The Last Airbender (2010) Review

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I'm someone who saw this movie without having seen a single minute of the anime it was based upon, or having known one single thing about the anime. I had heard the movie got bad reviews when it was in theaters, and I had heard something about the fans of the show being upset about the movie, but I was only vaguely aware of the this, and I didn't really care. Movie critics get things wrong often enough, and the trailers looked like the movie could be cool, particularly the first one. I almost watched it at the theater this summer, and was willing to spend money on 3D, but I ended up going to other movies instead.

So, last Friday I ended up renting the movie and watching it. I then started watching the series online (check Hulu, though it might not be up any more), and managed see all 61 episodes of the series over the course of four days. This has put me in the unique position of being able to review this movie BOTH as someone who doesn't know anything about the anime series, AND as someone who is (now) a fan of the anime series.

First, as someone who knew nothing about the show:

In a nutshell, I found the movie to be dull, annoying, annoyingly stupid, and pointless. I couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters. For a fantasy world, complete with magical powers and diverse peoples, a hundred year war, and an adventurous quest to avert the apocalypse, the story was amazingly boring. AND it managed to be simple and confusing at the same time, which is an achievement I didn't know was possible. It's simple, in that it's a standard good guy vs. bad guy storyline, and complicated in that how this world works isn't explained very well and random stuff keeps happening with no explanation.

The protagonist of the story is a kid whose got special super powers, but needs training to use the super powers, and so has to go on a journey to get trained by some people at the north pole. He starts his journey at the south pole. Why he can't find a teacher anywhere closer than literally the farthest away they could be other than outer space, I don't know. The antagonist is the Fire Nation, apparently a nation that wants to rule the whole world. The super kid is important because he's something called 'the Avatar' or maybe it's because he's the last of his kind, the Airbenders, or because he's been frozen in a block of ice for a hundred years, or something, but this isn't explained very well in the movie. The few things that are 'explained' in the movie are explained with stupid reasons. Other stuff is filed under random s**t that just happens. When the bad guys raid a village, they ask for all the old people to be brought out. Why? I don't know. I don't think even the bad guys know. When two people are escaping a prison, a lone arrow is shot across a vast canyon, to perfectly strike one of the escapees across the face, cracking the porcelain mask they're wearing and knocking them out, but not actually hurting the person. Where did the arrow come from? Was it a lucky shot? An unbelievably skilled archer? Why was there only one arrow shot at the escapees and not a hundred? Were all the prison archers on lunch break or something? Then there's giant flying furry beast that the heroes of the story use for transportation that's just THERE with superpower boy. RANDOM INEXPLICABLE STUFF.

Then there was the dialogue. Not a single word anyone ever said actually gave you any idea as to what there personality was like. All dialogue was designed to further the "plot", such as it was. And it was REPETITIVE. In the first ten minutes of the movie one character uses the phrase "the fire nation is here with their machines" TWICE in a single minute (Also, there were no machines. There were soldiers and they came on a ship... maybe the ship was 'the machines'?). Another character, one of the main bad guys, mentions his dastardly secret plot to kill a spirit like half a dozen times. When he finds the spirit (which is apparently a fish... but also the moon, or the moon spirit or don't ask IDEK) he talks about his plot AGAIN while holding the fish up in a bag, and I'm like, "JUST KILL THE STUPID MOON FISH ALREADY!! You've only been yapping about it for the last HOUR!".

The dialogue is dull and insipid. I'd expect this kind of work from a 7th grader. A failing 7th grader. And the acting is worse. It's like the actors are reading their lines for the first time. The emotional range of the characters is the following: fear of the fire nation, worshipful hope that the avatar airbender boy will save the day, and, um.... yeah that was about it. There was a brief love interest near the end, but again, stilted acting just made it painful to watch. There was ZERO humor in this movie.

I don't know how else to describe this. I think I'll borrow Roger Ebert's words:

"The Last Airbender is an agonizing experience in every category I can think of and others still waiting to be invented. The laws of chance suggest that something should have gone right. Not here... The dialogue is couched in unspeakable quasi-medieval formalities; the characters are so portentous they seem to have been trained for grade school historical pageants. Their dialogue is functional and action-driven. There is little conviction that any of this might be real even in their minds. All of the benders in the movie appear only in terms of their attributes and functions, and contain no personality. Potentially interesting details are botched..."

Yeah, that about sums it up.

Now as a fan of the show:

Before seeing the the anime series, my feelings on the movie were somewhere along the lines of, "Meh. Whatever." It was just one more bad movie I'd wasted my time on and in due course I'd eventually forget everything about it. Someday, I would get those memory braincells back. Or at least forget I had them.

No more.

Having seen the show, I can honestly say that the movie is a heartbreaking tragedy. Including marketing, they sunk about three hundred million dollars into this movie. Given their source material, they could have made something as exciting and as fun as Star Trek, as epic as Lord of the Rings, and as magical as Harry Potter. A visual experience as stunning as Avatar, and with fight scenes and cinematography more beautiful than "House of Flying Daggers" and "The Fall". With characters and a storyline that pulled you in and gave you an experience you'd remember forever. It could have been something truly awesome.

If it had been merely a good movie, that would have been disappointing, but okay. If it had been a mediocre movie, that would have been sad, but there would have still been room for redemption in the sequels. Instead, it's this. This... this make me sad. And it makes me mad. I can only imagine how much angrier I'd be if I had been a fan from the beginning, been excited about the movie, and waited and waited for it, and then to have this come out...

This is painful enough as it is and I didn't have any hopes dashed. I fell in love with the series already knowing what the movie was. I can understand the fanbase's rage at M. Night Shyamalan. If ever you're in a movie theater, and a trailer starts playing with his name on the screen, and someone in the audience boos and heckles him loudly and vociferously, that's an "Avatar: The Last Airbender" fan who had something they loved destroyed by him and they deserve their anger.

Because there is no way to redeem this with a sequel. I sincerely and fervently hope that they DON'T make a sequel. And with all the money spent on this... There's no way anyone's going to do ANOTHER adaption of the show anytime soon. At least not in the next decade or two, if ever.

This isn't just another piece of mediocre cinematography. MNS didn't just make another bad movie. He took something away from us that we probably won't ever get back. He permanently spoiled something that was beautiful. Because "Avatar: The Last Airbender" will always be related to this movie. This can never be undone.

And I really really wish it could be.

