The Adventures Of Young Indiana Jones Vol. 2: The War Years DVD Credits:

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The Adventures Of Young Indiana Jones Vol. 2: The War Years DVD Release Date: 18th December 2007

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The Adventures Of Young Indiana Jones Vol. 2: The War Years DVD Review:

The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones Vol. 2: The War Years, follows the Young Indiana Jones during his time as a Belgian soldier in the first World War. Young Indy and his corps take heavy fire from the Germans. Indy experiences the full breadth of war as he is subjected to some of the military genius of the German army, including nerve gas, flame throwers, and heavy machine-gun fire over a field of corpses. During his service, Indy is captured and placed in a POW prison where he meets future French president Charles de Gualle. While on leave from another mission, Indy meets and enters into a relationship with famed dancer and alleged spy Mata Hari. Jones goes to Africa before heading north to Russia where he befriends the Bolsheviks. His time in the army introduces Young Indy to several of history’s most notable people and technological achievements including Dimitri Lenin, Albert Schweitzer, Picasso, and the German cannon “Big Bertha,” among others.

The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones Vol. 2: The War Years is a fantastic collection of historical fiction in a tremendous box set. Made up of 9 discs, the box set includes 8 feature length episodes, nearly 30 documentaries, an interactive timeline, and a Special Delivery Interactive Game. Lucas and company have once again outdone themselves, as they have created another collection of award worthy documentaries to compliment the fun and historically accurate episodes. The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones was originally created as a vessel to spark interest in historical events, and great pains were taken to ensure that while Indiana Jones may be a work of fiction, the world in which he moves about is as historically accurate as possible. Lucas is quoted as stating that “Fiction is a great way of sparking interest in fact, and these collections should provide a fun way to get a glimpse into some really fascinating historical events.”

Perhaps one of the most impressive aspects of this television series is the amazing production value. Despite the show’s occasional use of digital effects, Lucas wanted the principal photography to be shot on location and thus the series was shot in over 35 countries all around the world. In an effort to avoid an American centric point of view, Lucas would also employ directors from around the world, making Young Indiana Jones impartial to any historical rhetoric due to political fallacies.

The show’s makers have continued to present the episodes in chronological order, rather than the format that the show was originally aired in. This approach makes sense and has allowed the creators to present the boxed sets in a neat, organized manner. However, fans of the series will miss the charming, elderly Indiana Jones who would bookend each of the originally aired episodes. It is a small price to pay for such a definitive collection.

The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones Vol. 2: The War Years box set is loaded with special features including Education grade documentaries that cover the various aspects World War I, including a look at the battle of Verdun, a documentary on Mata Hari, T.E. Lawrence, among so many more.

Each episode and its special features are presented in Full Frame and in stereo sound.

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The Adventures Of Young Indiana Jones Vol. 2: The War Years DVD review written by: Andrew Mattson