- Database
- Fanedit Listings
- FanFix
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: The Fox Cut
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: The Fox Cut
Featured
Updated
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie Title:
Genre:
Franchise:
Part of
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
2008
Original Running Time:
122
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
94
Time Cut:
28
Subtitles Available?
Available in HD?
Additional Links:
Brief Synopsis:
The goal was to make this feel more like the Indiana Jones movies we loved in the 80s. After watching a few edits, I felt they were close, but I never fully got the experience I was hoping for. By removing bad dialogue, CGI and unfunny moments, I hoped to make this seem like a more serious film.
Intention:
This is my first edit. Have been a big fan of this community for a few years and thought I would finally try my hand at this. I am a video editor by profession, typically working on commercials and marketing videos - so this was a fun side project!
I started with Spence’s edit and built from that so a lot of my changes will be copied from his list.
After seeing Dial of Destiny and really enjoying it - I realized I could no longer pretend Crystal Skull didn’t exist. There are too many emotional moments in Indy 5 that require some impact to come from Indy 4. One of the best scenes is when Indy talks to Helena about Mutt. I’d love if there was a version I could watch or show my kids that introduces Mutt and brings Marion back in to the series so Dial of Destiny can be the proper conclusion it’s meant to be.
I started with Spence’s edit and built from that so a lot of my changes will be copied from his list.
After seeing Dial of Destiny and really enjoying it - I realized I could no longer pretend Crystal Skull didn’t exist. There are too many emotional moments in Indy 5 that require some impact to come from Indy 4. One of the best scenes is when Indy talks to Helena about Mutt. I’d love if there was a version I could watch or show my kids that introduces Mutt and brings Marion back in to the series so Dial of Destiny can be the proper conclusion it’s meant to be.
Other Sources:
- Soundtrack from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
- Videohive for stock waterfall footage
- Audiojungle for sword and jeep sound effects
- Videohive for stock waterfall footage
- Audiojungle for sword and jeep sound effects
Special Thanks:
Thanks to ArtIsDead and DonkeyKonga for their amazing help and guidance with my first project. They were patient with me and walked me through every step of the process. What was submitted is much better than what I originally came to them with due to their expertise. Also special thanks to Donkey for creating an amazing visual effects shot during the interrogation scene!
Also thanks to Spence for sparking my interest in this after watching his fanedit. The anchor of this edit is his edit and I just built on his ideas.
Also thanks to Spence for sparking my interest in this after watching his fanedit. The anchor of this edit is his edit and I just built on his ideas.
Release Information:
Digital
Editing Details:
Used DaVinci Resolve and Avid Media Composer
Cuts and Additions:
- Change the color/white balance to look more like the old films.
- New transition from the Paramount Logo to the convoy arriving at Area 51. Cut out Elvis all together. After Dial of Destiny didn’t do the Paramount logo into a mountain transition I felt this was easier to tolerate. It also gets us into the action quicker.
- New credits beginning after the Russians shoot the guards at the gate.
- Cut Mac's lines about betting on getting out of this.
- Cut "I meant drop dead comrade" and the punch that precedes it.
- Cut entire dialogue with Indy and Spalko outside the warehouse. I feel like Harrison’s acting was always a little off in this sequence. Now she walks past him and directly to the warehouse. I think this works because later during the FBI interrogation, Indy asks “who is that woman” and describes her even though he had already been introduced to her.
- Cut some of the searching around the warehouse.
- We only see the hand of the alien for now, as an attempt at keeping some mystery.
- Cleaned up the Mac is a Bad Guy reveal.
- Made Indy start running quicker after shooting the guy in the foot.
- Cut a short bit out of Indy’s mishap with swinging with the whip. There was always an awkward flailing shot that you could tell was wire work, as well as a groan he makes that I didn’t like.
- Cut Mac's "You don't know him!" bit.
- Removed a cutaway to Spalko and Mac getting in a truck.
- Cut the groundhogs watching the rocket sled
- Cut Indy falling off the rocket sled
- Cut all of nuke town - Indy now looks down on the city with the assumption that is the base he ends up at
- Cut the bit where they're scrubbing the radiation off of Indy.
