Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Blu-ray DVD cover

Contrary to even producer George Lucas' summary assessment of the film, Temple of Doom is not regarded as the least favorite of the Indiana Jones movies because "it's the darkest." Nor is it because, by comparison, Willie Scott is the most grating (or just least likeable) of Indy's female companions. No, it's because the core of the story – uncovering an Indian cult that practices human sacrifice and voodoo – has little or nothing to do with the historical, intellectual or emotional journey of Henry Jones Jr. – archaeologist, adventurer and finder of rare antiquities.

It was precisely this quality I was reminded of while watching the newest (and by all accounts, last) adventure in the series. A movie of epic girth but featherweight impact, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull will certainly satisfy folks who have been anxiously awaiting the best possible Mummy or National Treasure movie that will ever be made, but it is an otherwise hollow exercise in summer moviemaking that earns it the confirmed but dubious rank of third best of the series' four installments.

Score: 6 out of 10

Video and Presentation

While the film's story misses the mark, its visuals prove that Spielberg hasn't lost his touch as a director. Visually, the Blu-ray transfer remains consistently high-quality – vibrant colors, strong detail, little additional grain or distortion. There is a small amount of noticeable digitization, and while the detail never gets quite a sharp as one might like, the CG sequences – such as the jungle and waterfall scenes, or any moment in the last fifteen minutes – come across the best. They're well-integrated into the image, clear and crisp without being overly so.

Score: 8 out of 10

Languages and Audio

The Dolby TruHD track is a high-volume, larger-than-life experience. The complex, layered sound design of this film is an ideal showcase for this kind of technology. With sound effects provided by audio wizard Ben Burtt and that familiar, soaring score by John Williams, you want to hear every single element with clarity, and you do. There's a lot of movement in the field from all sides, so gunshots seem to zoom right past you and explosions erupt from all around. The essential car chases and fights are lively, but not too crowded. The dialogue is clear throughout the action and if the standard-def transfer was near-perfect, this transfer is downright perfection.

Score: 10 out of 10

Extras and Packaging

This Blu-ray release offers the same set of extras provided on the two-disc standard-def version, though each of the carry-overs are presented here in HD:

The full list of extras includes:

* The Return of a Legend
* Pre-production
* Production Diary: Making Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
* Warrior Makeup
* The Crystal Skulls
* Iconic Props
* The Effects of Indy
* Adventures in Post-Production
* Closing: Team Indy
* Pre-Visualization Sequences
* Galleries
* Trailers
* Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures Xbox 360 Game Demo
* Trailers

If there's one word to describe this collection of features it would be thorough. Every step of the filmmaking process has been documented, from the origin of the idea to post production, with a plethora of interviews and footage to illustrate the journey. Although Spielberg remains a staunch holdout among directors who refuse to participate in audio commentary, it's hard to imagine that it would give any further insight beyond what is already provided in the supplemental material.

Starting at the beginning, "The Return of a Legend" focuses on how the project came about. Despite Spielberg's intention the final installment in the original trilogy would be the last Indiana Jones film (an instinct that seems to have been proven right in hindsight), he was convinced by a number of factors – including fan interest and the urging of Ford himself – that it was time to bring back the character for a fourth adventure. Through interviews with Spielberg, Ford, Lucas and several other members of the cast and crew, the featurette covers the evolution of the story (Lucas was the one who wanted to do aliens), the characters and even the unwieldy title. Not all of the decisions are satisfactorily justified, but at least you can tell that everyone involved put their heart and soul into the making of the film.

The pre-production, production and post-production process all get their own sections of the extras, complete with behind-the-scenes footage and more interviews with all of the department heads covering every element of the film. The production diaries are divided into six chronological segments: "Shooting Begins: New Mexico," "Back to School: New Haven, Connecticut," "Welcome to the Jungle: Hilo, Hawaii," "On-Set Action," "Exploring Akator" and "Wrapping Up!" The first segment begins on the first day of filming and each one follows the cast and crew around the world until the final shot at an airport in California.

The featurette titled "Warrior Makeup" shows the process of creating the look of the natives who follow Indy in the temple. This may be of interest to those really into the technical aspects of make-up effects, but for everyone else, it's likely not going to be something to go back to again and again.

"The Crystal Skulls" delves into the legends behind the titular object and the tricky creation of the props that figure prominently in the film. It is during this featurette that Lucas laughably calls the premise of the film "plausible" and "believable." John Rosengrant from Stan Winston Studios talks at length about the design process and the decisions that went into the making of the skulls.

Spielberg provides the opening interview for "Iconic Props," which is devoted to the memorable objects expected to appear in every Indiana Jones film. This includes not only the familiar hat, whip and jacket, but the artifacts, weapons and books as well. The most interesting tidbit from this sequence is that a few pieces were brought out of the Lucasfilm archives and used in this production, including Indy's satchel and the original Ark of the Covenant.

The 22-minute-long "Effects of Indy" segment highlights the visual-effects as explained by the artists at ILM. From the first shot of the groundhog mound to the final, massive crater sequence at the end of the film, each complex sequence is explained in detail (a lot of detail).

As the title implies, "Adventures in Post-Production" follows the film's progress into the editing room after shooting wrapped. This segment covers not only the editing process (which Spielberg did on film, a rarity these days), but the creation of the sound design by Burtt and the composing and performance of the musical score by Williams.

"Closing: Team Indy" is basically a three-minute credit sequence that introduces each prominent member of the cast and crew, from the producers to the various department heads to the caterer. The bonus content is rounded out by no less than five photo galleries, three theatrical trailers and a demo for the Xbox game Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures.

Score: 9 out of 10

The Bottom Line
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull may not have lived up to the hype, but it was clearly a labor of love for all involved, and this release shows all the work that went into making it. It's just too bad the same amount of work didn't go into the writing.

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