man. Highly recommended.

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