Sharon Movie: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: George Lucas (story) and William Huyck (screenplay)
Genre: Action/Adventure

Story

Indy is back and getting in more trouble. Jones is trying to get a diamond in exchange for the ancient remains he found, but when the deal goes sour he has to narrowly escape death. Along the way he picks up Wilhelmina ‘Willie” Scott (Kate Capshaw) for the love interest of the film. Short Round (Jonathan Ke Quan), Indiana Jones’s young assistant, helps Jones and Scott escape, but the plane they take is sabotaged and they have to bail out. They end up in a small village that is being destroyed by the nearby temple’s evil. The kids of the village have been captured and used as slaves for the benefit of the temple and its quest to find 5 stones which are said to possess magical powers (one of which was stolen form the village). Indiana Jones, Willie, and Short Round set out on the quest to save the village and get the kids and stone back.

Everything Else

Steven Spielberg presents a less impressive sequel to the great Raiders of the Lost Ark, but this one still provides entertainment. Although the action sequences were a little more elaborate than the first film, the effects look much worse. This is one of two major complaints I have for the film. Spielberg should have worked harder to make the blue screening not look blue screened and the explosions more realistic. This is constantly plaguing the screen and even as a child I thought the effects were weird looking. Watching the movie now makes me laugh at how bad it looks, but maybe the technology just wasn’t there to make the scenes look the way Spielberg wanted them to look. Special effects aside the directing was pretty much on par with the first film.


The story is still very George Lucas like as it should be and the dialogue is cheesier than ever in Temple of Doom. The big problem in Temple of Doom seems to be the motivations of the characters. The idea of Indiana Jones going for the stones in the Temple of Doom is fitting for his character, but why does Willie need to come along. Willie has no reason to be with Ford at all really (except for a love interest; after all what kind of film is with out a damsel in distress?). He just decides to protect her by bringing her along on the most dangerous adventure ever (I still don’t get it).


The acting was good in Temple of Doom again, but the dialogue is similar to Star Wars in that it is over the top cheesy at times and this follows suit with the first film so there is no complaint. Ford is more confident as Jones this time, but does not seem to have his edge as Short Round (Jonathan Ke Quan) steals a little bit of the thunder. Kate Capshaw doesn’t provide the strong female role that Karen Allen provided in the first film which is the main reason this film falls at the bottom of my Indiana Jones list. Amrish Puri was a good bad guy as Mola Ram, but he does not get enough play time on the screen directly with Ford. There is one point where Ram actually leaves Jones and Short Round to save Willie and gives them all the chance in the world to get away unscathed. Most of the problems with Temple of Doom stem from the story (Lucas), but even with the glaring issues the film succeeds in continuing the Indiana Jones Trilogy (Legacy) and providing another wild adventure.


The Real Deal

I liked Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom as a kid mostly for the crazy heart stealing and the awesome mine cart chase scene. Those two things were not enough to make up for the bad special effects and the awkward storyline. On this latest viewing I found these things most distracting, but still enjoyed the film. I was laughing a lot more this time around though. There is a lot in this Indiana Jones movie that seems quite gross or gruesome which again seems a bit odd for a movie I always saw as being a family movie. The action was stepped up a notch, but the quality of the effects was sacrificed in the process. I recommend this movie if only to bridge the gap between the other two (three) Indiana Jones films.


Sharon’s Take

Dumb blond, why? Definitely very funny, but not as good as the first. I really enjoyed the mine train chase in Temple of Doom.

The Short Version

Raw Score: 692,493
Sharon Movie? Yes

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