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Originally, I had been intending to wait until this film came out on DVD so I could rent it from a Redbox. However, my friend wanted to see this, and invited me along. I thought, why the heck not.

He wanted to see it in 3D, so I thought, sure, might as well. The 3D cost 4 extra bucks, but after the movie was over, I felt totally ripped off. The movie previews that came before the actual Airbender movie itself had more 3D in them than the danged movie! There were a few moments where the 3D effects popped out, but overall, if you watch this in 2D, you're not really missing out on anything here.

I don't know what M. Night Shymalan was thinking when he directed this. Now, it would have been IMPOSSIBLE to get all of the cool stuff in Season 1 into this movie, but what the people responsible for this atrocity did was disgraceful. There was so much cut out. Many beloved characters the Kyoshian Warriors, Jet, Bato, Jeong Jeong, Haru, Avatar Roku, King Bumi, Madame Wu, the pirates, the list goes on... none of them made a single appearance. Many things were simply smushed together for example, Haru's village and the Kyoshi Village have apparently been mushed together as one but there's no Haru or Kyoshian Warriors (the only thing we see is a old stone statue of Avatar Kyoshi) All the cutting out of vital elements of the story was really unneccessary as this movie was barely one and a half hours. Titanic was twice that long, and this movie could have done at least two hours easy. Why such a short film? Only God knows why. Maybe M. Night or the producers got bored and decided to just cut out as much as he thought he could get away with.

Of course, you CAN'T fit twenty episodes into one movie. We all know that. I've seen enough book to movie adaptations to know that a movie adaptation can never get everything in from the source, but the problem with this movie is that there was minimal effort to capture the spirit of the TV series. I didn't feel like the producers and director CARED for the story, with the way the movie came out plot and dialogue-wise.

I loved Dev Patel as Zuko. And for a odd reason, I rather liked Iroh's appearance. Both of them were decent actors. But none of the lines from the show made it to the movie such as Sokka's sarcasm, Aang asking Katara if she wanted to go penguin-sledding, the delicious banter between Zhao and Zuko (and the Agni Kai that resulted from it), Iroh's nuggets of wisdom, and so on and so forth. What made the show so great and enjoyable was stripped away from the movie. I didn't FEEL any of the essence of the show in this.

The Bending was a joke. Some of the fight scenes were awesome, but much of the Bending was preceded by what looked like interpretive dance whereas on the show, Bending was pretty much instantaneous with just one or two moves or gestures. Why did M. Night do this to the Bending arts? Again, only God knows why. He clearly had the budget, and the costumes were great I loved the clothing of the Fire Lord and Admiral Zhao. Overall the costumes for everyone seemed well-done, but so many other things were lacking and props could not save the atrocious storyline, writing, and dialogue.

Very little of the original show remains. Even the freaking name pronouncation has changed. If all of the character's names were changed and the Bending was renamed 'element magic' or something like that, this could easily have passed as an entirely different movie/story. One would think that with such an AWESOME TV show, the movie would be awesome too. Most of the actors for this film especially Aang, or should I say, 'Ohng' failed in their roles and were so unlike their TV counterparts and such lackluster actors in their roles that I wonder why M. Night chose them in the first place. It seems especially that the actors for Aang and Sokka have never seen the TV show and didn't bother studying their characters which to me is shocking, because any actor in a movie adaptation should take the time to study their character and source material.

Sadly, it's a terrible film, and I'm afraid of what M. Night and the producers will do with the next movie. Even people who haven't seen the TV show are trashing this film, and I have to agree. So much has been cut out that if you don't have the TV show information in your mind, things become really confusing. Hopefully M. Night will read all the negative reviews and rethink his plans for the next Airbender movie, because if he didn't even take the time to make sure the character's names were pronounced properly, he shouldn't be too surprised that people are being so critical of the film.

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The movie began promising with a strong opening that paid tribute to the TV series, but then everything quickly collapsed.

1. The names of key characters were changed: This wasn't a big deal in comparison to everything else, but it gave viewers Shyamalan's focus right in the beginning. Shyamalan wanted to make the movie his own and was willing to spend time to make changes on already perfect aspects of the show instead of focusing on ways that he could have better adapted the show to the big screen. Changes in movie adaptations are necessary, yet Shyamalan diverged to far from the show.

2. Eliminated the personalities of side characters. i.e. Sokka had only two very poor jokes in the movie despite being comedic relief in the TV show, Iroh was no longer heavyset and easygoing in day-to-day life.

3. Alienated the personalities of key characters: Aang was no longer a happy kid. Did he ever smile in the entire movie?

4. Destroyed key movie moments: In the Blue Spirit scene, Shyamalan did an excellent job until the end. Aang saved Zuko by pulling him into the forest. Then Shyamalan should Aang stare at him and leave. In the TV series, on the other hand, there was meaningful dialogue in which Aang questioned the purpose of their fighting and even asserted that they could have been friends without the war. The moment created serious reflection in both characters and was crucial to their development in the TV series. Shyamalan passed on the great half a minute opportunity.

5. Lack of Kyoshi Warriors: It is understandable in a movie, but the Kyoshi Warriors are important in later seasons. Furthermore, they demonstrate great examples of feminism. This balance was crucial in the TV series; the Kyoshi Warriors showed women can perform better in typically male roles.

6. Zuko didn't battle General Zhao at the end. This battle marked the conclusion of the conflict that Zuko initiated during his actions as the Blue Spirit. Changing this battle took meaning out of the story.

This list could go on, not quite indefinitely, but very, very close. A movie that had so much to live up to and simply had to follow the near-perfect story of the TV series to do it, failed tremendously.

The movie was one of the biggest disappointments of my childhood. My favorite show, ruined on the big screen. If you would kindly, for not me but yourself, watch the TV series.

Honest reviews on The Last Airbender (2010)

I don't understand how Shyamalan could mess this up so badly. My girls and I own the 3 books of the nick cartoon series Avatar: The Last Airbender and we watch it all the time. It has everything a great story needs action, a little bit of romance (not too much thank goodness), humor, great characters both the good and the bad, suspense, and the plot keeps moving forward taking the viewer on an exciting adventure. But this live action version is an overblown waste of Millions of $$. This is just a big M. Night ego trip. There's an action sequence where Aang who is supposed to be fighting for his life, escaping with the help of the blue spirit, finds himself in a large circle surrounded by boards and he just starts blowing the boards into different configurations for a few minutes while the blue spirit is left hanging fighting the bad guys. This is pretty much the way the entire movie goes. MNS doesn't seem to know how to use the characters powers in any useful way, he just goes into special effects mode like "oh, this would be cool to see" without thinking of whether it makes any sense for the character to be doing that. So, the story tends to sits like a big steaming pile of flying bison poop.

