Raiders of the Lost Ark (Junior Explorer Edition)

I watched Raiders as a child, but I remember how terrified I was when my parents covered my eyes at certain segments. Part of me enjoyed the thrill of not knowing what was happening, part of me probably would have been relieved to have a version I could watch without parental supervision. If I was allowed to see the end segment when I was that young I think it probably would have scarred me. It certainly shocked me when I was eventually considered old enough to see it, although today the FX work is quite amusing. I have no real need of a censored cut at this time, so i was watching this purely out of curiosity, but I generally enjoy seeing different takes and how they’re executed.

Audio quality is good. Visual quality is a bit soft but largely solid, although the compression is not flattering during some of the beginning scenes where there is mass foliage. 7.5 rounded up.

Editing across the board is generally great and I enjoyed seeing how DigMod managed to dodge certain sequences. Some stuff did stick out, which i’ll detail below:

- When Indie asks to be tossed the whip, there is a minor visual continuity error, since Indiana has the statue in his hand and then suddenly has both free to run and grab the ledge. I’m not sure there’s any way around this though and it is very minor.
- The crop for Beloch looking in the mirror works, but it’s a bit weird having this lengthy out-of-focus shot that just shows his back. If some of the dialogue can be sacrificed to make the shot shorter it would probably seem more natural.
- I don’t really think the cut for the dead body in the snake room works. It’s just a bit strange to see the scene clearly building towards something with Marion, only to then cutaway to a re-used shot from just before, then suddenly Indiana appears. The technical execution is fine, but the visual continuity and flow of the scene just feels off. To be honest, once the wall has been smashed, you could possibly just cut straight to the external shot of Indie pushing out the stone block.
- 1:16:19 - Marian is firing the gun but there’s no sound of the gunfire
- 1:22:22 - this cut felt very abrupt
- 1:43:12 - not sure if this is in the source, but the framerate appears to drop here
- The cutting of the Ark sequence works well, although I think allowing some kind of off-screen cries/screams would sell it a bit better rather than everyone suddenly vanishing.

On a purely subjective level, I’m not sure why the sword man needed to be cut. Fun, classic moment that I don’t remember being particularly nasty.

Overall a good cut that serves its purpose: to be suitable for younger children. And those children are hardly likely to notice or care about the kind of detail I point out. Recommended for those that want a tamer version for the younger crowd.

A masterful edit - technically flawless, and does exactly what it aims to do - reimagine the film as more suitable for kids.
I enjoyed it, but I think I would rather wait a few additional years and show my kid the theatrical cut in all its glory.