- Interrogation scene re-edited to remove the line about hiding in a refrigerator. This was an idea by DonkeyKonga
- Used a shot amazingly edited by DonkeyKonga to cut out the line about surviving a nuclear blast.
- Cut Mutt repeating "That's my mother" so he only says it once.
- Sped up the gap between "knife" and "gunfight"
- Cut the bit that looks like Indy is skiing behind the motorcycle
- End the scene after Brody’s statue is destroyed. Indy gives Mutt a disapproving look and the scene cuts to his house. Library is cut.
- Part time line is switched to trailer version
- Lots of trims to the crypt sequence to speed it up and get the story moving.
- Cut the bit where Indy tries to keep the ancient knife
- Cut "saucer men from mars"
- Cut out Spalko looking at the alien body with the crystal skull
- Cut Ox dancing at the campfire.
- Cut one shot of Indy in a trance that looks silly
- Trimmed Marion's introduction so it's more quippy and feels like banter from Raiders.
- Cut the snake being used as a rope. Also changed the dialogue in this scene a bit to make it less jokey
- Cut some of the back and forth in the back of the truck.
- Cut Indy slicing into his pants.
- Cut Marion grinning.
- Seriously trimmed up the jungle chase sequence to move faster and have less obviously silly moments.
- Monkeys are gone as well as much of the CGI sword fighting. I tried to keep in the shots that looked practical.
- Changed the soundtrack during the jungle chase. I always felt the Mutt theme was too lighthearted and didn’t provide any tension to the scene.
- Some minor cuts to the ants scene for pacing and to remove unnecessary silly jokes (like Spalko crushing an ant with her knees)
- The big Russian isn't carried away by the ants. He just dies when they crawl all over him.
- Mutt now says "mom, there's a waterfall" instead of "mom there's a cliff"
- Marion drives off the cliff and they end up overturned at the bottom of the river. I cut out all waterfalls and the rubber tree.
- Cut out when the Aliens start consolidating into the one Alien. Spalko just burns up after the soldiers fly into the sky and Indy and Mutt barely escape. Not that it makes the most sense, but I’m not sure it has to. It’s clear the aliens are doing something bad when the eyes start smoking and the room starts spinning. She kind of dies with no pomp and circumstance but neither did the villains in Dial of Destiny.
- Cut out Ox saying “Dad?”
- Cut out Indy getting his job back and the dean running through the halls and getting the Bible. The movie now cuts directly from Akator being destroyed to the wedding. I also feels this keeps Indy’s issues with the FBI open ended. It’s not like they would just drop their suspicions if he told them everything that happened. It then kind of lines up with him leaving the college to go teach in New York in Dial of Destiny.
- New transition from the Paramount Logo to the convoy arriving at Area 51. Cut out Elvis all together. After Dial of Destiny didn’t do the Paramount logo into a mountain transition I felt this was easier to tolerate. It also gets us into the action quicker.
- New credits beginning after the Russians shoot the guards at the gate.
- Cut Mac's lines about betting on getting out of this.
- Cut "I meant drop dead comrade" and the punch that precedes it.
- Cut entire dialogue with Indy and Spalko outside the warehouse. I feel like Harrison’s acting was always a little off in this sequence. Now she walks past him and directly to the warehouse. I think this works because later during the FBI interrogation, Indy asks “who is that woman” and describes her even though he had already been introduced to her.
- Cut some of the searching around the warehouse.
- We only see the hand of the alien for now, as an attempt at keeping some mystery.
- Cleaned up the Mac is a Bad Guy reveal.
- Made Indy start running quicker after shooting the guy in the foot.
- Cut a short bit out of Indy’s mishap with swinging with the whip. There was always an awkward flailing shot that you could tell was wire work, as well as a groan he makes that I didn’t like.
- Cut Mac's "You don't know him!" bit.
- Removed a cutaway to Spalko and Mac getting in a truck.
- Cut the groundhogs watching the rocket sled
- Cut Indy falling off the rocket sled
- Cut all of nuke town - Indy now looks down on the city with the assumption that is the base he ends up at
- Cut the bit where they're scrubbing the radiation off of Indy.
- Interrogation scene re-edited to remove the line about hiding in a refrigerator. This was an idea by DonkeyKonga
- Used a shot amazingly edited by DonkeyKonga to cut out the line about surviving a nuclear blast.
