Review Detail

I do not quite like this edit.

I do understand the reasons why this edit exists. The original was just damn lame, and corny. So much old man humor and cheese. It's very much a bad-idea-a-minute type movie. It feels like a movie made by old men tryna be hip, exciting and funny. I get it. And I did like this movie when I was younger. It was the film that got me into Indiana Jones, and movies in general. And while I do have nostalgic ties to it, I understand the badness of it.

However. Say what you will abt the original's badness and lameness, but it was well-structured. There is some excess, which this recut addressed, and rightfully so. But generally the film, even with all its lameness, was well-structured. The scenes were well-edited, the pacing was good, the scenes had flow. The film had a lot of bad ideas, yes, but the basic editing, pacing, and flow were good, outside of the ideas in the narrative.

Which is why I dislike this recut. In trying to remove much of the bad and excessive ideas in the original (at least in how I interpret the intention behind it), the film's flow and pacing suffers drastically as a result. Scenes no longer flow with the smooth music that a Spielberg film always has. I watched this recut first before I rewatched Crystal Skull for the first time in many years. Which means I watched this edit without seeing the original in a long time. And still I could tell when something that's supposed to be there, has been removed, and the flow of the editing is ruined as a result. Which frankly is all the time.

While I do not love the original, seeing what it truly is now as an adult, I am sorry to say this edit is almost as unenjoyable to watch as the original, although for a different reason. While the original is bad because of its many bad ideas, this edit is bad because although the bad ideas are no longer there, the structure, flow, and music that was in it is ruined. Too many times I find abrupt, awkward cuts that stick out way too much like giant scar. This edit is the equivalent of cutting out too much and leaving too many blank spots and holes. Besides, although excessive, a lot of the stuff cut in this edit are scenes with heart. The lighthearted aspect of the film is foregone in favor of thrilling action and straightforward narrative. Which in theory is fine, but the original was very much a lighthearted film. It had that charm. This edit, in cutting out too much, also cuts away the heart of the film, which although makes the film much more exciting, takes away much of identity and spirit.

On a more positive note, the audio editing is good. Never noticed a problem. The visual quality is good as well.

Overall, sad to say, I can only recommend this movie to a viewer, if said viewer had no eye for pacing and flow for film whatsoever. Although I do admit that a movie's flow is a VERY big deal for me, so take my complaints please with a big grain of salt. At least I could potentially enjoy the original in all its lameness, even if I have to turn my brain off when I do, because the original had good flow and heart. On the other hand, I personally cannot sit through this edit in all its way-too-straightforward and cold choppiness.

It feels like listening to a corny love song keeps skipping forward. Although the original song was lame and corny, it had rhythm and heart. The cuts take that away, leaving behind a cold, choppy mess that doesn't quite feel like music. 4.5/10.