Main problems with this movie:

1. Names are pronounced differently from cartoon (is this an elitest version of the cartoon? Aang is now Ahng?)

2. This is supposed to be an asian based world... uhm, where are the asians?

3. Characters are pretty clueless and they do a lot of monologuing (argh!)

4. Where are the laughs? Avatar is filled with jokes and lighter moments, this is just dull, dull, dull.

Highlights:

Zuko's uncle Iroh is the best looking character in the movie.

hmmm... yep, that's about it.

This money would have been better spent creating a 4th book in the legend of Aang. Nickelodeon, if you have any say in the live action movies I seriously recommend taking more creative control or just getting a different director. Luckily, the creators of Airbender have announced a new show called Avatar: The legend of Korra set to air November 2011. In the meantime, I'll be watching all of my old episodes from the cartoon series just to clear my head after watching this junk.

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There are good adaptations. There are bad adaptations. And there are adaptations that rip asunder the source material and gleefully devour its corpse.

This is one of the last category.

I might have been able to still enjoy "The Last Airbender" if it had merely had special effects, a horrible script and actors with the charisma of a plank. But director M. Night Shyamalan gets EVERYTHING ELSE wrong too, from the character motivations to bending.

Southern Water Tribe girl Katara and her brother Sokka stumble across a glowing glacier, and find a young Airbender boy inside. Since all the other Airbenders are dead, Katara figures out that Aang is the Avatar -the master of all four elements, and the only person in the world who can defeat the powerful Fire Nation.

However, the Fire Nation has already found him, in the form of the disgraced Prince Zuko (Dev Patel). Aang, Sokka and Katara set out on a perilous voyage to the North Pole to find a waterbending master. But the malevolent Admiral Zhao -Zuko's nemesis -is approaching the North Pole with the Fire Nation navy, with a plan that may destroy them all.

M. Night Shyamalan had a golden opportunity with "The Last Airbender" -the original cartoon was intelligent, funny, complex and filled with brilliant martial-arts and strong philosophical overtones. So instead he decided to make a movie with NONE of that -a witless, humorless, simplistic stumbling behemoth of a film.

The culture, the characters, the climactic battle, the bending, the acting, the action sequences, and even the pronunciation of the names... EVERYTHING IS WRONG. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. But if I listed everything wrong with the movie, this review would be the size of a novel.

Even from an objective perspective, this movie is a disaster. Shyamalan clearly has no idea how to write an action movie, blasting through incoherent fight scenes in one long pan. The story feels painfully repetitive (how many times is Aang going to be captured?!) and the script is horrendously pompous, humorless and rushed ("We have to show them that we believe in our beliefs as much as they believe in theirs" -WHAT? You're not trying to SAVE THE WORLD?).

Also, there are gaping plot holes that a three-year-old can spot. So the Fire Nation imprisons Earthbenders, who manipulate rocks and soil... in a friggin' MINE. And the pseudo-Buddhist Aang apparently has no problem with COLD-BLOODEDLY KILLING HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE. Was Shyamalan mocking us with how bad he could make this, or did he just not care?

I will give Dev Patel credit -even though his Zuko's main source of angst seems to be a mild case of eczema, he does put a lot of passion and intensity into the role.

Sadly, the same cannot be said of the other actors. Aang is wooden and mopey, Katara is weepy and inept, and Sokka comes across as a ticking time bomb. Even the talented Shaun Toub plays the horrendously-written role of Iroh with an air of boredom -he always looks like he's thinking, "Okay, when do I get paid?" Only Aasif Mandvi seems to be having fun chewing the scenery.

M. Night Shyamalan managed something truly impressive in "The Last Airbender" -he managed to take a funny, well-written, intelligent series and suck out all the humor, cleverness and likability from it.

Buy The Last Stand (2013)

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I am surprised that this movie didn't do better at the box office, but I think it was up against stiff competition at the time. I think it was a really good movie and I sure wouldn't mind seeing it again and owning it. Arnold's still got it! A lot of good action with unlikely heroes....some incredible car chase scenes... good plot, and some good laughs, too. I really wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did, but was pleasantly surprised! Way to go, Arnold!!! Looking forward to your next project!

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I remember weeks ago seeing back-to-back trailers for this film and Sylvester Stallone's "Bullet to the Head." Sly's film looked ridiculous and stupid, not to mention he is after thugs that took his daughter. How original. But then Arnold's movie trailer comes on and it seems pretty clear we are going to get good guys and bad guys in an unlikely shoot-out, but damn if it doesn't look like fun. And damn if it isn't.

Schwarzenegger plays Sheriff Ray Owens, a small town cop on the Arizona-Mexico border. Coming his way from Las Vegas is an escaped cartel boss (Eduardo Noriega) in a souped-up Corvette ZR-1. In a ridiculous and convoluted scenario, this occurs during a transfer supervised by FBI agent John Bannister played by Forest Whitaker in a performance about as lame as his character's management of the transfer. Maybe Whitaker just couldn't understand director Jee-woon Kim's instructions.

The fun really starts when Cortez (Noriega) approaches the border town. You see Cortez is also a professional race car driver. Think about it. In an earlier set up, Cortez has sent a cadre of henchmen ahead to prepare a portable bridge over a ravine into Mexico. Since everyone is out of town at a football game, the sheriff will have to defend their border with an out-of-shape deputy (Luis Guzman), another pair of deputies new to the job (Zach Gilford and Jaimie Alexander), the town drunk/ Iraq War veteran (Rodrigo Santoro) and town gadfly (Johnny Knoxville).

Arnold is at his self-deprecating best as the tired veteran of the L. A. police force just looking for a little quiet time. The film is exactly what it promises, nothing more. It's fun.

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It is a movie of PURE ACTION< LAFFS< AND A FUN ROLLERCOASTERV RIDE. Bulk of movie was shot near where I live. Neighbors signed up as extras but landed on the cuttting room floor. Anyway, the jail break, the Corvettte, the preparation in town for the forthcoming crap coming their way. Arnold, the supporting cast Peter Stormare(Fargo), Johnny Knoxville, etc Everyone was a good ,credible actor. Movie was just plain fun....divides up your attention to action, to drama, to humor...The mix of these elements are pure genius. Go too far with one aspect could have ruined this gem. But it is 5 STARS the whole way.

