A divisive chapter among fans of the series, Temple of Doom is easily the silliest of the initial Indiana Jones trilogy. While I've heard the argument that this character thrives on fantastical situations and traces of lore, for my money the envelope is pressed just a bit too far in this instance. Sure, Raiders used the power of the ark to melt the Nazis' skin and Crusade showcased an immortal knight with a collection of stand-in grails, but in each case those represented the climax of a long, grounded adventure - a mere taste of supernatural payoff. Temple shows no such restraint, diving straight in with voodoo dolls, mysterious brainwashing liquids and, memorably, bare-handed heart removals.
It also tinkers with the formula of Jones as a loner, with mixed success. Indy's de-facto sidekick, Short Round, plays up every stereotype of a kid tagalong. He's shoehorned in, no doubt about it, but also adds a new dimension to the larger-than-life lead character via their rapid-fire rapport. The additional presence of a blonde love interest, Willie, seems redundant and unnecessary - her constant shrieks and clueless nature gives the impression Indy's babysitting two kids.
Of course, it's not all bad news: Harrison Ford works wonders with his shadier lines and knocks the good ones right out of the park, the comic relief scenes (though over-applied) work surprisingly well, and the action / adventure elements the series is best known for hit all the right buttons. There's no shortage of that old, familiar formula here, but I wonder if Spielberg and Lucas may have overreached in an effort to make the film more palatable to the Saturday morning cartoon crowd.
Review by Theo KallströmVIP 6BlockedParentSpoilers2020-11-04T09:19:03Z
THE WACPINE OF ‘INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM’
WRITING: 5
ATMOSPHERE: 6
CHARACTERS: 6
PRODUCTION: 8
INTRIGUE: 6
NOVELTY: 7
ENJOYMENT: 6
The Good:
Temple of Doom has grown on me over the years. It’s darker, more mature and not well-aged in terms of political correctness, but it's still an entertaining and well-made adventure film.
One of the great things about this sequel/prequel is the constant flow of adrenaline and a feisty pace, which helps to keep the simple story dynamic. The action scenes feel bigger and bolder and the Indian setting feels more exotic.
Spielberg’s direction is still confident, the production design is great and the John Williams score is fittingly ominous for the darker atmosphere of this film.
The mine cart chase and the ensuing bridge sequence might very well be among my all-time favourite sequences in any film.
Harrison Ford is soaking wet from water, sweat and blood through the entire film. That at least makes him a realistic action hero.
The Bad:
I still don't like the overly whiney Kate Capshaw and the annoying Jonathan Ke Quan. Their presence as Indy's sidekicks alone makes this film inferior to the first and third films. As Indy says: "The trouble with her (Willie) is the noise". It doesn't help that they are both very one-dimensional characters.
After the exciting opening sequence, the film somewhat struggles with excitement and build-up until Indy arrives at the mine. There's plenty of pointless filler and too much Willie material.
The dining scene at the palace is one of the clingiest things I've ever seen. A low point for the series. The bedroom sequence after that isn't much better either.
The main problem with this film is that while it turns up the dials on both the humour and the violence, it turns them too far. The humour feels forced and the violence sometimes goes a bit too far. The darkness feels so in your face throughout much of the temple sequence that it stops being entertaining.
The Ugly:
“WE. ARE. GOING. TO. DIE!”
WACPINE RATING: 6.29 / 10 = 3 stars