Raiders Of The Lost Ark (Limited Edition Steelbook) [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Steven Spielberg

Cast: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman

Release Date: June 14, 2022

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 7/10

Synopsis:

Get ready for edge-of-your-seat thrills in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Indy (Harrison Ford) and his feisty ex-flame Marion 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 Indiana Jones.

Please Note: Paramount Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

The film that started it all, ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ follows the one and only Indiana Jones (Ford) as he joins forces with his ex-flame Marion (Allen) and a couple of other loyal allies to take on Nazis and other dangerous adversaries in a quest to uncover a mystic relic that could prove to be a catastrophic threat in the hands of the Nazis should it be uncovered. Now Indy will have to race against time to try and get his hands on it first, while tackling plenty of danger, adventure and worst of all… snakes.

Originally released in 1981, ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ introduced to the world to Indiana Jones and quickly made him a beloved legend, portrayed marvelously by Harrison Ford and spawning three sequels (with another on the way). This first installment in the franchise still remains a masterpiece today even more than four decades after its initial release, serving up more than enough thrills, excitement, humor and just pure, good old fashioned fun to keep viewers enthralled throughout. Directed by legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman, the film also features a solid cast that in addition to Ford stars Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies and more. Now this cinematic gem has been masterfully restored and brought home once again in 4K Ultra HD in a standalone release for fans to revisit in the most impressive quality available, not to mention providing the perfect opportunity for a new generation of potential fans to discover it for the first time.

‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ comes home in a single film Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Steelbook release. The first standalone release of the movie in 4K Ultra HD appears to contain the same ‘Raiders’ disc that was included in the 4-Movie Collection released last year by Paramount based on the look of the disc, the included content and the 2021 copyright printed at the bottom. Therefore, the diehard fans who already own the previous box set release in 4K may only want to pick this one up if they want the new Steelbook packaging for their collection and don’t mind double dipping for the case alone. Yet for those who didn’t want to purchase all four films in the series but would love to own ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ on 4K Ultra HD alone then this new release should be exactly what you were hoping for. Serving up a marvelous new 4K Ultra HD presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10 paired with a notable Dolby Atmos soundtrack that complements it splendidly, it’s safe to say that this classic film has never looked or sounded better at home than it does here and fans who haven’t yet had the pleasure of this one in the format should be absolutely blown away by what it has to offer.

Overall, the Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Steelbook release of ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ brings the beloved first film in the Indiana Jones saga home in 4K for the first time in a standalone release. The 4K UHD disc presents the classic movie with a quite stellar Ultra High Definition video presentation that’s only improved by the addition of Dolby Vision and HDR-10 grading and further complemented by an immersive and hard hitting Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Fans of the film that don’t want to own all four installments in the franchise should be thrilled with this single film release that features solid Steelbook packaging with the classic artwork, but anyone who already owns last year’s 4-movie 4K set will want to be sure that the packaging is worth the double dip considering that the included disc appears to be identical to the one included in the 4K set that hit stores last fall. If you don’t already own the film in 4K though and are considering a purchase, this one is definitely highly recommended!

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition video presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10, presented in its original 2.39:1 Cinemascope Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks phenomenal and provides a clean, sharp and immaculately detailed presentation from start to finish that never suffers from any notable issues along the way. It provides a nice grain structure that holds true to its source and the Dolby Vision addition only improves upon it all in order to offer some beautifully bright and sharp coloring complemented by deep and immaculate blacks in order to deliver what is almost surely the best video presentation that this film has ever seen at home. Overall, this is a marvelous Ultra High Definition video presentation that looks outstanding every step of the way and should easily thrill fans.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel compatible) soundtrack. Please note that this review pertains solely to the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio presentation. This multichannel soundtrack is pretty fantastic in its own right and serves up a clean, crisp and surprisingly immersive audio presentation throughout. It repeatedly utilizes all seven available channels in order to send gunshots and whips cracking, vehicle activity and action effects, along with the marvelous score and plenty more throughout the various speakers quite regularly while never allowing any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously to become distorted or rendered inaudible in the process. Overall, this is a wonderful Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack that sounds better than ever and shouldn’t disappoint in the slightest.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Steelbook release of ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ doesn’t include anything notable in the way of extras aside from the collectable Steelbook packaging (we’ve included a beauty shot image from the studio below for a look inside the packaging) which comes with an included mini-poster for the film. The disc itself includes 3 Trailers for the movie (running approximately 1-2 minutes each), the ‘Teaser Trailer’, ‘Theatrical Trailer’ and ‘Re-Issue Trailer’.

*Please note: The above images are not reflective of the actual 4K Ultra HD release or its quality. A standard Blu-ray copy of the film was not included in the release therefore the above publicity stills were utilized. They are all the property of Paramount Pictures and any other respective owners.

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Disc Rating: 7/10

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‘Raiders Of The Lost Ark’ is Now Available to Own on Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Steelbook from Paramount Home Entertainment

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