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Ok, so maybe Arnie isn't as young and limber as he was in movies like The Terminator films or Predator or The Running Man or Commando, but that doesn't mean he's not still capable of starring in a great action movie. The Last Stand is his first lead starring role since his return from politics (with stints in Expendables 1 or 2 warming him back up for the big screen), and although it isn't the absolute best action movie out there, it still entertains!

My dad and I both are long time Schwarzeneger fans...I grew up watching Schwarzeneger movies with him, and we saw many later films of his together too. We both were jumping at the chance to see him on the big screen again where he belongs in the likes of Expendables 1 and 2, and once The Last Stand came around, we were sold on it as well. My dad and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Sure Arnie moves a little slower now that he's older, but he sure put on a good show in this film. I won't go into too much detail about the movie, as you can certainly read about it for yourself, and I do believe a couple of other reviewers have already elaborated on the plot some, but I will say that my dad and I both enjoyed it.

The action is good...with a couple of exceptions, there isn't a great deal of action right off the bat, but it gradually builds action-wise, until one big showdown at the end and a face off between evil (the villain) and justice (Arnie). There was some good humor thrown in here and there too, and of course I had to chuckle at the fact that Johnny Knoxville was in this movie...before then I'd never actually pictured he and Arnie in a movie together, but it was honestly pretty great. May not be an utterly amazing film, but it's entertaining and has some good action, and that's alright by me. If you're an action fan, then definitely check this movie out!

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When I first saw the ads for "The Last Stand" I was naturally fearful that it would be every bit as bad as that first trailer made it appear. However I'm glad I didn't let that first trailer keep me from seeing the film. "The Last Stand" is a silly action filled romp with all the campy dialogue that made so many Arnold movies in the 80's so much more than simple action films. Above all else the film is fun to watch. Arnold gives us a more introspective character than I have ever seen him play before, but his performance as this aged and burnt out Sheriff is just as easy to root for as the more swashbuckling characters he played so often in his youth. He is joined by a strong supporting cast including two villains both of whom are just crying out for pain which Arnold is more than happy to supply.

If you're an Arnold fan this one is a keeper and for everyone else give this movie a rent some night when you feel like an action movie.

Last Flight of Noah's Ark (1980) Review

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Elliott Gould gives another great performance as the world weary, hard drinking loner (ala `Getting Straight', `The Long Goodbye', `MASH'), but similar to his other early eighties foray into Disney films `The Devil and Max Devlin', his loner character is tested and softened through unexpected events. Geneviève Bujold also sticks to previous performances as the determined and sexy emissary of good (`Coma', `Earthquake'). Both leads give a nice edge to this adventurous tale, made at a time when Disney was making some interestingly cast and original live action films like `The Black Hole', `Amy' and `TRON'. Rick Schroder, in the prime of his childhood acting career, plays virtually the same character as he did in `The Champ'. All of this cinematic pedigree adds a wonderfully entertaining element to a film that could have dived into the painfully mawkish. Complete with night shark attacks, stranded Japanese soldiers, orphans, an eclectic menagerie of animals (who ever sees a mallard duck in the same vicinity as one of those hump backed African ox), and a great South Pacific setting this film has something for everyone. A guaranteed good night with nods to the adults and thrills and adventure for the kids. Hearkens back to a not particularly distant past when Disney was making wholesome original films with a little edge.

As always Anchor Bay does a beautiful job in the DVD transfer, giving more time and respect to Disney's library than Disney does for its own films. As with all Anchor Bay DVDs, highly recommended.

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There are a number of new movies that are great for a family but this is an old and timeless classic! Great movie!

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A solid family movie with enough action to hold the entire familys interest. Outstanding photography with a good professional cast. Recommended for all film libraries.

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This is a great movie. My sons watched it (lots!) when they were younger. I've never heard anything about this movie (either before, or since we watched it years ago) I was really excited to find it on DVD so my grandkids could watch it. My grown son also wants to watch it again. A great family movie!

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Elliott Gould stars as an impecunious pilot who ,in order to stay one step ahead of two strong arm men anxious to collect his gambling debts ,reluctantly agrees to fly a cargo of animals to a remote Pacific island in the company of a nun ,Sister Bernadette (Genevieve Bujold).She has conceived the idea of importing the livestock as a way of converting the islanders to a farming existence .

Omens are not propitious-the plane is old and rickety ; Gould is unenthusiastic about animals;Gould and Bujold clash and two pre-teenage children stowaway on the plane .

The plane goes offcourse and Gould is forced to ditch on a remote island which -just to complicate matters -is occupied by two Japanese naval officers who have not heard that World War two is over ,and who attack the plane without success.

The bulk of the movie shows how the parties combine in an attempt to escape from the island and how the internal conflicts are resolved.

Nicely shot on location in Hawaii and with a strong performance from the underrated Bujold ,this watchable movie is acceptable family fare but would have been all the better for a livelier actor in the lead role .Gould lacks the lightness of touch that Disney regulars from this era like Garner or Dean Jones would have brought to proceedings.

Solid and watchable but second string Disney.

Avatar The Last Airbender - Book 2 Earth, Vol. 1 (2005) Review

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The Avatar is a cartoon series open to people of all ages. If you have not yet watched the series, it is basically about a boy named Aang who must master bending (controlling) the four major elements of the world (Earth, Water, Fire and Air) in order to save the world. Aang is the only hope left to stop the long 100-year war started by the Fire Nation.

The best thing about this particular DVD is that unlike its predecessors, this one includes 5 episodes! In Book 2: Earth, Vol. 1, the included episodes are:

Chapter 1: The Avatar State. In Aang's visit to an Earth Kingdom city, the general tries to help Aang reach the Avatar state in order to use his power against the Fire Nation. Is this Earth Kingdom general really trying to help Aang?

Chapter 2: The Cave of Two Lovers. Aang and his gang decide to head back to Omashu to visit King Bumi in hopes he'll teach Aang Earth bending. Their run-in with some nomads leads them to a cursed cave! All they need to do to get out is to "trust in love," but is it really that simple?

Chapter 3: Return to Omashu. When they arrive at Omashu, something seems different. The Fire Nation has taken over! And where's King Bumi? Aang, Katara, and Sokka also encounter the evil Azula and her 3 friends for the first time. Expert killers, will Aang and his friends make it out of Omashu safely without finding Aang's old friend?

