Riddles of the Lost Gods

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8.7 (11)
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Overall rating
 
8.7
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.6(11)
Audio Editing
 
8.6(11)
Visual Editing
 
9.1(11)
Narrative
 
8.2(11)
Enjoyment
 
8.3(11)
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Overall rating
 
9.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
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10.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
8.0
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 :)

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Yes
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Overall rating
 
9.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
8.0
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

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(Updated: August 09, 2021)
Overall rating
 
7.4
Audio/Video Quality
 
8.0
Audio Editing
 
7.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
7.0
Enjoyment
 
6.0
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.

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Overall rating
 
8.2
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
7.0
Enjoyment
 
7.0
A different take on editing Indy 4.
Inspired? Yes, adding Orellana's backstory shifts the focus from Indy to the aliens. History, almost, repeats itself: Indy is simply one more explorer to go down this path. This fleshes out the worship and protection of these gods / aliens. In the original it feels to me that these gods are from a forgotten past, but if so the presence of warriors protecting them makes no sense. For that the worship needs to exist in the present and not only in the past. TMBTM shows us that worship continued into the recent past, making it an easy step to assume it continues into the present. This also clarifies who wrapped Orellana and his men and why (they couldn't have wrapped themselves after all, at least not the last man).
Do I prefer this over the other available edits? No. I feel the focal shift to improve the alien story and extensive cuts reduce Indy's story too much. In all, an impressive thinking-outside-the-box edit that adds a good backstory. Perhaps the backstory would feel better proportioned in a 3-hour extended edit?

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Overall rating
 
8.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
8.0
Narrative
 
7.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
It's been a couple of years since I watched TM2YC's take on Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The Covenant Edition immediately replaced the theatrical cut for me and I've done my part to spread the word for people to at least give it a shot. Lo and behold, I come back after a long while to find Riddles of the Lost Gods! How does this take on the fourth Indy adventure fare?

One word: WOW!

Firstly, the new opening sequence is a revelation and, for me at least, completely changes my outlook on everything that follows. Something along these lines is how KotCS should have started in the first place! From then on I love all the ideas TMBTM approached this cut with and tries to implement, and many of them are accomplished fantastically.

Unfortunately, this cut isn't perfect. As much as I like the mission statement, at times it feels as if the Editor was a bit too eager to trim and many parts of the film - particularly in the first half - feel rushed. The Area 51 sequence and the Camp sequence in particular could both have been drawn out a bit more. In the latter's case, while I understand the logic of the rearrangment to have Marion introduced before Indy is subjected to the skull, I think a slower-paced version more like the theatrical cut might've been better - as it stands, Marion's introduction is really abrupt. And while I see what the Editor was trying to accomplish with redubbing some of the lines, they're quite noticeable and, outside the last line, IMO kind of unnecessary.

That said, I really REALLY enjoyed this version of the film. I think my perfect version of KotCS is somewhere in between Riddles of the Lost Gods and the Covenant Edition, and together I'm fully convinced that not only could KotCS be saved (both cuts, IMO, do so) but a really enjoyable Indiana Jones film CAN be coaxed out of this magic lamp.

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