Let’s get the pertinent info out of the way. Hey kids, you know what’s coming out in theaters for Memorial Day weekend? It’s a little film called Indiana Jones and Get the Hell offa My Lawn. It stars Hans Solo, and that awesome kid from the Transformers movie, and some old broad, and Ilsa, She Wolf of the S.S.! How could it be bad? There’s no possible way. And you know why I say that? It was written by the director of Secret Window. How awesome is that. And from the producer of More American Graffiti, Howard the Duck and Willow. And from the director of Always and Hook.

I smell money!

Since this is the fourth film in the series, what’s a company to do but offer a tie-in DVD release of those first three films. Fuck yeah. You hear me, Cleveland? It’s mostly new stuff, though the transfers (and shit-ass menus) are exactly the same. But, there’s new supplements. Let me break those down first, and then I’ll get to ruminating on the franchise.

Bottom line, if you already own these films, there’s really no need, unless you want to hear thoughts from the current cast (including John hurt, Cate Blanchett, and Ray Winstone). All three films start with the first trailer for the new Indy, while Raiders of the Lost Ark comes with an introduction (8 min.), “An Appreciation” (12 min.), a featurette on the making of “The Melting Face” (9 min.), a storyboard gallery for the Well of Souls sequence, and still galleries (along with a trailer for the new Lego game, also on each film). Temple of Doom has an introduction (6 min.), a focus on the bugs with “The Creepy Crawlies (9 min.), “Locations” (9 min.), a storyboard sequence for the mine-cart sequence, and a still gallery. Last Crusade features an Introduction (6 min.), “Indy’s Women: The AFI Tribute” (9 min.) featuring Karen Allen, Kate Capshaw and Alison Doody (along with a surprise cameo by Short Round, or someone similar), “Indy’s Friends and Enemies” (11 min.), which dotes on the supporting players, and a storyboard sequence for the opening and still galleries.

The Pluses? It’s short and just as vacuous as the long-form versions on the first Indy box set. The same beats are covered (Spielberg says about the same things about Temple of Doom), but this time in anamorphic widescreen. The negatives: the rehearsal and test footage is not included, nor are the interviews with Douglas Slocombe.

Basically, if you haven’t switched to Blu-Ray yet, and don’t own the films, this will do. Otherwise, you’re best off holding on to the old set or waiting for the next-gen version. When that will come, who is to say?

As for the films, it’s fair to say that all good directors have a sense of rhythm. And when you watch the opening sequence of Raiders, what is it but great rhythm in action? You spend the whole sequence, it and the truck chase, laughing uproariously at Indy's travails because it’s so expertly paced and meted out and - brilliantly - at no point does Jones get the upper hand. It's all about timing, and that set piece is a doozy. When you look at the failings of the Prequel trilogy, what's most apparent is Lucas's utter lack of humor. Things don't build in a way that tickles you, he just stacks stuff artlessly. You keep waiting for the snap and crackle (which was apparent to some extent in Star Wars, though Lucas seemed mostly to be mining the war film aesthetic). Lucas lost whatever he had.  But, with Raiders you’re talking about one of the greatest action films ever made because of that sense of dance. Spielberg was the greatest second unit director in the history of cinema, and that 2nd unit comment is not a slight, most directors before Spielberg left the action business to their 2nd unit cause it was so time consuming. What Spielberg did, how he revolutionized action cinema, was make that stuff the focus of his talents. It shows. Sadly, when one looks at modern action cinema, you see too many technicians who fail to deliver interesting characters, or cast actors who will do that heavy lifting for them. See, for instance, Iron Man.

But if I’m to be honest, the Indiana Jones film I throw on most is Temple of Doom, and it saddens me that Spielberg has all but disowned it. That's because it's perpetual motion machine of excitement. Other than the introduction and ride to Pankot Palace, the film keeps up its momentum only to take it to the highest level for the film's final 40 minutes (everything after Jones wakes up from the black sleep of Kali). People can complain about Short Round all they want, I'll put up with his early wisecracks for the obvious and natural chemistry he has with Jones, and the sequence where Indy puts Short Round's hat back on, and touches his face gingerly. Sure, it could be a poster-moment for Nambla, but it really works. Which is then followed by the most iconic shot and sequence of Indy in the franchise. The lights come up slowly to reveal Indy after whipping a stick out a bad guy's hand. The bad guy goes to Indy, we hear two punches, and the bad guy slides back into frame. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Kate Capshaw could be called the weak link, but I never minded her. She's annoying and screechy, but you can't replace Karen Allen's Marion Ravenwood and so they went the absolute opposite direction by having the female lead be nearly a wet blanket. In a way, you could suggest that these films are much like Busby Berkeley films, which the film encourages with its Berkeley-inspired opening musical number. In fact, that's the best way to think of these films. As good as Raiders is, it's a little too serious in its business to be as much fun (even if it is perfect), and so every sequence and set piece in Temple of Doom is a musical number, starting with the opening sequence. I think my favorite sequence is the "five minutes" argument that then turns into a fight, and then discovery of the hidden passage. But then you've got the mine car chase, which is a masterpiece of editing. And then the bridge set piece. "Mola Ram? Prepare to meet Kali... In hell." In my oh so humble opinion, Temple of Doom is Spielberg's best film of the 80's. Yes, better than E.T. Yes, better than Always.

Last Crusade works almost as a parody version of Raiders, and that's the problem. Raiders is already a funny movie, and so the pleasures are in watching Harrison ford do a Scottish accent and play against Sean Connery. But, though the opening set piece and the tank chase are Spielberg at the top of his game, the catacombs and boat chase are B game material, and the entry into the final temple plays a lot like the opening of Raiders except without the laughs. Perhaps it's the more "real" religious implications of the film - like Raiders - that makes it a bit stuffy. There’s a gravitas that is antithetical to the pulp fun. And for all the racism that could be implied in Temple, making the Nazi's the bad guys is not only easy but gives a portentous side to things. With Thuggie cultists, it's just silly (even if the film embraces some colonialism, but the film doesn't give it more of a thought than mostly just acknowledging the whole franchise wouldn't exist without Gunga Din). Such gives me hopes for the insouciance of Crystal Skull.

Some have faulted the film for turning Sallah and Marcus into comic relief which is hard to argue against, but I wouldn't mind it as much if it didn't strike me lazy writing. When Brody becomes a boob it's so the film doesn't have to explain why he's easily captured by the Nazi's. And Julian Glover is such a non-entity of a villain, even he gets a great death scene. But you also have Doody’s Isla acting like an idiot to get to the conclusion. When too much of your film is predicated upon people acting foolish, you've failed.

You also get "You stood up to be counted against all that the grail stands for, who gives a damn what you think?" and "He chose... poorly." And the opening sequence with River Phoenix's brilliant mimicry of Harrison Ford. It's just not great, it's a rehash.

For those who wanted more plot descriptions… if you haven’t seen these films, you have to buy this set immediately and get with it.