Chapter 4: The Swamp. While passing over a swamp on Appa, Aang thinks he hears it calling to him. After trying to ignore it, a random tornado forces him and his friends to land on ground. There is something mystical about this swamp, but Aang can't quite figure it out. Although skeptical Sokka tries hard to seek a logical way out of the forrest, there is someone watching. Does danger always follow the Avatar around?

Chapter 5: Avatar Day. After escaping from a small herd of Fire Nation soldiers, Aang makes his way to the city of Chin to discover that he's right in time for Avatar Day! However, it's not all what he expects it to be and the local townspeople are now accusing him of a crime centuries old. Can detective Sokka and Katara help clear Aang's name?

The next set of chapters come out April 10 of this year, so collectors should keep an eye out. If you haven't seen this show yet, check your local listings of the show on Nickelodeon. Enjoy!

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I am a 39 yr old father of 2 sons(6 yr old and 3). We watch Avatar faithfully with my wife who also enjoys the show imensely. It is the the only show on TV that the entire family watches together! It is one of the most beautifully animated cartoons on television. To refer to it as a mere cartoon is a diservice since the writing is far superior than 90% of all other tv shows. This show is not created strictly for children. The shows has very interesting and complex characters who are involved in a long story arc involving main protagonist(Ang) and his friends. The second season ,which this disc is the beginning of is just as interesting and exciting as the first season. The direction the show's plot goes is very compelling. I espeacially love how the show contains the right amount of comic relief and dosen't rely on any overtly cutesy chacters to blatantly apeal to children or girls (like most "serious" cartoons do).There are however several strong female characters in Avatar that take a major role in season 2's plot. What I like most about Avatar is that not everting presented in the show is black and white but in shades of grey. What I mean is that not all the characters are predictable and that they are changing throughout the show from new experiences.Is there violence in the show? Yes but it is not graphic or gratuitous and is there only to serve the plot.In addition to to the amazing animation and fabulous story telling it's the chacters who make this show worth watching.Anyone who is partial to fantasy or really good animation will enjoy this show.

Best Deals for Avatar The Last Airbender - Book 2 Earth, Vol. 1 (2005)

I am a 14 year old boy in menlo park, and yes, i love Avatar. I first saw this show when i was 12 and have loved it ever since. I love the way the Characters Aang, Katara and Sokka interact and mature through the show, helping and saving others while trying to throw off the fire nation persecuters. Also, the passionate animation and beutiful action scenes really stir me deep inside because all the bending disciplines are based on real Kung Fu.in this DVD there will be the episodes

1. the avatar stateAang learns about the avatar state and is attacked by a mean earthkingdom general who wants to use tis power

2. The cave of two loversAang and Katara get trapped in a dark cave

3.Return to OmashuAang goes back to learn earthbending from king bumi, but Omashu has changed

4.the swampAang & co go to a swamp and learn about zen.

i really like this show, and i think you will too. but i would recommend seeing Book 1, water before watching Book 2 earth. peace out!!

Honest reviews on Avatar The Last Airbender - Book 2 Earth, Vol. 1 (2005)

This is a fabulous television show. It has been quite a challenge to find something my entire family can enjoy watching together -but Avatar can keep the attention of a four-year-old girl, a twelve-year-old boy, two gen-exers, and a grandpa. The characters are well-developed, the story is well-constructed, the animation is beautiful and the martial arts sequences are choreographed beautifully. It's adventurous and thrilling but not violent or scary. And it's funny. The episodes can stand alone, but the story also follows a linear path that moves at a nice pace and doesn't drag on forever...I could drag on forever about this show...It ROCKS!

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Avatar: The Last Airbender is certainly one of the best shows to come out of Nick in a long long... long time. The continuing serial storyline is in-depth, multi-layered, and follows a number of characters who are entertaining to watch. For this reason I am giving this product five stars.

BUT...

My frustration is over the fact that they continue to release the seasons in this broken up format of four episodes per volume. By the time Book 2, Vol 1 is released, the entire second season will have already aired. In due course it will be released as a season long package, but to have us wait simply to try to pull extra bucks from the less patient is (although understandable) annoying as hell.

My suggestion to everyone, satisfy your Avatar needs by watching re-runs on TV or viewing the fuzzy low-rez versions on YouTube (hopefully they will remain there). Eventually the entire Book 2 package will be released when they get to releasing Vol. 5 and you will be able to get everything from Episode 201 to 220 in one feld swoop... and more importantly, at a reduced total price.

Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures (Raiders of the Lost Ark Review

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Swinging onto Blu-Ray at last, INDIANA JONES: THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES is undoubtedly going to rank as one of the fall's must-have format releases. Paramount's five-disc set includes the HD debuts of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" on Blu-Ray with a fourth disc of extras and a fifth ("Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull") that some fans likely feel is best left as a beverage coaster. It's a great package that starts with new AVC encoded 1080p transfers and remixed DTS MA soundtracks of each film -and by this point, is there any reason to re-analyze Steven Spielberg and George Lucas' legendary Saturday Matinee adventures? Each entry in the original Indy trilogy is immeasurably entertaining on its own respective merits, though fans can still quibble about which one is best.

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK thankfully still retains its original on-screen title (despite its packaging as "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark"), and remains a classic of the action-adventure genre. With a smart Lawrence Kasdan script (from a George Lucas-Philip Kaufman story), classic stunts and Spielberg working at the peak of his talent, "Raiders" is pure and unadulterated fun, with Ford introducing us to the centerpiece role of his career and Karen Allen easily providing the best female love interest of the series.

Paramount's AVC encoded transfer of "Raiders" is much more "contrasty" than I've seen the movie before and not quite as green and "lush", especially in the early jungle sequences -but it's also clear this new HD scan is light years ahead of any prior video release in terms of detail. I can't recall how the film originally appeared in theaters so it's entirely possible the color scheme is also more faithful to cinematographer Douglas Slocombe's theatrical version than the prior DVD releases certainly it's an excellent transfer overall, with fine detail visible throughout. The DTS MA soundtrack is forceful and superbly engineered, offering a broad stage for John Williams' legendary score and crisp sound effects. Three original trailers are the disc's sole extras a short teaser (selling the film on the merits of Spielberg's past blockbusters), full theatrical trailer, and a 1983 re-release trailer (from the "Superman" trailer voice-over guy) are each presented in AVC encoded 1080p.

