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

I really had no desire to go back and watch the original theatrical cut after seeing it. There was too much in it that, to me, didn't fit with the style and narrative of the other films. Well, with 15MaF's edit, Geriatric Jones has found some new youthful vigor.

15MaF has done some pretty miraculous things with the movie. First of all, the edits are seamless. The attention to detail was obvious. The additional effects really improved some of the scenes where something felt off.

There were some scenes in the beginning half of the film where Harrison Ford's dialog felt like it wasn't quite lip synch'ed, almost like some ADR that didn't quite line up in post. I also had my fingers-crossed that somehow 15MaF had figured out how to magically remove the scenes with the ants towards the end. As I was watching it, I was struggling to figure out how that could be done. That's not on 15MaF. I am sure a lot of thought went into what to include and not include.

While it will never be my favorite of the series, I can now say that I will be watching this, 15MaF version, again in the future. Thank you!

Great work!

Like many others I decided to marathon these bad boys once again but chose to do it the fanedit way.

I'm appalled now that I have grown to dislike the Indiana OT, but impressed that this edit didn't leave the same sour aftertaste.
Against all odds, I now consider this to be my favorite movie of the bunch.

I'm not particularly sure if its the edit's merit, but I think Indy is much more of a character this time around.
I mean, after a fresh binge-watch I was having trouble seeing him as a good guy, since he has always been a cynical gung-ho with an itchy trigger finger, a bonafide tomb raider that has no problem with putting in body bags anyone who stands in his way of feeding respectable museums in God-fearing countries.
Here he's much more of a scholar that knows his way around and surprisingly uses his brains more than his fists.
What I do know it's the edit's merit, is that freaking Mutt is much more tolerable and even likeable now.

Everything is seamless and the bloat is long gone thank you very much. Yes, "enjoyably unrealistic adventures" is definitely the formula, so even if the good guys evade gunfire like they weren't even there and make fools of trained military men, the fact that the signature slapstick with drastic tone changes from previous movies is nowhere to be found gives way for a much more palatable and straightforward treasure hunt that, this time, doesn't revel (too much) on period politics and repetitive cowboy action.

I did feel some frames were a bit janky at some spots, but nothing that distracting.

And like others have said, the attention to detail really shows during the edit.

Thanks!

An impressive edit with with an impressive attention to detail and exceptionally made new VFX shots.
I personally missed nothing and thought it flowed very well.

I still consider this movie, in any shape or form, to be the lesser Indiana Jones film. And I never felt it deserves a spot in the pantheon of Indiana Jones movies. However, this cut might have changed my mind on that.

I really enjoyed this edit! I like how a lot screaming was added while Indy was in the fridge and it was flipping. This edit works better than the original in my opinion

The highlight of this Indy edit has to be the mesmerizing glow of its Nixie tube clock. This tiny detail shows 15MaF's eye for detail, skill, and love for the period material. Another fine example is the small improvement of added music to Indy's escape from crushing cogs at the movie's end. The selection and execution reveal that 15MaF loves the sound of Indiana Jones as well as its visuals. An example of improved pacing is the waterfall (one time she drops, thank you very much!), where 15MaF creates a drop that's better than the original or any other edit I've seen. This edit made me look at KotCS with fresh eyes, with improvements I hadn't seen or thought of before.

With such enjoyable improvements, is this the holy grail of Indy 4 edits? Alas, no. Not for me. Despite top marks for audio, video, and pacing, many small trims make the narrative truncated. One example is Spalko's introduction. To move along the pacing, we lose so many details in her exchange with Indy that its coherence is diminished: missing information, and lines that feel like reactions except they are no longer counterpoints to the actions that originally preceded them.

Indy's KotCS - Non Paternal Cut shows great skill and respect for the source material. I look forward to 15MaF's next edits!