You know that great scene in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, where Indy has grabbed the golden idol and must now escape from the booby-trapped temple and outrun a giant boulder? That’s Temple Run, in a nutshell. Your character is a treasure hunter who’s on the run and trying to escape mazes, tunnels, traps and jungles with his treasure and life intact.
Temple Run 2 (4/5 stars, guidance suggested due to in-app purchase capability, currently FREE), the long-awaited sequel to the monster hit Temple Run, was just released yesterday and it’s today’s Free App of the Day! From Amazon:
The sequel to the smash hit phenomenon that took the world by storm!
With over 170 million downloads, Temple Run redefined mobile gaming. Now get more of the exhilarating running, jumping, turning and sliding you love in Temple Run 2!
Navigate perilous cliffs, zip lines, mines and forests as you try to escape with the cursed idol. How far can you run?!
FEATURES
– Beautiful new graphics
– Gorgeous new organic environments
– New obstacles
– More powerups
– More achievements
– Special powers for each character
– Bigger monkey!!!
PLEASE NOTE: This app lets you purchase digital content using actual money. You can configure parental controls for in-app purchases, which will require your Amazon account password or a 4-digit PIN, by going to the Settings menu from within the Amazon Appstore.
For those who’d prefer to begin at the beginning, the original Temple Run (4.5/5 stars, guidance suggested due to in-app purchase capabillity) is also currently available for FREE! This version of the game is a bit simpler—though not necessarily easier—, and may be a good place to start if you’re new to Temple Run.
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The Indiana Jones movies that inspired these apps are now available in a Blu-ray box set, and it’s currently on sale for 35% off!
Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures [Raiders of the Lost Ark / Temple of Doom / Last Crusade / Kingdom of the Crystal Skull] (4.5/5 stars, PG-13) has been marked down from its usual price of $99.99 to $64.96—that’s 35% off! In addition to the four movies, this Blu-ray box set includes a fifth disc containing over 7 hours of special features.
Unfortunately, these films aren’t currently available as Amazon Digital Videos, but the Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventure Collection [Raiders of the Lost Ark / Temple of Doom / Last Crusade / Kingdom of the Crystal Skull] (PG-13, 4.5/5 stars) is available on DVD, and it’s currently priced at $47.80, 32% off its usual pricetag of $69.98. This set also includes a fifth disc of extras.
As always, we can never be sure how long sale prices will last so if you want either set, now’s the time to get it.
Here are descriptions of all four films, from Amazon:
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
It’s said that the original is the greatest, and there can be no more vivid proof than Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first and indisputably best of the initial three Indiana Jones adventures cooked up by the dream team of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Expectations were high for this 1981 collaboration between the two men, who essentially invented the box office blockbuster with ‘70s efforts like Jaws and Star Wars, and Spielberg (who directed) and Lucas (who co-wrote the story and executive produced) didn’t disappoint.
This wildly entertaining film has it all: non-stop action, exotic locations, grand spectacle, a hero for the ages, despicable villains, a beautiful love interest, humor, horror… not to mention lots of snakes. And along with all the bits that are so familiar by now–Indy (Harrison Ford) running from the giant boulder in a cave, using his pistol instead of his trusty whip to take out a scimitar-wielding bad guy, facing off with a hissing cobra, and on and on–there’s real resonance in a potent storyline that brings together a profound religious-archaeological icon (the Ark of the Covenant, nothing less than “a radio for speaking to God”) and the 20th century’s most infamous criminals (the Nazis). Now that’s entertainment. –Sam Graham
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
It’s hard to imagine that a film with worldwide box office receipts topping $300 million worldwide could be labeled a disappointment, but some moviegoers considered Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the second installment in Steven Spielberg and George Lucas’ 1980s adventure trilogy, to be just that. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad effort; any collaboration between these two cinema giants (Spielberg directed, while Lucas provided the story and was executive producer) is bound to have more than its share of terrific moments, and Temple of Doom is no exception.
But in exchanging the very real threat of Nazi Germany for the cartoonish Thuggee cult, it loses some of the heft of its predecessor (Raiders of the Lost Ark); on the other hand, it’s also the darkest and most disturbing of the three films, what with multiple scenes of children enslaved, a heart pulled out of a man’s chest, and the immolation of a sacrificial victim, which makes it less fun than either Raiders or The Last Crusade, notwithstanding a couple of riotous chase scenes and impressively grand sets. Many fans were also less than thrilled with the new love interest, a spoiled, querulous nightclub singer portrayed by Kate Capshaw, but a cute kid sidekick (“Short Round,” played by Ke Huy Quan) and, of course, the ever-reliable Harrison Ford as the cynical-but-swashbuckling hero more than make up for that character’s shortcomings. –Sam Graham
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Not as good as the first one, but better than the second. That’s been the consensus opinion regarding Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the final installment in Steven Spielberg and George Lucas’ original adventure trilogy, throughout the nearly two decades since its 1989 theatrical release. It’s a fair assessment. After the relatively dark and disturbing Temple of Doom (1984), The Last Crusade (1989) recalls the sheer fun of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).
With its variety of colorful locations, multiple chase scenes (the opening sequence on a circus train, with River Phoenix as the young Indy, is one of the best of the series, as is the boat chase through the canals of Venice), and cloak-and-dagger vibe, it’s the closest in tone to a James Bond outing, which director Spielberg has noted was the inspiration for the trilogy in the first place; what’s more, it harkens back to Raiders in its choice of villains (i.e., the Nazis–Indy even comes face to face with Hitler at a rally in Berlin) and its quest for an antiquity of incalculable value and significance (the Holy Grail, the chalice said to have been the receptacle of Christ’s blood as he hung on the cross). Add to that the presence of Sean Connery, playing Indy’s father and having a field day opposite Harrison Ford, and you’ve got a most welcome return to form. –Sam Graham
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Nearly 20 years after riding his last Crusade, Harrison Ford makes a welcome return as archaeologist/relic hunter Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, an action-packed fourth installment that’s, in a nutshell, less memorable than the first three but great nostalgia for fans of the series. Producer George Lucas and screenwriter David Koepp (War of the Worlds) set the film during the cold war, as the Soviets–replacing Nazis as Indy’s villains of choice and led by a sword-wielding Cate Blanchett with black bob and sunglasses–are in pursuit of a crystal skull, which has mystical powers related to a city of gold.
After escaping from them in a spectacular opening action sequence, Indy is coerced to head to Peru at the behest of a young greaser (Shia LaBeouf) whose friend–and Indy’s colleague–Professor Oxley (John Hurt) has been captured for his knowledge of the skull’s whereabouts. Whatever secrets the skull holds are tertiary; its reveal is the weakest part of the movie, as the CGI effects that inevitably accompany it feel jarring next to the boulder-rolling world of Indy audiences knew and loved. There’s plenty of comedy, delightful stunts–ants play a deadly role here–and the return of Raiders love interest Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood, once shrill but now softened, giving her ex-love bemused glances and eye-rolls as he huffs his way to save the day. Which brings us to Ford: bullwhip still in hand, he’s a little creakier, a lot grayer, but still twice the action hero of anyone in film today. With all the anticipation and hype leading up to the film’s release, perhaps no reunion is sweeter than that of Ford with the role that fits him as snugly as that fedora hat. –Ellen A. Kim