- Cut Mutt repeating "That's my mother" so he only says it once.
- Sped up the gap between "knife" and "gunfight"
- Cut the bit that looks like Indy is skiing behind the motorcycle
- End the scene after Brody’s statue is destroyed. Indy gives Mutt a disapproving look and the scene cuts to his house. Library is cut.
- Part time line is switched to trailer version
- Lots of trims to the crypt sequence to speed it up and get the story moving.
- Cut the bit where Indy tries to keep the ancient knife
- Cut "saucer men from mars"
- Cut out Spalko looking at the alien body with the crystal skull
- Cut Ox dancing at the campfire.
- Cut one shot of Indy in a trance that looks silly
- Trimmed Marion's introduction so it's more quippy and feels like banter from Raiders.
- Cut the snake being used as a rope. Also changed the dialogue in this scene a bit to make it less jokey
- Cut some of the back and forth in the back of the truck.
- Cut Indy slicing into his pants.
- Cut Marion grinning.
- Seriously trimmed up the jungle chase sequence to move faster and have less obviously silly moments.
- Monkeys are gone as well as much of the CGI sword fighting. I tried to keep in the shots that looked practical.
- Changed the soundtrack during the jungle chase. I always felt the Mutt theme was too lighthearted and didn’t provide any tension to the scene.
- Some minor cuts to the ants scene for pacing and to remove unnecessary silly jokes (like Spalko crushing an ant with her knees)
- The big Russian isn't carried away by the ants. He just dies when they crawl all over him.
- Mutt now says "mom, there's a waterfall" instead of "mom there's a cliff"
- Marion drives off the cliff and they end up overturned at the bottom of the river. I cut out all waterfalls and the rubber tree.
- Cut out when the Aliens start consolidating into the one Alien. Spalko just burns up after the soldiers fly into the sky and Indy and Mutt barely escape. Not that it makes the most sense, but I’m not sure it has to. It’s clear the aliens are doing something bad when the eyes start smoking and the room starts spinning. She kind of dies with no pomp and circumstance but neither did the villains in Dial of Destiny.
- Cut out Ox saying “Dad?”
- Cut out Indy getting his job back and the dean running through the halls and getting the Bible. The movie now cuts directly from Akator being destroyed to the wedding. I also feels this keeps Indy’s issues with the FBI open ended. It’s not like they would just drop their suspicions if he told them everything that happened. It then kind of lines up with him leaving the college to go teach in New York in Dial of Destiny.
User reviews
3 reviews
Overall rating
9.3
Audio/Video Quality
9.3(3)
Audio Editing
9.0(3)
Visual Editing
9.0(3)
Narrative
9.7(3)
Enjoyment
9.7(3)
(Updated: March 18, 2024)
Overall rating
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
9.0
Visual Editing
9.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
Just watched the new version mentioned yesterday and as a relative newbie here, I must say I really enjoyed it.
I recall I really wanted to like the theatrical version when I went to see it, but afterwards I realized it wasn't what it could have been. It felt all senior and not as leaner.
Now thankfully the movie is transformed. It was like watching an old skool Indy movie but just with an old(er) Indy. Relatively speaking, all killer, no filler.
Having reviewed the Ratings Score Guide I will dig a little deeper than just a chirpy 10 stars across the board. Yes, there are times when the fixed audio and visual editing is vaguely noticeable but it's almost undetectable and a vast, nay, a VAST improvement on the original.
I had wanted to re-watch this movie for years but it had some overlong meh and chunks of tedium that kept me away. Now I feel I have a version I can revisit.
Ultimately this gets a clear 10 out of 10 for Enjoyment because it is just what I've always wanted the movie to be.
Thank you @TheFoxMan @spence @DonkeyKonga
I recall I really wanted to like the theatrical version when I went to see it, but afterwards I realized it wasn't what it could have been. It felt all senior and not as leaner.
Now thankfully the movie is transformed. It was like watching an old skool Indy movie but just with an old(er) Indy. Relatively speaking, all killer, no filler.
Having reviewed the Ratings Score Guide I will dig a little deeper than just a chirpy 10 stars across the board. Yes, there are times when the fixed audio and visual editing is vaguely noticeable but it's almost undetectable and a vast, nay, a VAST improvement on the original.
