Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Recut by 15MaF

Very nice work here. I am a huge Indy fan, but Crystal Skull is just not good. I don't hate it like most, but don't love it either. Too much silliness and this gets rid of a good chunk of that. It's still not a great movie, but much improved. This is now the version that holds a spot in my Indy collection.

A brilliant edit by 15MaF that was bloody brilliant to watch. Really improved on the theatrical version from what I could remember watching it such as cutting some of the silly or overuse of CGI moments like mutt's winging with the monkeys, him getting hit in the groin multiple times during the sword fight and the decapitation of Marcus's statue. There were some audio cuts I did notice but overall my enjoyment of the movie has certainly increased from what I remember of the original version.

This edit was impressively well done. Cutting the small excess scenes with terrible dialogues thankfully gives the movie a serious tone. More notably, the terrible monkeys and gopher CGI scenes were removed. The additional effects of this edit were pretty good. I found a few noticeable audio cuts but if might be me just recognizing the score but I'm sure a new viewer wouldn't recognize it. The pacing of the film feels perfect almost as close to Temple of Doom or Raiders so I will give it a recommendation to a fan who barely watches the original version.

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.

Overview - The original was a film I really wanted to like. Set during 1950’s added several political elements, and explained Indy’s age. Mutt is no Brando, however, and John Hurt shamelessly overacts. The film has an interesting balance of action and humor, and, for lack of a better word, cheesiness.

Video - 1920 X 796p AVC. The cuts are excellent. The look is breathtaking, especially some of the darker sequences. There are more details in this version than are in my DVD.

Audio - 689 kbps 5.1 AC3. No subs. Although the score often threatens to overwhelm other elements, the dialogue is clear throughout. There was a point during the temple escape where I cocked my head at the music, the sound mix seemed noticeably altered.

Narrative - The adventure romp has numerous trims here and there. Some I caught, more were later, often quite later. The jungle chase is every way better. That is me. I have less patience with endless fighting and running, which I generally fast forward through. Those are studio padding in lieu of a proper script. Anyway, 15MAF’s edit is intelligent and coherent.

Enjoyment - Yes, quite a bit. This is my Indy film, next in line after Raiders. The previous sequels, not so much.

The elephant. This is a big ass file. 14 GB. That size will place beyond the reach of members who have limited bandwidth. For me, much as I like this edit – and I do – I cannot burn to DVD. It’s too large. Hopefully, a smaller encode will one day be available. Just a suggestion.