Review Detail

A fine edit that's definitely superior to the theatrical release... and yet I wonder if it'll be enough for most people? On watching, I thought this was a very conservative edit, as there were so many elements still included that bothered me. Yes, the prairie dogs and monkeys are removed, as are most of the references to Indy's age. But the fridge scene was still too much for me, and without the age comments, I realized that Indy is as effective of an action hero here as he ever was in his 30s! I couldn't help it...the old bitterness crept up and it just made it hard for me to enjoy the film.

Some technical thoughts: while it looks good and sounds good, I had a couple "blink and you missed it" editing moments. When Indy refuses to help the Russians find the artifact, then suddenly he's helping them. When Indy is cornered and outgunned in the warehouse, then suddenly he's escaping. And the rather blurry and confusing effects in the finale with Blanchett. All of these are where edits were made, so I understand it's difficult to make them flow smoothly, but perhaps a wipe or an insert would help so people like me don't have to rewind because they glanced at their popcorn?

When I looked at the cutlist here after watching the film, I realized this is not near as conservative an edit as I thought. I agree with everything that's been removed, and most of it was done quite smoothly. I understand why some bits were left in (like the refrigerator) as they are mentioned later and hard to cut around. Personally, the effort to leave them in but shortened just didn't work for me sometimes. (In fact, I enjoyed the film a lot less than when I saw it in the theater, and here's why: https://letterboxd.com/nottheacademy/film/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull/) I think I would need a much more aggressive edit to truly enjoy this film... I just didn't know it until I watched this one.

Though I personally didn't love this edit, I think it succeeds admirably at everything it's trying to do. It's very professionally done, and an easier watch than the original film. I can definitely recommend it for people who thought the theatrical version was uneven and flawed but basically good.