I had wanted to re-watch this movie for years but it had some overlong meh and chunks of tedium that kept me away. Now I feel I have a version I can revisit.
Ultimately this gets a clear 10 out of 10 for Enjoyment because it is just what I've always wanted the movie to be.
Thank you @TheFoxMan @spence @DonkeyKonga
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
D
Overall rating
9.0
Audio/Video Quality
8.0
Audio Editing
9.0
Visual Editing
9.0
Narrative
9.0
Enjoyment
10.0
I issues with this movie are well known. Most people have the same complaints. The jungle chase/fight, the CGI, etc. Like many people, I basically enjoy this movie... until they hit the jungle. It falls apart from that point. Of course, there are issues before that point, but I find myself generally onboard until then.
This edit does a really good job in cleaning the movie up and adjusting the sequences and tone to make it feel so much more like a "real" Indiana Jones movie. For the most part, I didn't feel manipulated as I watched this cut, which a great sign of the technical ability of the edit. The only bit I really noticed was when the truck goes off the cliff (in the jungle chase) and lands on the ground. That said, I realize there is only so much that can be done. But aside from that, I thought it was very well done.
Bottom line, I really enjoyed watching this. I felt like I was watching a true sequel in the series (not the case with the actual movie). That is the biggest compliment I can give. When I watch the series this is how I will watch Crystal Skull.
This edit does a really good job in cleaning the movie up and adjusting the sequences and tone to make it feel so much more like a "real" Indiana Jones movie. For the most part, I didn't feel manipulated as I watched this cut, which a great sign of the technical ability of the edit. The only bit I really noticed was when the truck goes off the cliff (in the jungle chase) and lands on the ground. That said, I realize there is only so much that can be done. But aside from that, I thought it was very well done.
Bottom line, I really enjoyed watching this. I felt like I was watching a true sequel in the series (not the case with the actual movie). That is the biggest compliment I can give. When I watch the series this is how I will watch Crystal Skull.
S
Overall rating
9.4
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
9.0
Visual Editing
9.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
9.0
I've watched FOUR versions of this film at this point and this is BY FAR the best one. It's not perfect, but there is very little left that could be improved by a faneditor. Simply put, it's the most complete rehabilitation of the film you could imagine.
Firstly, I should say that I didn't hate the theatrical version. For me, its biggest sins weren't too different than National Treasure or a lot of other modern blockbusters:
1. Action sequences that are so over-the-top that they lose all tension because they're just ridiculous
2. Plot turns that are incredibly convenient and a narrative that throws too many things in too quickly
3. Humor that is either inappropriate for the moment, the film, or just misgauged and misdelivered
To be honest, I had these same complaints (to a lesser degree) about The Last Crusade. And to me, the South American Crystal Skull religion is no more ridiculous than magical Jesus knights. The plot of this film wasn't the problem for me, it was the measurement of the delivery. The vast majority of that is improved here in The Fox Cut, allowing me to enjoy this as much as I did The Last Crusade. Which is to say: it's still a distant second to the first two Indy movies, but it's a pretty fun time!
Things that could be improved: I think the visual correction doesn't quite work for me. Everything is super-bright and kind of washed out. It also has the effect of making the CG stand out even more. I'd like to see this run through a slight sepia filter, and with a hint of film grain added to it. That would make it match the older films better I think. There are also some cuts during action scenes that are made very nicely and cleanly, but the positions of the characters or their expressions don't quite match from one shot to the next. So the visual language isn't very Spielberg, it doesn't track as well and it *feels* like there was a little 'skip' in the film.
The one BIG thing for me though is just the way Ray Winstone's "Mac" is dealt with. Firstly, it's very hard to hear his "I"m C.I.A!" line to Indy during the jeep chase. It's fast and the music is loud...and that's a really VITAL line since there is nothing else in this cut that would lead anyone to trust him. Indy was literally JUST punching him, and then suddenly they're all chummy. Then at the end, (spoiler), Indy is trying to save him and Mac just wordlessly lets go of the whip. I mean...it's possible? But it really makes his character feel kind of random and hard to follow. (To be fair, his flip-flopping in the theatrical cut was exasperating, too.)