The first sequel (technically a prequel, even though it's a standalone adventure), INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM was controversial in its day (along with another Spielberg production, "Gremlins," it helped create the PG-13 rating, which was initiated before the summer of '84 was out), and even now it's a nasty, violent ride compared to the other Indy adventures. The script by Lucas pals Willard Huyuck and Gloria Katz ("American Graffiti") is silly and more excessive than either "Raiders" or "The Last Crusade," and Kate Capshaw's whiny Willie Scott is a comedown from Karen Allen's Marion -so much so that it's tough for "Temple of Doom" not to be compared unfavorably with its predecessor. Still, the movie's final third is a blast, and John Williams' majestic, triumphant score may be his most inspired of the series: his themes for the Indy-Willie romance, Short Round's Theme, the mine cart ride, and the regal music that accompanies our heroes through the jungles of India are simply spectacular, and when combined with the original "Raiders March," create a phenomenal underscore that effortlessly carries the audience past the sequel's lesser aspects.

Opening with the glorious musical staging of Cole Porter's "Anything Goes" (a lavish set-piece many critics rightfully noted was one of the highlights of the entire picture), "Temple of Doom" is the most colorful of the entire series in terms of its appearance, and the Blu-Ray's impressive HD transfer looks so natural that viewers can more easily spot discrepancies in the original cinematography (particularly during the climactic rope bridge sequence) they may not have noticed before. The soundtrack is again impressive, and both the original teaser and what appears to be an early (and underwhelming) theatrical trailer (running just a minute and with a 1983 copyright) included for extras.

The problems with the second film were rectified with the 1989 blockbuster INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE, which on a surface level sounds like a "Raiders" rehash but adds a warm, richer emotional component through Sean Connery's magnetic performance as Indy's father, Dr. Henry Jones. Connery is magnificent and his interplay with Harrison Ford is amusing and poignant, giving the movie an added human dimension absent from the amusement-park action of "Temple of Doom" and matching the level of character development found in "Raiders." John Rhys-Davies and Denholm Elliott return from the original, and the movie entertainingly reprises the quest-styled plot of "Raiders" as Indy tries to track down his father, who was lost while searching for the Holy Grail. While "The Last Crusade" may lack the freshness of the original, it's right up there in terms of my personal fondness for the material Connery and Ford are so good together that the film's strengths are only magnified on repeat viewing, and the lengthy opening sequence with River Phoenix as a younger Indy is a sheer delight, with a buoyant John Williams score to match.

Paramount's 1080p transfer is in line with the "Raiders" and "Temple of Doom" discs displaying crisp detail and a thankful lack of DNR while the DTS MA soundtrack is again effectively engineered. Both the film's original 1988 teaser (showing the crew at work on the sequel) and full theatrical trailer are included as well.

Shortly after INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL was released, I received an email from a reader saying that I was unfairly harsh on the belated and thoroughly unnecessary fourth installment in the series. Frankly, after reading my original review over again, I actually don't think I was hard enough on it!

Ranking as one of the most disposable films in director Spielberg's canon, this lightly entertaining but forgettable fantasy is compromised by a leaden David Koepp script nearly completely devoid of interesting characters, wit or innovation. While Harrison Ford still fits comfortably into his iconic role with Indy coerced into helping a group of nefarious Russians search for an ancient relic that possesses a supernatural power the film rolls snake eyes in terms of Cate Blanchett's villainess (one of many thankless roles), Indy's relationship with a young greaser (the continually charisma-challenged Shia LaBeouf) who needs his help finding a lost archeologist (John Hurt, playing what was likely Sean Connery's role) and his kidnapped mom -who turns out to be none other than Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen, wasted in a few minutes of screen time) herself.

The film overdoses on plot exposition (the mid-section of the picture is crushingly dull, bogged down in endless babble about the skull and its power) and fails to give its terrific cast much to do. Ford is as amiable as ever but even he seems a little ill at ease with some of the leaden dialogue, which doesn't exactly crackle the way Lawrence Kasdan, Jeffrey Boam or even Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz's work did in this film's far superior predecessors.

Recalling the sluggish pacing of "The Lost World" (I cringe even writing that statement), little in Spielberg's direction clicks either: would-be comedic moments fall flat, while action scenes tend to exhibit a "been there, done that" feel at every turn. The infusion of CGI heavily used in the movie, as it turns out -is also in stark contrast to the prior films in the series (as is Janusz Kaminski's overly stylized cinematography, which does no favors for the picture either. It's amazing how claustrophobic and unappealing this movie looks, the bulk of it all too obviously having been shot on soundstages). Finally, the picture also greatly misses Sean Connery's warmth and humor as Indy's dad -so much that it's unsurprising the few times "Indy IV" manages to strike an emotional chord is in its pair of direct references to Indy's late father (Connery was contacted to appear in the film but ultimately passed on it -a wise maneuver in hindsight, particularly considering how well the third movie turned out). In the end, "Crystal Skull" commits the worst sin of all: it's completely forgettable. Five minutes after the film was over I struggled to recall the specifics of the plot or individual sequences in it, feeling as if the series truly finished with the ride off into the sunset at the end of "The Last Crusade." Everything about this entry, ultimately, screams too little, too late.

Paramount's HD presentation of the fourth film is on par with their prior Blu-Ray, boasting a clear 1080p AVC encoded transfer and DTS MA soundtrack. Three trailers (marked trailers 2-4) in HD round out the disc.

Trailers aside, all the supplements are included in the fifth Bonus Features disc, which one imagines will remain exclusive to the box-set, offering a satisfying mix of previously-released content and one significant new addition. Here's a breakdown:

On Set With Raiders of the Lost Ark: The set's big new extra is this hour-long compilation of behind-the-scenes footage from the production of "Raiders." Taken mostly from 16mm handheld camera sources with some never-before-seen outtakes from the picture mixed with candid interviews from the cast and crew and even a few deleted scenes fans should love this piece, which gives viewers a real, honest sense of the day-to-day shoot, both on-location and at Pinewood Studios in the UK. (HD)

Making The Films: The original 1981 "Making of Raiders of the Lost Ark" from Howard Kazanjian and Phillip Schuman (57 mins.) is presented here along with Laurent Bouzereau's retrospective documentaries for "Raiders," "Temple of Doom" and "Last Crusade" from the 2003 DVD box-set, each offering a 40-50 minute segment devoted to each picture (all of these segments are in standard-def). The 28-minute "Crystal Skull" Making Of, meanwhile, is presented in HD (a much longer version of this Making Of was included in the original, two-disc Blu-Ray/DVD release of the film).

