Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: The Spence Edit

My go to KOTCS edit had always been 15Maf's but Spence edit has taken the mantle (No offence 15Maf's). All the issues I had with this film has been corrected by Spence in this edit. From the traditional Paramount logo fading to a mountain, to a less goofy klutz-y Indy and better streamlined action sequences (I even like the fridge scene as Spence's version is much less of a "Jump the Shark" moment). Spence has been on a roll with edits lately and you know you will get a quality edit with Spence's name attached. Well done Spence!

It's the 1950s and Indy is back fighting Evil Commie Agents and hunting for Flying Saucers -- what's not to love?

Apparently lots, based on fan reactions at the time and the large number of fan edits this specific entry in the Jones Franchise has spawned. Myself, I have a soft spot for KOTCS. At the time of its release, I thought LaBeouf was completely miscast and I was disappointed with the emphasis on CGI over Practical Effects. But as for the actual story, I liked it. I thought it was far more interesting than Last Crusade.

And over the last 15 years since it's release, I think Crystal Skull has aged very well when compared to many of the other CGI bloated adventure movies that have deluged the screen since 2008. Despite it's short comings, Crystal Skull is still a Steven Spielberg movie, and at it's heart, it still has a very strong emotional core. And I gotta admit now after a passage of time, Shia's performance is solid.

As for Spence's fan edit... from the moment I saw the new Paramount Mountain opening, which made me SMILE broadly, I knew I was in the right hands. Every concern or nitpick I had with the original has been addressed and corrected as far as the source material allows, without sacrificing character or story structure. The pacing is significantly tighter and faster in all the action beats. All the cuts and trims are seamless, as I would expect from a craftsman of Spence's skill and experience. The audio levels are solid, and the new musical additions are joyously welcomed. The new colour grading injects energy and vibrancy into the adventure.

This is an easy 10s across the board for me.
From the Paramount logo to Indy's March as the credits rolled, I was fully immersed and entertained.
Great stuff!!!
:)

This is about as good an edit as could be accomplished with this film given the limitations imposed by the script and casting. Well worth checking out