One of the greatest cinematic adventures of all time has arrived on 4K with a stunning upgrade, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Paramount Home Entertainment has hit another 4K grand slam with the SteelBook release of the Steven Spielberg-directed and co-conceived—with George Lucas—an instant classic.
As production nears its conclusion on Indiana Jones 5, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Paramount Home Entertainment proudly joined forces and oversaw a stellar transfer from the delicious Blu-ray to the divine 4K UHD. Toss in the fact that the Sunday after the SteelBook’s highly anticipated release is Father’s Day—they’re pushing that aspect.
Now, as a dad, I would flip out if my little one handed me this Raiders of the Lost Ark 4K release. Lucky for me, I got to review it prior to its release. But it is not just fathers who have made this film seen as one of the greatest movie adventures of all time.
What makes the Raiders experience so special hits you the moment the film commences. The viewer is introduced to the whip-loving, leather jacket-wearing, Fedora-sporting archeologist in his element and no, it’s not the classroom. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), aka Dr. Jones, is in the field—the jungle—following up on some research he’s done that puts an incredibly special artifact inside the cave that we witness him walking into, alongside some locals that are guiding him through the topography, among them is a younger Alfred Molina (Spider-Man: No Return Home). Between the centuries-old “traps” he has to outsmart to discover the artifact itself, it’s as tense as the cinema events one can experience.
Then, famously, the ball drops—so to speak, leaving Dr. Jones and Molina’s Satipo running for their lives. There’s a negotiation over a whip and “the stone,” bad decisions are made (by others, not our beleaguered hero) and just when you think it is safe to exhale and breathe again, Jones is running again, this time eluding what seems like thousands of local tribal warriors as he yells to his water-plane pilot to start the engine. Then, they get airborne and yes, it’s OK to exhale. Or is it? Snakes! A great moment of foreshadowing, plus Jones’ fear of snakes has become the stuff of pop culture icon-dom.
Raiders of the Lost Ark may have centered on Indy’s incredibly personal race against the German Nazis as World War II rages to unearth the one and only Arc of the Covenant, but above anything else it proved two things in cement that were previously only just accepted as fact. Steven Spielberg is as blockbuster a film director as Hollywood has ever or will see and Harrison Ford is a superstar whose box office success is not limited solely to a galaxy that is far, far away.
That is perhaps was the greatest joy achieved during my revisiting of this legendary film with its stunning sonic and beyond-vivid visual upgrade. Witnessing the arrival of Spielberg to a special class of one in the history of Hollywood of storytellers who can cinematically compel in a myriad of genres, and something that clearly has endeared him to studio heads, Spielberg puts people in the seats. After Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and then this sizzling successful return to Saturday morning serials, the man would release E.T. the following summer.
It is on Raiders that one can see a true auteur develop to its fullest of potentials. There isn’t a bad beat or blunder in the entire film’s running time. His connection to the iconic scores of John Williams added another chapter to their prolific relationship, with the Ford starring quest. Spielberg may credit much of his success, as a storyteller specifically, to the musical accompaniment of Williams. But let’s be real. I think the inspiration is a two-way street and it is the composer who is scoring what he sees and reads from the storyteller. That comes full fruition on Raiders, along with a million other skill sets that Spielberg possesses that others simply aspire to master.
The filmmaker also has had a knack for hiring casting teams that fill out his ensembles with supreme talent. I mean, whoever found Henry Thomas for E.T. (have you seen that audition tape? Will blow your mind.) deserves Knighthood.
Raiders of the Lost Ark famously stars Karen Allen, John Rhys-Davies Paul Freeman, Denholm Elliott, and of course, Molina. The actors are sublime, and each quickly develops a shorthand with Spielberg that has them bringing their A-game for every single frame. Many in the cast are known for many things, but with the hindsight of history, one can safely say that they are “best-known” for their part in Raiders.
The new SteelBook case is tough and incredibly fitting for an adventurer living his best adventure life. Longtime fans may be the only folks who notice this, but the cover benefits greatly from using the film’s original poster artwork.
Video transfer for this 4K release is beyond brilliant. Spielberg shot his thrill-ride on 35 mm photochemical film, utilizing Panavision Panaflex-X cameras with those legendary Panavision anamorphic lenses. For the Ultra-High-Def release, the original negative was scanned in 4K—all approved by Spielberg himself. The product of all this work is worth all the painstaking effort it must have taken to ensure that one of the films that sit in the Library of Congress for “historical and cultural contributions to society” has a 4K upgrade worthy of the legendary film’s legacy. You’ve never seen Raiders of the Lost Ark like this before. Everything from skin tones to colors of fabrics couldn’t be more vibrant if it came with a neon sign. Also, kudos to whoever was in charge of taking vital VFX shots and recomposite them, eliminating matte lines throughout the entire film. It is impressive.
Now, audio awesomeness, we didn’t forget you. The Raiders of the Lost Ark 4K upgrade was handled, sonically, at Skywalker Sound, overseen by a legend in the business, Ben Burtt. The clarity achieved to even the simplest sound effects are just night and day from where they started—and we’re talking about the Blu-ray release as well. This 4K in particular makes the Blu-ray release feel like ancient history. Toss in that Williams score and the result is one of the more most-own 4K upgrades in recent memory.
The subsequent three sequels are also getting the 4K treatment, with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom landing on July 12, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade drops on August 16, and finally, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull makes its 4K debut on September 20.
Sadly, there really aren’t any bonus features to speak of, except for a few trailers—so instead of lambasting the producers of this home video product, I prefer to take the attitude that this film needs no icing on its cake. Raiders alone in 4K is more than worth the price of admission.
Film Grade: A+
Bonus Features: N/A