Raiders of the Lost Ark (4K Steelbook) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Paramount
Release Date: June 14, 2022
Rating: PG
Film: 5/5
 
Plot
 Get ready for edge-of-your-seat thrills as Indy and his feisty ex-flam Marioun Ravenwood (Karen Allen) dodge booby-traps, fight Nazis and stare down snakes in their incredible worldwide quest for the mystical Ark of the Covenant. Experience one exciting cliffhanger after another when you discover adventure with the one and only Indian Jones
 
My Thoughts
 The one that started them all. Harrison Ford coming off his breakout role in Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back became a super star after his portrayal of this iconic character. Lucas and Spielberg teamed up on the project and Ford was perfectly cast as the swashbuckling archeologist who travels throughout the world looking for ancient artifacts and continually runs up against the Nazis. Even after 40 years, the story holds up and while it’s far-fetched, its adventurous fun and is something I can watch over and over and never get bored.  
 
This was released a year ago in a four-movie boxset, so of course the studio has decided to release just the first film in a collectable Steelbook packaging (which is quite fetching). This is the first of four planned limited-edition releases o each Indiana Jones movies.
 
Comments from my review of the boxset:
I had extremely high hopes for this release and for the most part it does a commendable job. The video quality is excellent, especially considering the age of the first film. The prints have all been rescanned in 4K and it really shows with the high level of detail. HDR isn’t overdone and looks extremely natural and non-distracting. Furthermore, the color timing has been improved and the orange/teal look from the Blu-rays have been corrected and they no longer look as if Michael Bay shot them.
 
Unfortunately, the Atmos tracks is somewhat disappointing. Envelopment is quite good although the LFE is severely lacking. In fact, some of the explosions reminded me of the train fight scene from Ant-Man when watching from the human perspective. You expect a big boom and instead you’re greeted with a whimper with both gunshots and explosions. The bass response in the sub-40Hz range is nonexistent, which is a big disappointment.

 Video 9.5/10 
 
Audio 7.5/10 (Dolby Atmos)
 
 Special Features:
 
·        Theatrical Trailers
·        Digital Copy
 
         
 
 

 Conclusion
For those who didn’t want the box set, this is your first opportunity to purchase the film in 4K and for your patience, you get an excellent Steelbook as well. While the video quality is top notch, the audio track is a bit of disappointment, but that doesn’t negate the entertainment value of the film one bit. If you’re a fan, pick this one up.
 
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 88” 16x9 Fixed Screen
Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-990
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
M&K Sound X15+ Subwoofer
Dual JL Audio F-110 (stacked and treated as one sub)
Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

[bmoney]

One of the best action movies of all time 

[Barry]

Am I right? Indiana Jones was not needed in this movie. Without him the Nazis would’ve gotten the Ark and opened it and would’ve been destroyed anyway.

But I love the movie. I enjoyed it when I first saw it and when I got the four film set last year. Also like the third film with Sean Connery. It was his of the action adventure hero Of the 1960s was handing over that job to the next action adventure hero.

[TRainH2O]

Am I right? Indiana Jones was not needed in this movie. Without him the Nazis would’ve gotten the Ark and opened it and would’ve been destroyed anyway.

Barry..........now that you mention it. :

[David Vaughn]

Am I right? Indiana Jones was not needed in this movie. Without him the Nazis would’ve gotten the Ark and opened it and would’ve been destroyed anyway.

But I love the movie. I enjoyed it when I first saw it and when I got the four film set last year. Also like the third film with Sean Connery. It was his of the action adventure hero Of the 1960s was handing over that job to the next action adventure hero.

That was hilarious from The Big Bang Theory

[tripplej]

That was hilarious from The Big Bang Theory

[AVSJeff]

Great movie! I saw the 1st one in the theater when it came out. Now that they are available individually, I need to get the 1st few movies of the series in 4K UHD.

[Paul Heroy]

I never watched TBBT b/c I loathe laugh tracks, but that's brilliant. 

I see, not surprisingly, there is some discussion on Reddit about this, and some claims that in a scene left out of the movie the medallion had a warning to not look into the Ark. So Indy knew based on that and if the Nazis had seen it they'd have survived, thereby making Indy matter. LOL, who knows but it's still an all time classic.

[Barry]

I didn’t know that it was on The Big Bang Theory, I didn’t watch much of that show. However I like young Sheldon