"The Return of a Legend" (17:37) traces Indiana Jones's journey back to the big screen, interviewing Spielberg, Lucas, and Ford on the development process than began in 1994. It was a long, winding road for the trio, with plenty of scripting setbacks during the 1990s, and a general reluctance from Spielberg to reopen the series after his poetic final shot in "Last Crusade." It's a bit of a whitewashed recollection (the recent Frank Darabont contribution is not mentioned), but the enthusiasm is palpable.
"Pre-Production" (11:47) observes the preparation for "Kingdom," taking a look at Spielberg and his pre-visualization demands, watching Ford ease back into character, and chatting with Bernie Pollack, Ford's personal costume man, who had the unenviable task of finding an armada of new fedoras and jackets that could withstand a beating during the shoot. The casting of Shia LeBeouf and the reintroduction of Karen Allen as Marion is also discussed.
Now, a little malarkey is thrown around in this featurette when cinematographer Janusz Kaminski arrives to discuss how Spielberg made sure "Kingdom" visually matched the previous films. I'll buy that for framing arguments, but for sharpness and adventuresome coloring? No way.
"Production Diary: Making 'Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'" (80:11) is a sprawling, comprehensive recount of filming, emerging from obvious promotional purposes (the actors are interviewed on the set), yet still captures the spirit of production and the monumental steps it took to bring Indiana Jones back to theaters (and now DVD).
Locations, sets, stunts, performances, silliness, direction, bugs, weather, special effects, snakes, hairdos, backlots, molds, costumes, ant juice, and marital hugs and kisses. It's all covered here, and with tremendous BTS footage to back up the effusive comments. A real treat for "Kingdom" fans.
"Warrior Makeup" (5:37) reveals the effort it took to turn average stuntmen into unholy temple guardians, interviewing department head Felicity Bowring and hair department honcho Kelvin R. Trahan about their accomplishments.
"The Crystal Skulls" (10:13) explores the myth of the titular object of power, with cast and crew lending their thoughts on the authenticity of the skulls. The conversation soon moves to the meticulous creation of the props, which needed to convey special weight and spooky, otherworldly architecture.
<s>"Iconic Props" (10:04) meets with prop master Doug Harlocker and tours the warehouse where all the "Kingdom" goodies and inside jokes are kept during filming.
"The Effects of Indy" (22:44) begins with ILM digital artist Paul Huston discussing his history with the franchise, and its move from practical effects to the digital realm. The featurette observes the CG details of the frame, and how the "Kingdom" team often married live-action filming with digital enhancements. Miniature photography on the Doom Town sequence, Jungle Chase choreography, and adventures with the "big damn ants" are also covered in full.
"Adventures in Post-Production" (12:47) flips the coin to consider the extensive finishing moves on the "Kingdom" experience, interviewing editor Michael Kahn and sound designer Ben Burtt (and his son Benny Burtt) as they assemble the picture for release. The creation of the traditional Burtt sounds is mesmerizing to watch. Finally, John Williams shows up to elucidate his creative decisions during the scoring of the film. Hopefully this section of the supplements will finally silence the unfair criticism leveled at Williams and his superb musical work. </s>
"Closing: Team Indy" (3:45) is essentially a high school yearbook of the key names and faces who worked on the film.
"Pre-Visualization Sequences" (14:10) shows the viewer "Area 51 Escape," "Jungle Chase," and "Ants Attack" in their earliest stages of development.
The "Galleries" section includes "The Art Department," "Stan Winston Studio," "Production Photographs," "Portraits," and "Behind-the-Scenes Photographs."
The Theatrical Teaser and final Trailer for "Kingdom" are included on this DVD, along with a look at the "Indiana Jones: Ultimate Action Hero" DVD commercial.
Finally, an XBOX 360 demo for the outrageously entertaining "Lego Indiana Jones" video game is included.