Jones and Ravenwood make their way through frozen Tibetan wastelands, South American jungles, and Egyptian deserts in a race to find the Biblical Ark of the Covenant. Indy seems confident about everything; he avoids large boulders, and fights Nazis, and seems to escape at every turn. One thing that seems to make Indy both human and endearing is his irrational fear of snakes. Here's a guy who spends his days getting bruised and battered, but it's the snakes that drive him to distraction!

The supporting cast of Raiders of the Lost Ark is first rate. John Rhys-Davies' ever-faithful Sallah, Ronald Lacey's silky agent Toht, and Paul Freeman's villainous Belloc are all very central to making the story work. Karen Allen is simply terrific as Marion Ravemwood. She more than holds her own with Harrison Ford; I dare say see steals a scene or two. Feisty and resilient, Allen's performance is reminiscent of the tough ladies of thirties cinema, where the film is set.

With an original score by John Williams, Raiders of the Lost Ark joins a myriad of other Williams scores as one of the most recognizable in cinema history. Williams' ability to deftly capture the mood of each scene with his mesmerizing score only adds to the perfection of the viewing experience.

Understandably, Raiders of the Lost Ark was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Music, Original Score. Though Raiders only took home Oscars in the set, effects, and sound categories, the film did mark "the return of the great adventure."

The Raiders of the Lost Ark - Special Edition DVD is presented in widescreen format enhanced for 16:9 televisions. The picture is crystal clear with no distortions or pixilation. The audio is presented in Dolby Digital: English 5.1 Surround, French 2.0 Surround and Spanish 2.0 Surround. Subtitles are available in English, French and Spanish.

For a special edition, Raiders of the Lost Ark's special features are disappointing. Most surprising, there is no commentary. Not from Spielberg, Lucas or even the set designer. Isn't that a DVD staple? Instead we get a short talking head piece titled, "New Introduction by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas." This one is kind of a quasi-"making of" documentary where the two men and others involved in making the film discuss how the whole project came about.

"The Indy Trilogy: A Crystal Clear Appreciation" brings back Spielberg, Lucas, and assorted actors from all four Indy films to discuss what they enjoy about them. "The Mystery of the Melting Face" is an interesting piece about how the special effects department melted Toht's face.

The DVD also includes "Snakes Alive! The Well of Souls Storyboards," photo galleries and a LEGO "Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures Game" demo.