Things that can't be fixed: Mutt is still a bit of a dweeb. He's trying too hard to be cool, he often makes snarky little comments but turns out to be wrong, and he can be whiny sometimes. To be honest, watching this after having marathoned The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, he comes off very much like Sean Patrick Flannery's Young Indy! I'm sure that was probably the intention, and it's no fault of Shia Lebouf's. But it was often hard to reconcile Flannery's portrayal with the iconic, manly, cool adventurer we came to love. And Mutt is even worse off here for being standing right next to him. To boot, as great as it is to see Marion, the romance is rushed here. And you just can't get around the design of some of these action sequences, where everything is so grandiose that it feels like the least grounded Indy film yet.
That said: no prairie dogs. No fridge. No constant old man comments. No monkeys. No Tarzan. No boat pinball. No motorcycle acrobatics. No car acrobatics. No Errol Flynn on a jeep acrobatics. Still a little bit of MesoAmerican acrobatics, but I can allow it. There are 95% less acrobatics in this movie. It's an Indy film that is a bit rough around the edges, but recaptures so much of what makes the series great, while still moving it beyond the same old same old of Christianity and Nazis. I will definitely be rewatching this film now.
Firstly, I should say that I didn't hate the theatrical version. For me, its biggest sins weren't too different than National Treasure or a lot of other modern blockbusters:
1. Action sequences that are so over-the-top that they lose all tension because they're just ridiculous
2. Plot turns that are incredibly convenient and a narrative that throws too many things in too quickly
3. Humor that is either inappropriate for the moment, the film, or just misgauged and misdelivered
To be honest, I had these same complaints (to a lesser degree) about The Last Crusade. And to me, the South American Crystal Skull religion is no more ridiculous than magical Jesus knights. The plot of this film wasn't the problem for me, it was the measurement of the delivery. The vast majority of that is improved here in The Fox Cut, allowing me to enjoy this as much as I did The Last Crusade. Which is to say: it's still a distant second to the first two Indy movies, but it's a pretty fun time!
Things that could be improved: I think the visual correction doesn't quite work for me. Everything is super-bright and kind of washed out. It also has the effect of making the CG stand out even more. I'd like to see this run through a slight sepia filter, and with a hint of film grain added to it. That would make it match the older films better I think. There are also some cuts during action scenes that are made very nicely and cleanly, but the positions of the characters or their expressions don't quite match from one shot to the next. So the visual language isn't very Spielberg, it doesn't track as well and it *feels* like there was a little 'skip' in the film.
The one BIG thing for me though is just the way Ray Winstone's "Mac" is dealt with. Firstly, it's very hard to hear his "I"m C.I.A!" line to Indy during the jeep chase. It's fast and the music is loud...and that's a really VITAL line since there is nothing else in this cut that would lead anyone to trust him. Indy was literally JUST punching him, and then suddenly they're all chummy. Then at the end, (spoiler), Indy is trying to save him and Mac just wordlessly lets go of the whip. I mean...it's possible? But it really makes his character feel kind of random and hard to follow. (To be fair, his flip-flopping in the theatrical cut was exasperating, too.)
Things that can't be fixed: Mutt is still a bit of a dweeb. He's trying too hard to be cool, he often makes snarky little comments but turns out to be wrong, and he can be whiny sometimes. To be honest, watching this after having marathoned The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, he comes off very much like Sean Patrick Flannery's Young Indy! I'm sure that was probably the intention, and it's no fault of Shia Lebouf's. But it was often hard to reconcile Flannery's portrayal with the iconic, manly, cool adventurer we came to love. And Mutt is even worse off here for being standing right next to him. To boot, as great as it is to see Marion, the romance is rushed here. And you just can't get around the design of some of these action sequences, where everything is so grandiose that it feels like the least grounded Indy film yet.
That said: no prairie dogs. No fridge. No constant old man comments. No monkeys. No Tarzan. No boat pinball. No motorcycle acrobatics. No car acrobatics. No Errol Flynn on a jeep acrobatics. Still a little bit of MesoAmerican acrobatics, but I can allow it. There are 95% less acrobatics in this movie. It's an Indy film that is a bit rough around the edges, but recaptures so much of what makes the series great, while still moving it beyond the same old same old of Christianity and Nazis. I will definitely be rewatching this film now.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
M