Raiders of the Krystal Skull

Review by TMBTM — January 22, 2010 @ 3:41 pm

When I saw the 77 minutes lenght I knew this edit will be a kind of “straight to the point” edit and a way to rid off most of the usual things that annoy people in this movie.
I think that goal is almost achieved, minus few personnal thougths:

- The new music in the motorcycle chase is great, but it sounds like the voices of the russians have been redubed or something (?)

- When Mac says to Indy “about Berlin” we did not see the previous scene where he talked about it, so I found this a bit odd.

- There are are still two shots of gophers left – I personaly don’t mind the gophers a lot (just reporting it)

- The new “careful, you might get exactely what you’re looking for” edit, I think I understand what’s Jorge wanted to do here:

Make an Indiana Jones movies where the main vilain don’t get the usual fate. I think it kind of works, despite the cheesiness, because of the short lenght of the edit, and the comic book style of the artwork, and so it don’t really try to be a real fourth installement of the franchise IMO, but more an aternative way to watch this movie.
I’m not sure it will work on everybody though.

On a more positive side the movie looks less “family friendly” and the fat has been trimmed. Less “smile for nothing” shots, less useless silly actions sequences, the story goes fast, etc. Good work on those. Menus are great, trailers and bonus also. Good idea to put the Movie Saloon podcast as an audio option.(in the trailer page)

All in all, I wanted more (yes, I’m a greedy bastard!). but I’m still thankful to Jorge for giving us an Indy4 edit after all this time. I would rate the original 7/10, yes, I’m not an absolute hater of the original, I kind of spent a good time the first time I saw it on the theater. It’s just that, like Jorge’s edit, I wanted more from an Indiana Jones movie. So I rate “Raiders of the Kristal Skull” 7/10 also.

Review by flyboy707 — January 20, 2010 @ 9:32 pm

I have been waiting (patiently?) for an FE of Indy 4. I was very happy to see one appear today. I have to admit, I don’t think I can add anything else to what the previous two reviewers have already said.

I definitely want to point out that Jorge is an excellent faneditor and I have been very, very happy with previous work. Also, the original version of this movie, for me, is a 5/10 to start with and any edit is going to have a difficult time making it any better.

I would like to highlight a very good point that RockSavage mentions in his review: ” … narrative and for me this is a very important aspect of a successful FanEdit.”. I couldn’t agree more with this statement. Just editing out scenes and frames etc do not make a FE watchable. The movie still has to make “sense” – i.e. the plot must always be progressing forward to its conclusion and the remaining scenes/dialogue must make sense. Making great video/audio edits does not mean it is a good FE.

There are several scenes in this FE that absolutely feel like they pick up in the middle and there a few minor areas where the edit is a little “choppy”.

I DEFINITLEY agree that the a-bomb test site scene should have been removed. It is aboslutely pointless – it does nothing to further the plot (well, maybe so we can see the the FBI interrogate Indy so we can get some back story, I guess). Any FE should excise this trollop from the original. I completely understand that any movie requires a bit of suspesion of disbelief, but really? Indy survivng a direct nuclear hit, because he hides inside a 50s lead-lined refrigerator after being hurtled miles away? Really?

I liked the trimmed down warehouse scene, and forgive the couple of “choppy’ parts here. I defnintely liked the minimal “Ox” scenes. “Mac”? Well, Mac is Mac and the story, unfortunately needs him – to a point. Jorge does a fine job of trying to minimalize them both.

Final thought: After watching this FE, I realized that if someone got rid of all the things I don’t like about the original, there really wouldn’t be much of a movie left for me to watch. There are just too many “UGH” and groans in this movie for me.

Again, my hats off to you for doing this FE. The original is what it is and any FE is gong to saddles with that (I think back to the FE of “Temple of Doom” – a 3/10 original and the FE suffers through much the same way this FE does).

Review by white43 — January 20, 2010 @ 5:48 pm

WARNING : SPOILERS AHEAD.

When I noted how much time had been cut from the film, I was a little dubious as to whether a decent storyline could be pulled from this film, but on the whole yes, it does still remain intact, but not without a few issues.

The new start seems to be a device to simply explain the most pointless action sequence in the film – Boom Town. I personally would’ve gotten rid of that whole sequence, it adds nothing to the plot and is simply ridiculous. however, I do appeciate you removing the silly car race.

The Warehouse has been trimmed up nicely and entire other sequences, such as Indy teaching and Jim Broadbent are entirely absent. They aren’t missed.

Mutt is much more likeable and Indy seems to get along with him much easier than before. Ox is trimmed down to the necessary – but now barely has any lines at all. Mac – well Mac doesn’t say much now.

There is some choppy editing in places and at a couple of points, it felt like we’d entered a scene in the middle of a conversation. For example, after Mutt and Indy are captured and Indy is all strapped up – he seems unsurprised to be seeing Ox and speaks to him as if he’s already seen him once. When Mac is explaining about double agent, this too, feels like we’ve entered a middle of a conversation. This also presents a few later problems when people refer back to conversations that seemingly never happened. Notably between Indy and Mutt.

Certainly during the jungle sequence, the kick to the face to Diatchenko felt abrupt and near the end of the sequence, unless I missed something the skull suddenly drops down in Ox’s lap. But I did like lack of Monkeys and Tarzan-Mutt. Oh and good work on getting rid of natives at Orellana’s tomb.

The added effect I assume from 2001 during ‘spell of the skull’ was interesting. I’m on the fence as to whether it’s OTT and beating the audience a bit too hard with ‘do you get it????!!!’

So, to your ending. What I assume is your own V/O and then a picture of Cate from a certain other film trilogy….ehm, no. Sorry, but this didn’t work for me. I couldn’t quite understand the V/O…and am I to assume that Spalko got a happy ending?

So, all in all, this is an improvement on KotCS, but not by a massive amount. Still Boom Town remains and there are some choppy elements. I think having seen the work that ID was doing, whereby he started at Orellana’s tomb and then did a sort of ‘two days earlier’, he got rid of a ton of offensive items….his additions from ‘The Fountain’ made it very interesting. So perhaps that was what I was expecting.

Anyway, thanks Jorge for finally getting an edit of this film out there!

I’m going to give this a 7/10 – with the original getting 5/10.