Behind the Scenes: A number of featurettes from the 2003 DVD Indy box-set include a John Williams interview in "The Music of Indiana Jones," plus "The Stunts of Indiana Jones," "The Sound of Indiana Jones," and "The Light and Magic of Indiana Jones." Brought over from the 2008 DVD release are "Raiders: The Melting Face!", "Indiana Jones and the Creepy Crawlies," "Travel With Indiana Jones: Locations," "Indy's Women: The American Film Institute Tribute," and "Indy's Friends and Enemies." Reprieved from the original "Crystal Skull" release are "Iconic Props," "The Effects of Indy" and "Adventures in Post-Production." Note that these "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" featurettes are presented in standard-def (the original Blu-Ray of the film offered these same segments in HD) while several other "Crystal Skull" featurettes from the prior release aren't included here at all.

Completists who enjoy "Crystal Skull" may want to hold onto the original BD release of the film for its more extensive supplements otherwise, this set contains basically all of the extras from the prior Indy DVD releases, sans storyboard galleries.

Ultimately, Paramount has delivered a great-looking, and sonically superior, Blu-Ray set that pays tribute to the work of Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Douglas Slocombe, John Williams and all the other master craftspeople involved in the production of the Indiana Jones series. Highly recommended, just as one would hope!

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I am an Indiana Jones fan through and through. I have been since I saw "Raiders of the Lost Ark" as a child in 1981. The Blu-ray release of such a monumental piece of film history merits taking the day off work and viewing all the entries of the series. Yes, that DOES include "The Temple of Doom" and "The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

"Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures" is what every fan of the archaeologist adventurer has been waiting for since the inception of Blu-ray. It features every film in beautiful high-definition with "Raiders of the Lost Ark" getting the special restoration treatment. The film looks beautiful both at home and on the big-screen. I took my boys to see it in the theater. The film brought tears to my eyes as I thought about the first time I saw it so many years ago and what it meant to me. This was a life-changing event for me much like seeing Star Wars was a few years earlier.

I want to stop and focus on "Raiders" for a moment since it's the one that got the most attention. It doesn't lose any of its classic grainy film look. It's just cleaned up and more vibrant. The latest restoration of "Jaws" for Blu-ray somehow looks better, but maybe that's because it needed more work to begin with.

Strangely, they didn't tidy up any of the visual effects the way George Lucas is known to do with his space saga. The movie is still effective exactly how it is. However, it would be interesting to see the effects-heavy ending with some of that ILM wizardry put to work on it.

"Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" is just as much fun as it always has been. This is probably the second least favorite film in the franchise behind "The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" for most fanatics. It's still a thrilling rollercoaster ride with some great humor thrown in.

"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" to this day wraps up the first three films in the "original" trilogy perfectly. It brings back Sallah and Brody and takes us back into the desert to battle Nazis. It also introduces us to Indy's father, who couldn't be anyone else BUT James Bond. Sean Connery delivers a humorous and heartfelt performance as the father of the most famous archaeologist adventurer. Harrison Ford and Connery trade quips and bicker amongst each other in such a convincing manner, you'd think they were really related to each other. It also brings the subject of the quest full circle back to a Christian artifact. Many viewers would agree they were the most successful entries in the series.

"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is definitely the most hated of the series. I get in an argument at least once a week with some crazed Indy fan who whines about how this movie single-handedly destroyed their enjoyment of the entire franchise or wishes it was never made. Some people are so ungrateful. Steven Spielberg delivered a fun adventure that looks and feels very much like it belongs right next to the rest of the films.

The complainers about Indy surviving an atomic explosion after being catapulted through the air to land safely in the desert have selective memory loss. Apparently they don't remember other fantastical moments in the series like the Ark of the Covenant melting people and disintegrating a troop of Nazi officers. How about jumping out of a plane in a raft and landing safely in a river? When was the last time you walked across a canyon on an invisible bridge? Also, the search for three magic rocks is waaaaay off base when compared to ancient alien astronauts. It's unbelievable here, but we sure can accept if for Prometheus.

Bonus features for the set include "Making of" documentaries for every film and several "Behind the Scenes" featurettes. There are teaser and theatrical trailers for each film on each disc as well. There's enough bonus material to merit a fifth disc. Strangely, many of the extras for "The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" are not found here. Completists might throw a bit of a fit over that. I say just keep your original copy of the movie on Blu-ray if you really want it.

The "Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures" Blu-ray set will look immaculate sitting next to your "Star Wars" Blu-ray set. The packaging is the same material and style. They look like they belong together with their matching Lucasfilm logos on the spines. It's strange how movies that continue to make an immeasurable impact on people can fit into such a small space on a shelf. They also remind me of how much thanks I owe to George Lucas and Steven Spielberg for a memorable childhood. Any fanboy or girl who grew up with these films and says differently is lying to themselves.

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Okay, I believe we all know who Indiana Jones, is, right? I grew up with Indy and my kids will be the same. This new box-set is the definitive Indy box-set. This set features the original classic trilogy plus the newest addition, "The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". Just like the set that came out in May for the 4th movie, this set comes with the new special editions of the original 3 movies. The best part about this set is that the 4th movie is the 2-Disc special edition and not the lame 1-disc version. My only complaints with this set are 1) that the DVD cases are those really lame slim cases and not regular sized DVD cases and 2) the bonus disc from the original trilogy boxset is missing (although the special features makeup for that is most respects) and 3) while the cover is cool, the order of each movie cover is weird; you start from the top right and work your way around. All in all, this is the best Indy box-set out there and it's worth getting. Here's my ratings for each movie:

Raiders of the Lost Ark: 5/5

The Temple of Doom: 4/5

The Last Crusade: 5/5

The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: 3.5/5

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Yes, it's finally out!! Been waiting so long! But... Not sure if everyone else is oblivious to the risk of this collection but read on...

