dragonfire88's Full Review: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
After the success of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, it was not surprising that a sequel was made. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom featured Indiana Jones on a darker adventure that was still entertaining.
Indiana Jones was in Shanghai to get a diamond. Things did not go well and he ended up in India with an eleven-year-old boy named Short Round and a nightclub singer named Willie. They heard about some horrible things that had been happening in the area that was connected to the fact that all the children were missing. Indiana decided to go looking for a Sankara Stone that had been stolen. The search led him, Short Round, and Willie to the Temple of Doom, a place where horrible rituals were performed.
Even though Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was the second movie made, it was actually set almost a year before the events of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. I can’t remember anything being mentioned in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark that would connect into anything that happened during this movie. I tend to watch these movies in the order they were released, though this movie could be watched first.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom had Indiana embarking on an adventure that he hadn’t planned to go on. The plot was slightly complicated, but it wasn’t too hard to follow what was going on. Indiana was in Shanghai to get a diamond that had nothing to do with what happened once he ended up in India. The movie, especially the things connected to the temple, had a darker tone. The movie had a darker tone overall and really wasn’t the fun adventure movie that Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark was. That may disappoint some viewers. There were some very dark, nasty, and even disturbing things going on that could bother some people. I did still enjoy the movie and thought it made a good adventure movie.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom had a good amount of action that started within the first few minutes while Indiana was in Shanghai. He had to fight his way out of several situations throughout the movie, which added most of the action. His whip proved to be useful many times. Some special effects were used for certain things. The effects were well done, though they do look slightly dated. The fights as well as the ritual that was going on in the temple also added some violence that might be a bit too graphic for some viewers. The movie was rated PG, but it really isn’t family friendly. It was felt by many that the violence was too strong for a PG rating, but not extreme enough for an R rating. This played a big part in the creation of the PG-13 rating.
I was very thankful that Indiana didn’t end up surrounded by snakes like had happened in the first movie. Unfortunately, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was not completely snake free. Indiana, Short Round, and Willie were guests at a dinner at the palace. The food choices were gross and the main course - at least I think it was supposed to be the main course - featured a giant snake. As if that wasn’t bad enough, someone cut the thing open and out slithered a bunch of small snakes. At least I think there were small snakes. I didn’t look that close. I had somehow managed to forget that part, so I was a bit surprised when all those things slithered out and I did freak out a bit. For someone who professed to hate snakes and be afraid fo them, Indiana remained perfectly calm during all of that. A bit later, Willie had to deal with a bunch of giant bugs when Indiana and Short Round got trapped. The bugs weren’t pleasant either, but they didn’t freak me out like the snake did.
Indiana and Willie met within the first few minutes of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Willie was involved with someone else at the time and it seemed like she was using him as a sugar daddy. There did seem to be an attraction between Willie and Indiana. They were close to acting on that when things went wrong and they discovered the temple of doom instead. I didn’t really believe the attraction or think that they had chemistry since Willie was such an annoying character. There weren’t any sexual situations or nudity in the movie.
Indiana was the same likable character that he had been in the first movie. He didn’t seem to be as light hearted about some things, but that fit since he was dealing with much darker things. Harrison Ford was great in the part, making Indiana a believable character. Short Round was the young boy who was helping Indiana around Shanghai. Short Round was very loyal to Indiana and was willing to face danger to help him. Ke Huy Quan was fine in the part.
Willie was a singer at the nightclub where Indiana was attempting to retrieve a diamond. She seemed to always be looking for a way to make things better for herself . She didn’t seem to be capable of doing anything other than scream like an idiot. She kept expecting Indiana to save her. I thought she was a very annoying character and I really didn’t like her. All her whining and screaming quickly got on my nerves and she is the reason I don’t like the movie more. I was not impressed with Cate Capshaw in the part. Mola Ram was the man in charge of everything going on in the temple of doom. He was not a nice guy and had the ability to do something rather extreme.
Main Cast
Cate Capshaw - Willie Harrison Ford - Indiana Jones Amrish Puri - Mola Ram Ke Huy Quan - Short Round
Steven Speilberg - Director
DVD Information
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was released with the other two Indiana Jones movies in a set along with a fourth disc that had all the special features. I have the widescreen version of the set and there is also a full screen version available. The movies were released as special edition DVDs on May 13, 2008. I think that each movie will have special features, but I could be wrong about that.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was much darker, but it was still an entertaining adventure movie. Fans of the other Indiana Jones movies or Harrison Ford will probably enjoy this one as well.
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