Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Q2 Edition

I had fun, enjoy the movie. The original was goofy & too good. There was unnecessary dialogue & some acting is silly. It's good that you took out Mutt bad attitude, Mac stupid words, the refrigerator part & the awful monkeys. Nice edit, Visual & good Audio.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. A lot of people don't like it. I do.

That being said there are a few things about it that I don't like. Too much CGI, misplaced humor, and the fact that it doesn't really look like the other movies.

Q2 fixes all of these problems, for the most part. CGI is down to a reasonable amount and so is the humor. Problem is that there are a few quick shots because of this (notably a number in the scene in the bed of the truck), and a moment where the aspect ratio changes (Mutt jumps from one car to the other). Also, while the coloring looks a lot more like the others, at some points it seems as if there's almost too much of a greenish-turquoise tint to it; and I don't believe there is anyway to get rid of all that glowing.

I think the biggest problem with KOTCS, though, is that it feels generally unfocused. This is especially true in the film's third act. Unfortunately, there is really nothing that can be done to fix this.

There are some editing choices I don't agree with. For example, I've always liked the fridge scene, but, to Q2's credit, thinking back to the film, the fridge scene seems like it would be extremely out of place. Another scene that I quite liked was when the motorcycle went through the library. This was over-the-top, yes, but sorely missing here. The library scene made the chase fun and original. Also, without the library scene, we never get the Wilhelm scream (which is unacceptable), and we miss one of the best exchanges in the film, between Indy and the student.

On the other hand, there are some things that should have been cut that weren't - "you don't know him immediately comes to mind."

Overall, though, very entertaining. I would also like to note how greatly Henry Sr. is dealt with. Quite poignant, if you ask me. Anyways, I give INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL - THE ESSENTIAL EDITION 8/10.

A really fun experience. This film will always be a slightly sillier version of the already-silly Last Crusade, but it's far from the embarrassment of the original cut, and the characterizations (which are missing from Temple of Doom, the real black sheep of the franchise) are allowed to shine here. All excisions are done with the precision I except from Q2. There's a small bit of rough editing I noticed in the sequence in the truck, in which there are mini-remnants of cut shots, but that's a small quibble compared with the massive rescue effort performed on this film.

Across the board better than the original, and on the whole better than any other Indy 4 fanedit.

Q2 strikes the best balance of action, quest, and laughs. A telling example of humor is Q2's inclusion of "... teacher?" "Part-time." Other editors found it cheesy and cut it. Q2 not only kept the line, but improved on it (by using the take used in the trailer)! Is it cheesy? Sure, but we all laughed at it in the cinema. It reaffirms that Indy is back, the same hero who charmed us with his over-the-top yet irresistible "Trust me".

The visual edit of the FBI debriefing is perfect, enabling the bomb topic to be removed without any odd cut. The wedding improvement is brilliant, making us focus all the more on their facial expressions (we all know the gist of the words anyway).

I would have preferred no monkeys and vines, but within Q2's decision to keep some of that the result is intelligently done. Mud goes into a tree, Mud swings out of a tree.

My two requests are: give us your edit in glorious 1080p, and improve the waterfall sequence like NJVC's Raiders of the Lost Skull.

What can I say that hasn't already been said? Q2 is my go-to editor. You're guaranteed a quality, thoughtful improvement on the original source.

The original film is an abyss of Shia comedic not-so-much relief and pacing problems. It feels less like Jones and more like Over the Hedge. I was hesitant to watch because I despised the original cut, but I have to say I'm quite impressed with the changes.

No one could save this mess entirely, but Q2 nearly manages the impossible. There are a few moments of discontinuity, but hardly worth mentioning. The pace is improved, the tone more serious and the ultimate reveal more in line with original expectations. This has taken the original's spot in my Jones collection forever more.