Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: The InfoDroid Edit

while the second indy film doesn't get much love i actually prefer this over the third film. perhaps it's because this film feels completely different from the previous film while crusade always felt more like a direct sequel to raiders. infodroid once again present another great fanedit, however some of the stuff that has been cut i rather enjoyed while short round and willie still have some annoying moments. not a fanedit to replace the original and a enjoyable watch overall

I loved TEMPLE OF DOOM as much as the other Indiana Jones movies growing up, but now as an adult, the flaws in it have become more apparent. The massive amounts of blood and gore seem more appropriate for an R-rated horror movie, while Short Round goes too far the opposite direction tonally, seeming like something out of a kids' movie. And don't even get me started on Willie Scott.

Infodroid has created an edit that mercifully removes much of the most embarrassing moments from the film. However, he leaves in some moments that are just as annoying as the ones he took out. And he cut some scenes that I really liked. It's not a matter of him doing it wrong so much as my taste differs from his on those points.

Some people disagreed with Infodroid on removing some of the gore from this movie. I wholeheartedly support it. I think that the Indiana Jones movies should be able to enjoyed by kids at least 10 years old and up, since that's the age I was (when I watched the TV versions), and this cut makes the film more in line tonally with the other Indy films.

This isn't a definitive version for me, but if you've watched TEMPLE OF DOOM a number of times, you owe it to yourself to see this alternate version.

December 8, 2011

This might be the first FanEdit I’ve rated about 5 stars since Jaws: The Sharksploitation Edit.

I usually start w/positive and go to the negatives, but here I’ll be doing the opposite since the negatives are so few.

1. The opening credits are problem atic. You clearly had issues with the font and placement of the names. Plus you misspelled Capshaw’s name (or did I misread it? It looked like “Catshaw”).
2. Removing the silliness and overacting is great, but Indy films ARE fun. A grimace from Willie during dinner would have helped explain her hunger later. The comment she makes when being lowered and raised in the pit so many times is necessary to add some brevity to a long, dark sequence.
3. I can’t believe you cut Dan Aykroyd. How dare you! =]
4. When Willy’s thrown from the elephant, cutting at Shortround’s “Very funny!” would have worked better, in part b/c of the callback during the film’s denouement.

I honestly think that’s it.

The film is far more fun, believable, has a great deal more tension.

Your opening sequence felt far more Indiana Jones (I never liked the song and dance; well, I liked it, but I never felt it fit) although I think you could have used one of the shots in there for that Paramount logo fade they always do in Indy movies.

The other cuts along the way worked very well. I was dubious at first. If you look at my reviews of FanEdits like Flash Gordon or Quantum of Solace, you’ll see I have no patience for the editors who don’t understand the concepts of story and screenplay structure (and character arcs). You clearly get all of that.

The way you cut the Temple sequence was brilliant, making it solely about “turning” Indy and sacrificing Willy. As stated above, her line — whatever it is, I can’t recall — about how many times she’s raised and lowered should be put back in. While the sequence is shortened, a little brevity IS part of Indiana Jones…and it would go a long way there.

Cutting the Temple scene made everything afterwards that much more enjoyable. Cutting Capshaw’s overacting/screaming & some of of Ke Quan’s cutesieness (which never actually bugged me), made the funny parts funnier and I had more vested in the action and danger.

I noticed no bad cuts or edits. Yes, the sound got a little loud in 2 or 3 spots, but that’s not a major problem to me by any means.

Very, VERY well done.

P.S. I take back my comment about the logo fade–I blinked and missed it the first time. I also see now that it DOES say “Capshaw” but it’s VERY hard to read.

November 29, 2011

All in all, nice work.

Technical quality – 8/10 – I don’t know if it’s just me, but it didn’t quite measure up to what I usually see on a FE. But it was still good enough not to detract from the viewing experience.

Editing – 10/10 – Absolutely seamless. One of the best edit jobs I’ve seen so far.

Presentation – 10/10 – Great. No issues.

Entertainment – 8/10 – I liked the start, although the flashback seemed just a little abrupt. I loved the way you trimmed the journey to Pankot, but some things could have used a little more trimming, like Willie and her elephant. The removal of the monkey brains and the heart was perfect; I thought it was great how the drums built up to the unveiling of the stones. But from then on out, I hardly noticed any changes. I’ve seen the film three or four times, but the scenes all seemed the same to me, maybe I just wasn’t paying close enough attention. Anyway, I think it’s a bit more entertaining than the original.

Overall – 9/10

July 11, 2010

Really liked this version of Temple Of Doom.

Not many changes had to be made to improve the movie really, so not much for me to write about. I think the new opening was a great idea and I agree with the removal of a couple of the ‘gross-out’ scenes.