Phantom Edit of Indy 4

OK, you've seen it. If you liked it, great. If not, what would you cut?

Myself, I'd trim 20 mins out.

Innumerable additional lines of dialogue could be trimmed back

Many, many shots could be tightened up - for instance, the very first scenes on the road. I'm tempted to say almost every shot lingers.

No Tarzan!

No whirly saucer, no alien face reveal!

I wouldn't cut anything out, I'd cut more stuff in.

Some scenes very very short and I want to see the full cut. Anybody that starts talking about this like it's star wars needs a slap.

I wouldn't trim anything from the opening sequence at all?it's just a shame we couldn't push back the revelation of Mac's baddy status to later in the film. I mean, we were only introduced to the guy 2 minutes earlier!! I wonder how Speilberg can get this stuff wrong. I honestly thought he knew what he was doing.

Jim Tigernuts said:

I wouldn't trim anything from the opening sequence at all?it's just a shame we couldn't push back the revelation of Mac's baddy status to later in the film. I mean, we were only introduced to the guy 2 minutes earlier!! I wonder how Speilberg can get this stuff wrong. I honestly thought he knew what he was doing.

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He does know what he was doing. Some of the viewers just don't get it.

Personally, I'd trim:

That weird shot during the hangar scene after Indy has let the rifle go off (did he do that on purpose? - I can't believe they didn't make a gag of the fact that he's stolen all their gunpowder and they can't shoot him when they need to).

Mac saying this is dangerous during the jungle chase.

I'd trim the end off Indy's line to Stanforth - I should never have doubted you, my friend. We don't need the my friend bit.

I'd trim exposition whenever possible because I'm not sure it was all essential. The audience could have filled in some of the gaps themselves.

I don't think you can trim the Monkeys or the Mutt/ Spalko duel even though that was probably my least favourite stuff, because it's so integral to the sequence. I would have liked more Indy heroics during that sequence.

I'd probably trim Mac's wink and foolishly optimistic "i'll be alright line". Surely the most blatantly over-optimism in the face of certain doom since Porkins bought it over the Death Star.

I'd also try a tension pass wherever possible.

These are the nitpicks I have. On the whole I loved the movie and had a great time. Indy is most definitely back and my criticisms apply to my personal tastes and what I think is the difference between an undeniable INdy classic and a good Indy film.

jasperjones said:

I'd trim the end off Indy's line to Stanforth - I should never have doubted you, my friend. We don't need the my friend bit.

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Yes. What an awkward line.

That was an appalling bit of dialogue. It didn't work at all, my friends.

The only two scenes I would cut:

*Mutt's Tarzan-like swinging scene

*Marion drives the car over the cliff and lands on the "rubber tree".

I would've loved to see an expansion of the first scene. I would've added scenes with Indy and Mac searching for the Mc Guffin that was destroyed at the base when the soldier explained how they found Indy and Mac. I think a scene a la Raiders' Idol would've helped the pacing in the opening scenes.

Sir Galahad said:

The only two scenes I would cut:

*Mutt's Tarzan-like swinging scene

*Marion drives the car over the cliff and lands on the "rubber tree".

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Yeah, the "rubber tree" was just awful. I definately cold have done without that.

I would cut:

Tarzan Scene- so unrealistic it was comical

Alien and ship reveal - Indy is about the "unknown" They didn't show GOD in RoTLA, they didn't show Sheeba in TOD and they didn't show Jesus in LC.

75% of all the CGI used - It really took away from the movie. The franchise is all about physical sets, dirt, grime, and old school special effects. I missed that in this movie.

I missed a lot of things...

This movie needed to be cut and revised at the screenplay stage, not in the editing room.

I agree.

MY FICTIONAL SCENARIO OF WHAT HAPPENED!

Steven Spielberg sat in his chair and sighed, "I'm not sure if we can pull this off, we really need to do this old school, I mean like the 80's old school. If we want this movie to be for the fans then I don't think CGI is going to work at all. That and we're going to have to indulge in the character development and really give the fans a sense of this being the end all be all Indy flick to close the franchise."

Out of the shadows walks a dark caped man with really slick white hair and a famously clever grin...

"Let me take over the "second camera" and I'll "help" you with this movie," George Lucas said.

Only stuff I'd cut would b the excessive amount of animal stuff, and the bad Indy falling over scene at the beginning.

NonStop said:

Only stuff I'd cut would b the excessive amount of animal stuff, and the bad Indy falling over scene at the beginning.

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I thought the fall off the rocket sled was relatively amusing.

I quite agree that most of the film's problems stem from the screenplay. However, we're debating how you could tweak the film in the edit to tighten it.

Although I've listed my issues, if I listed all the stuff I loved or liked about the film the list would be enormous. I thought there were about 2/3 terrible lines and 20/30 great lines that worked (at least). FOr me a lot of the banter was up there with the rest of the films.

I'd cut the slow moments between the waterfall jumps. That moment seemed too long, I'd just have the wait for the third jump to be longer, but the first two are slow.

I'd cut all the monkey-swinging. I'd have it stay on the chase and then Mutt swings into the side of the car seemingly out of no-where. Still not preferable... but better than that long and distracting cut-away with all that embarrassing CGi swinging.

The editing was a little terse. It has George Lucas written all over it - he must have edited this. He did similar editing in Attack of the Clones, which made things a little choppy. Didn't linger long enough on certain scenes, stayed too long on others.

A few things i didn't get, including Mutt figuring out things despite not having an education.

But, didn't get the alien thing at the end. All the crystals merge and become an alien that then beams Spalko up into spaceship. Why her? Why wasn't Indy blasted away too? Are the aliens good? If so, then why beam Spalko away??

And the Ants eating people?? Lookos like something that you would put into THE MUMMY. Did anyone feel the movie was DUMBED DOWN fot the MTV generation??

I'm really gutted after waiting and wanting this movie for so long, it's just a mess.

berg

No editing can save this film. I want to completely erase it from memory and existence. It never happened.