It was only a matter of time before Paramount mined the original Indiana Jones trilogy for another DVD release — so what better time than right before the hotly anticipated fourth entry to rekindle the Jones fire that burns in so many movie-lovers’ hearts. But what about the box sets from five years ago? Do the new versions trump those or is this purely a double-dip issue? The answer is much like a Jones adventure in that it’s more complicated than what you know and in the end, will take much soul searching in order to evaluate how much this prize really means to each buyer. Thankfully, AMG is here to help. After the jump, we’ll spill the dirt on the new discs and let you know if this leap of faith a wise buy or one that’ll melt your face when all is said and done.

Right off the bat, learned customers will find that each film has been released individually on DVD for the first time. Indeed, previous releases were only available in box set form, which explains the “First Time Available” sticker on the slipcases. Other than that, the new discs still sport the same 5.1 sound and 16×9 picture that were found on the old widescreen set (2003’s sets were made available in both widescreen and pan-and-scan formats), so technically, they seem to be untouched, even if some avid home videophiles are claiming a slight improvement in the image area.

The differences come in the extras department, with each disc containing newly made special features to whet the customer’s chops. At first glance, the separate sections seem like throwaway fluff, but once ingested, are easily on par with the previous making-ofs on discs gone by. That said, they all seem a tad short – especially in comparison to the lengthy documentaries of old. More than anything, this is the place that will drive consumers mad, which is what Steven Spielberg and George Lucas appear to want.

The two creators can be found in brand new introductions of the three films, amounting to small, yet tasty featurettes that deliver never-before-seen footage of them on set as well as recently uncovered artwork from the vaults. Considering Spielberg’s aversion to commentaries, these types of interviews are just about the best way for audiences to get into the mind of one-half of the bearded duo. In addition, there are also in-depth photo galleries and other features centering on such series highlights as the creepy crawlies of the Jones world, the women of the series, and specific looks at other facets of the productions – all created with top notch care, even if – again – they’re all a bit fleeting in nature.

Not surprisingly, the biggest gripe comes hand-in-hand with the timing of these releases, thanks to the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull hype that seems built into many of the featurettes – a decision that’ll not only date the discs, but render the features unusable in future editions down the line. And there will be more editions, that’s for sure. Hopefully a more complete set will await hungry patrons in the future – especially those with higher-end systems (a Blu-ray release is still nowhere to be seen).

In the end, these Special Editions are a perfectly fine addition to a household without the old box set release. Those who already own the series, though, will have to search their wallets if they feel the need to dive into this not-so-worth-it retread. If there’s one thing that viewers will walk away from, it’s that the behind-the-scenes stories of these productions are far from over — giving hope that more definitive editions are still possible somewhere down the line.