What is seriously going on with the execs who make the decisions for these long awaited collections? Is it a conspiracy for companies to give us bad packaging in hopes we ruin the product in hopes we buy it again after we ruin them over a long period? I'm not a movie troller who hates movies and Indiana Jones is one of the greatest franchises ever, I'm just fed up with these horrible packaging ideas. Basically the Indiana Jones Adventures is in identical packaging to the Clint Eastwood collection which was one of the worst packaging ideas ever. Here's the main issue, these treasured movies are stuffed in between two pieces of hard abrasive cardboard. In order to pull a movie out, you have to grab both sides of the disc right near the edge, immediately putting finger prints on the information side of the disc. Not to mention pulling it out on the bare cardboard as it's packed in so tight. Do this over a period of time, you're asking for trouble. Even trouble, i noticed a tiny 2cm scratch on Raiders the FIRST time I pulled it out from rubbing against the cardboard. Mind you, these blu ray discs can withstand scratches, but how much and for how long do you want to chance it? It's packed in so tight, it's just bound to happen when one day you're gonna freeze up thanks to a nice scratch from your case. IF you buy this collection which I still say you should, just take them out safely as you can and store them in a regular DVD Case. A major pain and yes, the case is basically worthless and nice to look at, but don't risk it if you want to savior this collection that is wonderful if you can salvage it before ruining it. Some people have said squeeze the cardboard to loosen and wait for it to fall out, I did try this on Raiders and temple and the disc did not move

If you want to know about the movies, on how they look, I actually think the older movies look even better than Skulls. Obviously the first 3 classics got the most love. Skulls is inferior, so we know why though. The extras are great, a nice documentary of watching Raiders with lots of deleted scenes and lost footage is an amazing find. Bonus materials are amazing! Just be really careful taking these movies out of the cases. Feel free to use Crystal Skulls as a coffee cup holder. ;)

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Anyone who knows Indiana Jones already knows the plots of these films, so I won't pontificate on those details, and will get right to the transfers:

The Picture (Raiders):

The picture is very sharp, and the dark scenes show exceptionally deep shadow areas and rich colors, especially in the Ravenwood bar, which looks absolutely gorgeous, even more real than I remember it looking in cinemas, but I'm saddened to see that the highlights in the bright outdoor daylight scenes are largely blown out, white, gone.

This is either a problem with the transfer, or the source, the original film negative. If the latter, it's so sad to see a great film like Raiders fade over time. If the former, we'll have to wait for yet another transfer. If I remember correctly, Lowry Digital Studios did the restorations for DVD back in 2003. I'm guessing the 2012 archivists, at Lowry or another facility, didn't use that old Lowry transfer for blu-ray because it was a much lower res scan than the 4k scan done here.

The transfer of Raiders also carries with it what another reviewer described as an "orange teel"; that is, everything is colored in a kind of golden amber warmth. This is great in the Raven bar and in the Idol's temple when Indy is bathed in the shaft of light emanating from the golden Idol itself, but, in other scenes, like the thunderstorm in the desert at night when the Arabs are uncovering the Well of Souls, the scene should be more blue, and is instead, in the amber tint of this transfer, kind of a neutral gray.

Compared to Temple, Crusade and even Crystal Skull, which look perfect, sadly, I have to give the visual transfer of Raiders only a 3.5 out of 5 stars. The transfer and restoration artists ALMOST got this transfer right, but, sadly, they blew it on maintaining the color and contrast. If director Steven Spielberg himself approved this transfer, he either didn't view it on a correctly calibrated monitor, or he's going senile.

Considering that Raiders of the Lost Ark is my favorite, and, arguably, the best movie in the whole Indiana Jones series, this transfer is a bit disheartening and disappointing, to say the least. To some of you who weren't born yet in 1981 when Raiders was originally released in cinemas, so you never got to see it on the big screen, and thus you have no reference for what Raiders is supposed to look like, you'll enjoy it just fine.

If you already own the DVD of Raiders, hold onto it, as it is, minus the standard-definition limitations of DVD, closer to Raiders' original, true cinematic vision.

The Sound (Raiders):

Some sound-FX and dialogue are crystal clear, with some new effects added, like dripping water in the South American temple and some new "pfew!" sound-FX of the poison darts spitting at Indy when he removes the Idol from its pedestal and flees as all hell breaks loose (YES! Thanks, Ben Burtt!), others less than stellar, a bit muted, and, like the Jaws transfer for blu-ray, sound mixers added that extra reverb to John Williams' classic score...broadened the spaciousness and cavernousness of the music, but the music now lacks the definition and clarity of the highs found on previous releases. Sounds like the London Symphony Orchestra is performing at a ball game. Enveloping, and yet lacking definition. Disappointing. I have to give the sound of Raiders a 4 out of 5 stars.

Now, onto Temple and Crusade...

The picture:

I'm only guessing here, and could be wrong, but it looks like these ARE the earlier, and excellent 2003 Lowry digital transfers done for the DVDs, now shown in their native high-res format, instead of being down-rezzed by the picture-quality limitations of DVD. They look great! The color red is more prevalent on the blu-rays of Temple and Crusade than on their corresponding DVDs, which is especially useful, and wonderful, inside the Temple of Doom, with all the red presumably coming from fiery volcanic fissures. This is a masterwork of film lighting from the late, great cinematographer Douglas Sloccombe, and is presented here gorgeously. Bravo!

The sound:

It has some nice new discreet directionality in the rear surrounds, which is especially evident in Crusade, when the Messerchmidts are chasing Indy and his dad. And John Williams' scores have never sounded better!

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull:

Picture quality seems to be the same as the previous blu-ray, which already looked quite good, faithful to Skull's theatrical release. The main difference here is the sound has been updated to DTS-HD, adding more depth to the soundtrack.

The extras from the DVD set are all here, with some new additions:

On Set With Raiders of the Lost Ark, which I found particularly rivetting, about the increasingly lost, dying art of on-set live action production. It shows the miracle of what was accomplished in-camera, with very little reliance on post-production, until we get to the opening of the Ark of the Covenant, with director Steven Spielberg saying how hard it is to explain to actors something that they can't see, and won't be there until post-production visual FX are completed. What I found most captivating about watching this footage is it shows just how tireless Steven Spielberg is. He really deserves all the money and credit he gets, because he works very hard. And he clearly LOVES what he is doing, making movies!

The original 1981 featurette, The Making of Raiders of the Lost Ark

The Melting Head, showcasing a modern reenactment of what was required to make Toht's head melt.

Indy's Women, showing a recent AFI interview with all three leading ladies in the classic trilogy, Karen Allen from Raiders, Kate Capshaw from Temple and Allison Doody from Crusade, talking about their characters and the experience of working on a tough, physical movie.

and probably one or two features I left out. It's a schmorgasbord. Enjoy!