Riddles of the Lost Gods

As with any boxset there's always the film that no one really wants, and as with the Star Wars prequels Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Scull really doesn't get a lot of love. for me it's not a terrible film but the series was probably better left alone.

TMBTM take on the film is interesting, the opening 10mins with footage from The Fountain is nicely done and feels more like a Indiana Jones film than parts that made the final cut. thankfully such scenes like the cgi goffers and the infamous nuked fridge have been removed from this edit. not having Mutt as Indy's son is done well but after seeing this film about 4 to 5 times i don't think this is the worst part of the film.

the problem i have with the edit is the short run time, at just over 80mins and with additional footage added big chunks of the film have been cut and you can feel it. if you had seen this edit at the cinema you'd walk away thinking that there was a lot of additional footage cut that would have improved the film. it's not that the editing is unprofessional this is a TMBTM edit so the usual high standard is there to be seen. for me i was to often reminded what was cut and there are some great scenes omitted that i rather enjoyed from the original (the cafe fight been one)

As with some of the Star Wars prequels by removing everything you don't like sometimes doesn't improve the film. so overall i'd say this fanedit is on par with the original version in terms of enjoyment but is definitely worth checking out.

This was a really fun take on Indy 4 - Highly original, as is the way of TMBTM, and in parts, extremely effective. It's an alternate universe take on the film, full of 'what if's and interesting alternatives to the original film.

Some of the great highlights include:
- The opening from the Fountain. Great to see this long discussed idea finally realised. Some wonderful audio replacement work with the soundtrack from Raiders in this opening scene.
- Spell of the Skull - Very understated and clever editing, utilising footage from The Fountain again, and making it clearer why Indy reacts the way he does. Also clever rearranging of Marion's introduction. Worked well!
- As usual, I loved the added special effects. They were really fun, and often added to the story. The transition from the aliens teleporting to Indy and co ascending the well was wonderfully realised, and the way in which the footage from Avengers was utilised was great too.

Story wise, I wasn't as happy (but this is why I did my own Indy4 edit, to get rid of all the particulars that irked me! It's personal taste, and I accept this is Mask's happy version). There were some bold narrative changes, and I applaud the audacity ;) but I didn't really feel that some of the overdubbing to help create these story changes was very effective, notably in the graveyard scene, and the very last line of the film.

But overall, this is a fun edit full of surprises, offering a fresh take on a very stale movie. TMBTM, you've done it again :)

Tough to say really how much I liked this. Mask's editing is excellent and the bullshit is at an all-time low in this version. But to answer the big question, "Is this movie good?" No. But it's probably the best it could be.

The biggest problem here is the narrative. Act I is the strongest part. The new opening sequence is just excellent. And the way it's tied in to the finale was perfect. But everything that happens in Act II and the start of Act III is still terrible. Narratively this has the same issue that most SW prequel edits have; things happen too fast. Sadly that's kind of unavoidable. There's so much garbage cut out that the film doesn't have time to breathe. Before I knew it Indy and Mutt had been captured by the Russians and I said to myself, "Wait, wasn't there more film here?" The second half is really great, moving at a brisk pace but taking time to let the audience in on what they need to know.

I've seen 4 out of the 5 other Indy 4 edits (only Q2's edit remains to be viewed) and this is just about on par with njvc's Raiders of the Lost Skull, but I'd give this the edge due to the opening sequence.

I cannot stress enough how awesome the first 5 minutes are. This type of opening is exactly what this film needed. And major kudos for cutting the wedding without it feeling like an awkward end.

[The only issue with editing was Mutt's final line. It was a nice touch but was too obviously overdubbed. Everything else was expertly done.]

Recommend? If you haven't found your favorite Indy 4 fanedit yet, watch this. If you're a fan of TMBTM, watch this. If you've never seen an Indy 4 edit, watch this first.

A/V Quality - 10
Editing - 10 visual, 9 audio
Narrative - 8 (Extra points due to Orellana opening)
Enjoyment - 8 (Ditto)

Recommended drink: Kah Tequila

This Indy 4 moves at a cracking pace, with the dead weight removed. At its best, this edit feels like it belongs with the original films, as opposed to the sore thumb it truly is. The opening is superb and fits so well that it's almost like a director's cut. Some of the audio dubs don't work quite so well, and the edit whips along so quickly that you barely have time to breathe, but overall it's a great Indy 4 fix without the groans. (I still dislike that Indy is saved with a snake (!) but doubt that anyone can reasonably do anything about that.) Well worth a watch. Cheers.

I watched a 720p MKV, which I believe is the highest quality available at this point. Source is SD.

Visual editing was generally very good, though I did feel that the opening didn't really match up well with the look of the rest of the film and maybe could have had a bit more done to accomodate that. The opening does feel more in keeping with the look of an Indiana Jones film, but it's also very dark, whereas what follows is bright and orange. The transition from that footage into the actual film though was really well done.

If I'm being honest, there were several bits of audio editing that I noticed. In the opening the sound in general was often either quite brittle or absent, I assume from trying to remove the original score, and would have been better off having sound FX rebuilt. There were also scenes in the movie where it was obvious dialogue had been cut short because all ambience would drop out and the score would suddenly swell. Lines have been tweaked or changed throughout and often go by unnoticed, but some are obvious because of the tone of Indie's voice, or the lip syncing being off or the volume being inconsistent. The most jarring instance of this is Mutt at the end: "you're not my dad". Not sure it's worth being taken out of the edit for the sake of that line, personally. The editor has acknowledged on his IFDB page that not all of the dialogue-swapping is perfect.

(edit spoilers follow)

The narrative worked to a point, but after seeing the opening I was expecting there to be a more dramatic change to the ending - chalk that up to false expectations, I guess. But considering we're still left with Aliens/interdimensional beings, the opening feels a bit superfluous and more of a mood setter than anything. I wasn't 100% on what TMBTM was going for with Blanchet's character at the end... was she meant to have been sucked into this other dimension with the aliens, rather than being burned up? Because we still see her being burned up. The voice-over harkening back to what she said to Indiana is also quite loud, and stands out as not being part of the original mix. I wasn't a fan of the freeze-frame ending either. Felt like an odd choice.

Enjoyment: I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit disappointed, but some of that is me expecting something different. It has been a while since I've seen the film, so it was nice to see a tighter take with an alternative spin. I guess i just wish it had gone a bit more mental with plot alterations. This isn't the first Crystal Skull edit I've seen, and I think I've also just come to a point where I realise it's a bad film and it can't be fixed. You take away what's offensive, and you get something that's quite bland and uninspiring. It's hard to believe this was directed by the same man who gave us the original trilogy. Crystal Skull is just entirely unremarkable and there's nothing to salvage that hits above middle-of-the-road entertainment.

Thanks again to TMBTM, who is a very talented and creative editor. I'm sorry I can't be more positive about this one.