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

August 23, 2010

What else can I say that hasn’t already been posted? A very solid edit, Most of the other reviews here hit the nail on the head. I only noticed two or three cuts. The first one was the library, which was a memorable sequence in the original (for better or worse). The second and third cuts I noticed were to the start of the jungle chase sequence while Indy and company were taking over the truck. This was due to a couple “flash frames,” or single frames from shots that had been cut out. In no way a deal breaker, There was also the ratio discrepancy that white43 pointed out above.

Still, great piece of work and very highly recommended.

8/10

August 10, 2010

I can’t really add anything that hasn’t been said above. I enjoyed this far more than Jorge’s Raiders. I really liked the removal of boom town and the gophers. I noted no issues in sound and the picture quality was fine.

I did however note two technical issues in this edit from the DVD:

Indy, Mutt and Marion in the back on the truck – there’s a fractional visual of an apparent cut scene, maybe just a couple frames. Later, there’s a scene where Mutt jumps from a vehicle I believe. The shot is below him – the AR visibly changes. I have the timings of exactly when these issues do occur written down at home and can send them to you.

Other than that, very nice.

August 4, 2010

*This rating was given before reviews were required*

March 21, 2010

I was very pleased with this edit.

My first thought with the open was that I didn’t like how the gopher mound appears to start falling apart on its own before getting run over. But as I thought about it, it’s actually quite clever. The gopher is starting to come up, but is run over by the car. If you hate the gophers, it doesn’t get any better than that :)

The warehouse works pretty well, but I would have liked a few more cuts. Mainly more Mac dialogue (You don’t know him!), Indy’s rope swing where he doesn’t reach Spalko the first time, and maybe a little more mystery with the box (don’t show the alien at all?).

The nuclear test scenes aren’t missed at all in this edit, and it saves us from watching the fridge.

My biggest gripe with the motorcycle chase is that the statue head gag remains – I always hated that.

The jungle chase works pretty well. Thank goodness the Tarzan scene is gone, although Mutt still somehow catches up with the jeep by swinging down from the trees. I think cutting around that part might work better. I like what was done with the ants – it’s nice not seeing them actually carry the Russian up and into the anthill.

I loved most of the waterfall sequence, especially now that we don’t have to see the ridiculous bit where the duck lands in the tree. Glad to hear you’re taking another look at the end part of the sequence – if you can make it flow a bit better, it will be perfect.

I would have liked to see a little less of Mac at the end (if possible), and I would like Spalko’s demise being a bit more ambiguous instead of the face melt, but otherwise the end sequences worked well.

I loved how the wedding played with just music. A nice end to the edit.

The text commentary was a neat feature. I wouldn’t mind seeing a bit more detail in it, but it was fun to have on while I watched the movie.

Overall this was a really good edit. My complaints are all minor, and really just come down to personal preference rather than any problems. Thanks for making Indy 4 enjoyable, and I look forward to the AVCHD :)

8/10 Frinks

February 25, 2010

Thanks for this edit!!!

First of all: I watched it on my laptop, so all I can say about picture and sound quality is that on my notebook it seemed good.

This is not an edit that tries to give a new structure to the film, so all the flaws in that department are still in the movie. However, the editor tries to improve the flow and tries to remove as much dumb elements as possible. While I was a big fan of the library chase, the other stuff he cut is fine by me, and the first 50 minutes or so (until Indy and Mutt get captured by the Russians) actually plays like a classic Indy film. Up to this point I was quite fine with the original, too. From there on, the flaws and silly moments of the original movie are much too prevalent to be edited out completely. This edit does a nice job of getting rid of many embarrassing things, like Karen Allen still holding the wheel after dropping down the waterfall, and the ill-advised Tarzan moment.

With a lot of stuff gone, I noticed only one awkaward moment, editing-wise: The descent down the waterfalls plays much too quickly now, you realize that there is something missing (I did, anyway). As this is the result of the removal of so many dumb moments that it almost killed my interest in the movie altogether, I can live with the edit – all things come at a price.

Throughout the whole movie, the removal of unnecessary dialogue and dysfunctional humour results in a much more enjoyable movie. All in all this version absolutely does what it is supposed to do – improving Indy4 without restructuring it and turning it into something new.