Rediscover the famed whip-wielding archeologist and obtainer of antiquities as he swings into Ultra High Definition
It’s hard to believe, but after years of development and delays, filming began last week on the fifth and, according to producer Kathleen Kennedy, final Indiana Jones film.
As excitement starts ramping up for Indy’s final adventure, it’s a great time to revisit the franchise (heck, it’s always a great time). On June 8, Paramount released “Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection”, a new 4K UHD edition of his four adventures. I’ll be reviewing the discs soon, but for now here’s a detailed pictorial of the new box set.
The set is housed in a slipbox, with the discs in a trifold keeper. The back cover has a removable card with the shelf details and UPC. The backer card is sized such that you can keep it stored inside the box, if desired. Removing the backing reveals artwork below.
In The Box
There are two inserts, a folded poster and digital copy sheet. One note of interest; these are Paramount digital copies, not Disney. They are not Movies Anywhere compatible, and you’ll be prompted to select a digital vendor to redeem them with. The digital copies are four separate codes rather than a single collected code — I always appreciate this method; if I happen to own any of the films digitally already I can pass on the extra one to a friend.
Here’s a look at the disc box — Please note the diagonal colorations on some of the images below aren’t part of the design, but rather an effect of sunlight from a nearby window.
Discs
Each of the four films is contained on their own UHD disc, with an additional Blu-ray disc for bonus features.
Foldout Poster/Fieldnotes
The double sided foldout poster displays “fieldnotes” on the first side, showing a world map chronicling Indy’s movie adventures with photos and timeline notes.
Detail views — this is actually pretty cool and I would definitely have put this on my wall as a kid.
The reverse features an assembly of original poster art for all four films, by Richard Amsel and Drew Struzan.
Conclusion
While it’s extremely exciting to get these wonderful films on 4K, in terms of shelf presence it’s hard get excited for this box set which employs a minimalistic “plain white” design and feels flimsy, mostly made of thin cardstock.
Unfortunately in design terms it’s a big step down from the prior Blu-ray release, especially for something that’s initially priced at around $90. By contrast, the 2012 box set featured an elegant rigid slipbox, with embossed titles and glossy graphics on metallic foil matte. The book-style disc keeper was generously illustrated and the entire package felt like a gorgeous prestige edition of superior construction. The DVD and VHS Trilogies featured similarly handsome editions.
My guess is that with a fifth and final film coming, Paramount is pumping the brakes a bit in order to put out a more attractive Complete Collection in 2022 or 2023.
A/V Out.
Get it at Amazon: https://amzn.to/3g7xkUa
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All package photography was taken by the reviewer.
