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

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9.5 (16)
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13 reviews with 9-10 stars
16 reviews
 
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5-7 stars
 
0%
3-5 stars
 
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1-3 stars
 
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Overall rating
 
9.5
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.9(16)
Audio Editing
 
9.7(16)
Visual Editing
 
9.6(16)
Narrative
 
9.1(16)
Enjoyment
 
9.1(16)
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(Updated: September 19, 2023)
Overall rating
 
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
I watched this after the original trilogy and it felt like a natural continuation of the same silly, exciting adventures. A major improvement to what was a decidedly unmemorable film. I'm glad some of the illogical nonsense moments were left in because I feel they fit right in with the rest of the franchise. The only bit that took me out was Mutt swinging out of the jungle which felt like it came out nowhere and reminded me that there was something removed. If I hadn't seen the original I don't think it would stand out though. Characters suddenly popping back into the action isn't uncommon in these films.

With this edit in my collection I can now feel like the Indiana Jones film series is a consistently enjoyable adventure all the way through. Thank you, Spence!
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(Updated: August 07, 2023)
Overall rating
 
9.4
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
Watched this in anticipation for the indie 5 coming out to theatres.

The watch was definitely enjoyable, and I the only times where I could notice edits having occurred were when I thought "oh that scene dragged on for a lot less than I remembered". However, the edit can only do so much for the source material.

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Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
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Overall rating
 
9.2
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
7.0
One thing you can say about Spence's edits is that they all feel genuine. What I mean by that is that rather than radically altering the story of the film Spence sticks to what's already there, and just uses light trims to punch things up. If you've watched their take on Justice League, Falcon & Winter Soldier, even Rise of Skywalker to an extent, you know what I mean.

The same can be said about this edit as well. I didn't want to watch a radically changed version of the movie (yet), I wanted a streamlined version of the movie as is, & Spence delivers. Even the "I like Ike" bit, something a lot of editors would cut out, is kept here, & it makes me appreciate this edit more. Much like superheroes, the adventure serials Indy is based on are cheesy, & I'm all for edits, and movies for that matter, that aren't afraid to embrace the cheese factor.

That said, there's stuff in this edit I wish were cut more. I'm totally fine with an Indiana Jones movie where he goes after aliens (& tying into Roswell was a nice touch), I just hate the part about how the aliens gave the Acatori agriculture & the like. Casual cluelessness like that really hampers by buzz when I'm trying to have a good time (even the first scene of indigenous people attacking Indy & Mutt has Indy reverse-blowdarting a guy).

Still, if you want steamlined, as-is version of Crystal Skull, check out this one.

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Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
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Overall rating
 
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
Honestly, not nearly as bad as anybody remembers it. With the weight of lofty expectations, the fourth one was a disappointment, but I was impressed at how kind time has been to this film.

There’s still a lot of traditional Indy in this film, elements like villains, fun bickering, the pulp-like action that still uses a lot of practical effects (very welcome in a day where EVERYTHING is CGI), the quips, and a wonderful sense of awe, wonder, and pacing.

Admittedly, this version, from seasoned faneditor Spence, did cut out a solid 11 minutes to help with the pace and remove some of the most silly egregious elements.

Spence doesn’t try to rectify the story as such, an impossible task since it’s the core of the film, but he does make surgical cuts and changes to keep the film feel like more of a true sequel.

Spence is a master at the craft, 99% of the edits are seamless, you can hardly tell the changes. The film feels faster and there’s a true sense of urgency throughout like a real Indy sequel.

The fanedit allows the film’s positive qualities to stand out more, the action is a really fun romp and the two chase setpieces end up being wonderful (the one opening with the warehouse and late 2nd act jeep chase in the jungle), the banter and relationship between Marion and Indy is wonderful as well. And even though a lot of people hate Shia’s performance, there’s a lot of fun in seeing Indy in the father role a direct correlation and flipping of roles to the Last Crusade, which is a lot of fun here. If you still hate Shia’s performance, that’s on you. I got a kick out of it this time around with the role reversal. It’s fun seeing allusions not only to previous Indy films but also to Lucas’s American Graffitti.

You can’t fix the movie entirely, the nuking of the fridge will always be there (even if it's much much better this time around), the ending will always be the ending, and the plot will always be about aliens and sci-fi elements. What Spence does do is he cleans enhances the positives and numbs the negatives as much as he can and it's truly a revelation that this is so good. This version is the go to version of the film here forth and is actually worth rewatching.

Film Rating: 2
Fanedit Rating: 3

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Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
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Overall rating
 
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
I remember enjoying the original and not understanding what the negativity was all about, but with that being said, this edit seamlessly improves on what I believe was already a fun movie by improving the pacing and losing some of the humor that just didn't land. I highly recommend, and it will definitely be my go-to version for future viewings!

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
B
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