Dr. Jones and the Skull Kingdom Mystery

April 18, 2011
*This rating was given before reviews were required*

March 19, 2011

I finally got a chance to watch this the other night. Indy IV is a movie I really despised, and have attempted to block out of my memory. I even tried to fanedit it myself a year ago, but I gave up on it and moved on. Wraith has done some fantastic edits, so I was very curious to see what he came up with.

Wraith’s version is definitely and improvement on the original, and a much more enjoyable experience, but I still didn’t find the improvements enough to make it a film I actually wanted to watch.

First thing right off the bat I didn’t like was the new opening sequence. Opening the movie with the Atom bombs as the focus was definitely well done, but it feels so unnecessary to me, just like the sequence it sets up. The whole opening of the movie just sets up one (pointless and stupid) moment that has nothing to do with the plot. It’s sort of like having a great joke with a really lame and unsatisfying punch line. Also, any edit of Indy IV I feel like should immediately remove the Nuke-Town scene, but that’s probably just a personal preference. This whole sequence is still preferable to the little rat thing and “Hound Dog” in the original though.

I feel there’s still too many silly moments that remain, but the best part of this edit is how the action is handled. The cuts and trims to every action scene are stellar, and really make a big impact. The motorcycle chase is handled very well, but I was most impressed with the cutting of the jungle chase. The pacing of it is now almost perfect, and it’s very exciting. The removal of the Big Damn Ants scene was also very well handled, though that’s a scene that never particularly bothered me.

Overall, I did think this edit was an improvement over the original, but it’s still just not enough to make the movie anywhere near satisfying. It was a valiant attempt, and I’m honestly not sure that it can even be done.

This edit: 7/10
Original: 2/10

I recommend it if for some strange reason you have a hankering to watch Crystal Skull again, and want to avoid vomiting that evening.

March 19, 2011
*This rating was given before reviews were required*

February 27, 2011

Much has been said about this edit already so I won’t write a thesis this time. What I did want to say is that having loved Raiders the theatrical Indy 4 to me lost the spirit of the adventure. Wraith has provided an excellent serving of true Indy for me. Properly removing elements of madness, ants, UFO, prairie dogs, etc. etc. (MUST watch the deleted scenes). Along with what was clearly a painstaking exercise in colour tone correction makes this the only Indy 4 version to watch in my opinion and with a decent running time.

An easy 9.

February 27, 2011

Wow! I needed this!
This is an excellently thought out, well executed and surgical rescue of all the potential that exists in Indiana Jones 4.

The title change is the first indication of what’s so smart about this one. “The Skull Kingdom Mystery” points out what Indiana Jones’ quest really is. He isn’t going after an object this time– he doesn’t just want a skull– he’s trying to figure out what happened to Ox, what are these skulls and what do they (the skulls themselves) want. Without this clue in the title of the release version, the release version felt like an unfocused mess because it didn’t know what it was about.

With that kind of insight applied throughout the movie, every scene has been analyzed and refocused. Now everything is pared down to its purpose and the story practically blossoms as a result. Characters now do more than function, they intrigue. I care about Mac’s betrayal for the first time. I wonder at and believe in Spalko’s commitment. I believe in Mutt’s attachment to Ox and (most important) I understand Indy’s emotions in every scene.

Losing big sequences (like the graveyard fight and the ants) keeps the powerful focus going. This isn’t just a “cut the crap” edit. This edit wants you to care about the characters and their quest– and it succeeds.

The biggest surprise to me was the ending which was such a blur of half-baked ideas in the original. The clarity in this edit meant that I was actually on the edge of my seat about what these Crystal Skulls were about and what they wanted from Indy and Ox.

I just can’t recommend this enough. I found the opening changes to be exactly the right idea (although I wish the actual title card were bigger or done in the same font as the title of Raiders). I also wish it was “Indiana Jones and the…” instead of “Dr. Jones and the…” — but I can see what the editor is going for in that. That may grow on me.

There are a couple left over goofy beats that I wish we could have lost– like when Indy says “ouch” after Spalko lightly taps his cheeks or when Mac finishes the points of the compass for Indy– but in the original these awful moments seemed to never end. Now they stand out as the only moments that don’t work.

So, Wraith, you have my eternal gratitude and I give this a very impressed 9/10.