Few movie franchises are as universally adored as the Harrison Ford-fronted Indiana Jones. And with a fifth Indy picture on the way, on our desk here we’ve got a nicely timed 4K UHD release of the four films that have been served up in the series so far.
The globe-hopping adventures and antics of Ford’s Dr. Jones have long brought a smile to the face of many a generation, and to delve into the plot of each of these films is largely redundant at this time. If you enjoyed the narratives, the characters and the execution of those offerings, you’ll still enjoy them here in 2021.
Of course, chances are near-enough every one of you reading this review will have seen at least the first three Indiana Jones pictures. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull clearly split opinion upon its release and beyond, The Last Crusade is a fun offering that maybe doesn’t quite hit the heights of its two predecessors, but Raiders of the Lost Ark and Temple of Doom are two phenomenal movies that were great back then and are just as fantastic all these years later.
Given just how popular the Indiana Jones franchise is, the main appeal of this new release is clearly what else is being brought to the table. On that front, it’s the glorious 4K UHD remaster and Dolby Atmos upgrade that take these four films and elevate them to previously unseen levels.
Is viewing Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 4K going to magically make you fall in love with that movie? Likely not. But this crisp remastering work make all four pictures pop so wonderfully. For the more vibrant moments, this new release is utterly jaw-dropping, while the oft-grim and grimy locales that Indy finds himself in have a whole new sense of richness to them.
As expected, the Indiana Jones franchise has never looked or sounded better, and revisiting these movies in this format makes you fall in love with the world of Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Jr. all over again.
In this collection, there are a total of nine discs that deliver each film in both 4K and standard Blu-ray, with the package rounded out by a bonus disc full of seven hours of additional Indy content. The animated menus of the movies look absolutely stunning, with them acting as the sort of warm hug you get upon being reunited with an old friend. And let’s face it, that’s something we could all do with these days.
One element of the release that we’re unable to comment on, is the bonus disc. While that wasn’t available to us at the time of this review, we do know that the seven hours of extras are said to have been included in previous releases of these movies.
INDIANA JONES 4-MOVIE COLLECTION is available on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray™ and on Digital to Download & Keep from the 7th June.
