Raiders of the Lost Ark: Steelbook Edition - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Raiders of the Lost Ark: Steelbook Edition



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
As is Paramount’s habit, we’re getting a new package re-release of all 4 Indy films in individual collector’s edition steelbooks. The films were already release in 4K UHD steelbooks that were exclusive to Best Buy, but I have to say, I’m liking these steelbook art prints better. The original set were not only exclusives, but used white backgrounds, while these use the original poster Art. A bit nerdy as most people will never see the need to re-buy based on packaging, but these 4 releases (staggered over the next few months) look a lot better. They will still be the exact same individual discs as the 4 film set (reviewed HERE) but fans of steelbook packaging may definitely want to check them out.

There are very few action films that I consider “perfect” films, but Raiders of the Lost Ark is most definitely one of them. It is the quintessential action film for the last 40 years, and has become as synonymous with being a universally loved classic as Star Wars: A New Hope is. This is the movie that started it all for me as a young boy too. I remember being 8 or 9 years old and going over to my aunt’s house when I was babysat and watching this and the Star Wars trilogy on VHS over and over and over again. So much so that my aunt would beg me to choose another film to watch so she didn’t have to watch it anymore. Full of grand sweeping adventures with a larger than life hero, ala Buck Rogers. Saving damsels in distress, and foils Nazi plans to subvert the supernatural, and of course does so in style. Spawning not one, not two, not three, FOUR sequels (if you count the upcoming 5th movie), it is one of the longest lasting pulp fiction enterprises that Spielberg has ever produced.

Here is where we meet Indian Jones (Harrison Ford), a mild mannered archaeology professor by day, but when the time calls for it, he can get the most prized artifacts of all time out of the clutches of anyone. Aboriginal cultures, corrupt pirates, and even Nazis don’t stand a chance as his trusty bullwhip and charm (and of course a few fisticuffs and gun fights as well) get him out of any situation.

Army Intelligence confides in Doctor Jones that Hitler and the Nazis are close to finding the legendary Ark of the Covenent, which has remained hidden for a millennia, and are going to use its arcane power to unleash a power upon the Allies the likes they have never seen before. Indy needs to go in, foil their plans with the help of ex-girlfriend Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) and make sure the Ark is recovered so that it can no longer pose a threat. Easy? Right?

Goofy, lighthearted, just pure 80s fun, Raiders of the Lost Ark has something for everyone in it. It’s got romance, action, pulp fiction comic lore, and of course cutting edge special effects where Spielberg was firing on all cylinders. Back in the day before the PG-13 rating, it was the film that could span the gap between childish adventure movies and adult action fare, and it did it so masterfully. Considered the best of the 4 Indiana Jones films, Raiders of the Lost Ark is on a level all it’s own, and for good reason. It was new at the time and without sequel fatigue, it was the most refreshing and fun of the batch. The series got more and more comedic as it went along, but Raiders is easily the most balanced and enjoyable one of the series.




Rating:

Rated PG by the MPAA




4K Video: Video:

This is the same 4K UHD encode (actually same disc) as the Best Buy steelbooks and the 4 film collection, so if you have either of those, you know what to expect. The new masters and encodes used for this disc is utterly superb. The 35mm productions are wonderfully grainy, tons of textural details, and a very even grain structure. Details are incredibly clear and crips, ranging from the dusty Arab enviornments, to the ruddy faces and blue/white snowy hilltops where we meet Marianne.

Colors with the new Dolby Vision and HDR color grading are immaculate. I always worry when old classics get HDR tweaking, but it’s done very tastefully here, richening and improving individual colors, and taming some of the obviously fake orange blood as well (always been a bane for 80s films). Bold blue skies are incredibly vibrant, and the browns and stone grays inside the underground caverns (such as Raiders when Indy is stealing the statue) look amazing. Gold objects shine and exemplify incredible saturation levels, but also things like water and clothes just look more detailed and less washed out. Blacks are picture perfect and showcase better shadow detail than the film has ever produced on home video. Simply put, these transfers are AMAZING.



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Audio:

This audio mix is of course the same audio mix as was found in the 4 movie collection, thus my analysis below is what wrote forthat review

The one thing that is consistent across ALL four tracks is that Paramount has once more undergone their controversial stance of remixing the audio and using a completely different bass profile. Much like War of the Worlds the bass profile has been played with a bit, and comes out noticeably softer in many spots. That’s not to say that the movies are dull and baseless, but in Raiders of the Lost Ark I noticed that it sounds very “different”. Bass hits harder in areas that it didn’t before, and some of the standout scenes such as the infamous rolling stone scene, are more tamped down. It’s not something that’s going to make me throw my hands up and throw out the entire track, but it’s rather interesting to listen to. According to the sound designer he felt previous home theater releases had the bass cooked overly hot (which WAS a thing back in the early days of home video) and that it sounded unnatural. So he decided to fix that in this release. Personally I'm with several people who believe they went a tad too far, but I can begrudgingly understand WHY they were tweaked.

However, the rest of the track is excellent. The 5.1 mix was solid enough, but the Atmos track opens up that sound stage just a bit more, allowing overhead rocks to fall down around the listener, as well as the surrounds to act a little more “airy” and light with the directional shifts (such the opening scene in the jungle). Voices are still crisp and clear and overall this is a great sounding mix, just with a weird bass profile.











Extras:

• Teaser Trailer
• Theatrical Trailer
• Re-Release Trailer

Final Score: ​

The long and the short of it is simply: This is the 3rd release of the film in the last year, and a direct copy of the disc found in both the Best Buy exclusive steelbook and the 4 film set. That means that outside of the trailers found on the disc, the 5th disc of special features is missing from this set, so no real extras outside of a digital copy code and the included theatrical poster inside (the irony would be is if the special features disc was included with The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, forcing fans to buy that lone horror show by itself as well). If you’re a fan of steelbook collecting, then I can honestly say that this is a better package than the Best Buy exclusive (better artwork, cool poster), but fans of the movie who already have the 4 film set, or want to save money by buying the 4 film set, may be more reticent to pick it up.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, John Ryhs Davies, Paul Freeoman
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Written by: Lawrence Kasden, George Lucas, Phillip Kaufman
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese DD 5.1, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Russian DD 2.0
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Cantonese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Russian, Swedish, Thai
Studio: Paramount
Rated: PG
Runtime: 115 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: June 14th, 2022

Recommendation: Fun Buy

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I enjoyed this movie.

Recently, Big Bang Theory had an episode on this movie.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Man, they're really milking this 4K version for all it's worth, eh?

Classic film, sure wish the audio tracks on these older films could be thrown into a modern mixer that could give them real modern-day balance and polish!