In 1981, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas released an action-adventure film titled, “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” A critical and commercial success, the film earned an Oscar nomination for “Best Picture”. Unfortunately, it lost to “Chariots of Fire.” After Steven and George finished their separate projects “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” and “Return of the Jedi,” they worked on a prequel titled, “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.”
Released in 1984, (same year Ghostbusters came out) the prequel received mixed reviews from critics and movie goers alike. Regardless of divisive reactions, it made a lot of money at the box office. Five Years Later, A follow-up to Raiders known as “The Last Crusade” (my personal favorite Indy film) became a huge improvement. Nineteen Years Later, “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” was a miscalculation. the fifth and final installment of Indiana Jones series titled, “Dial of Destiny” will be released on June 30, 2023. Before I see Harrison Ford’s final portrayal of the character, I’m gonna rewatch all four Indiana Jones films in chronological order. Temple of Doom’s set before Raiders.
It doesn’t matter if SPOILERS are listed. We’ve seen all four Indiana Jones films countless times, parodied or referenced in other works.
Shiny & Rusty Qualities
Shiny: Harrison Ford did an excellent job for his performance as the titular character.
Future Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan did decent job for his performance as Short Round. Before he made a big comeback in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Ke worked as a stunt coordinator for Hugh Jackman in the “X-Men” films,” and a few films starring Jason Statham and Jet Li. Most notably, “The One.” Mr. Quan’s good friends with them. He was already around in the film industry, but offscreen.
Action Sequences are pretty good. My favorite one’s the climatic bridge scene.
Practical Effects were heavily involved to create Set Pieces and stunt work.
John Williams orchestrated the soundtrack.
Temple of Doom’s set in 1935. One Year before Raiders.
Cinematography didn’t undergo no Shaky Cam.
The Tone’s darker than the first film. An attempt to emulate “The Empire Strikes Back.”
Mola Ram’s “heart attack” scene is the reason why the PG-13 rating was invented. It also inspired Mortal Kombat’s fatalities. We got to give Steven & George credit for introducing nightmare fuel in PG-13 movies like “The Dark Knight Trilogy,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.” Honestly, the heart attack scene didn’t scare the crap outta me. Only two movies gave me the heebie jeebies. “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.” Why? Because they involve giant spiders. I happen to suffer from arachnophobia.
Fun Fact: Quentin Tarantino mentioned Temple of Doom is his favorite Indiana Jones movie. Because it introduced the PG-13 rating.
My favorite line from Indy is… “Prepare to meet Kali, in hell!”
A Wilhelm Scream is used when Ram gets eaten by crocodiles.
Club Obi-Wan is the name of the nightclub in Shanghai.
Dan Aykroyd makes a cameo appearance.
Rusty: Steven Spielberg & George Lucas failed to create a worthy prequel.
Kate Capshaw’s performance as Willie is extremely annoying. Her character has Capshaw’s Disease or CD for short. Why? Because she constantly screams, cries, complains, afraid to carry a gun and she only contributes saving Indy and Short Round from a trap. I gotta Triple Down this flaw when it comes to my number one worst cliche in movies/shows, “The Annoying Idiot.” This makes Long Duk Dong’s role in “Sixteen Candles” three-dimensional. It’s not Kate’s fault, I blame Steven Spielberg for casting her. Just an excuse to smooch with her. They’re married in real life.
Indy’s early romance with Willie felt one-sided. They’re not compatible. Unlike Willie, Marion from Raiders of the Lost Ark is less annoying, can handle herself in a fight and not afraid to grab a gun. Indy and Marion are true soulmates. I consider Willie as the precursor to annoying comic relief characters listed below. A shame Ram didn’t give her the heart attack.
- Jar Jar Binks
- Ruby Rhod from “The Fifth Element”
- Amanda Kirby from “Jurassic Park III”
- Rachel Ferrier from “War of the Worlds”
- Sam Witwicky’s parents from Michael Bay’s “Transformers”
- Skids and Mudflap from “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”
- Fergee from Slyvester Stallone’s “Judge Dredd”
- Chi-Chi from “Dragon Ball Z.”
Opening Credits begins with Willie leading a Musical Number. Am I watching an action-adventure movie or an old musical from the Golden Age of Hollywood?
A waiter in the opening didn’t have the same impact as Alfred Molina’s character in the first movie who was a traitor and coward. The opposite of Indy.
The Raft Scene with Indy, Short Round & Willie falling a hundred feet in the air landing without a single scratch would never happen in real life. An episode of “MythBusters” recreate the scene using a dummy and a raft if it’s possible to survive the outcome. Result? Unlikely. Indy would’ve died from broken bones and internal bleeding. I’m willing to forgive The Fast Saga’s over-the-top action, but a realistic action-adventure movie like Indiana Jones doesn’t translate well.
The Final Verdict: C-
Hate to break it to ya, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is the weakest installment of The Indiana Jones Trilogy. It’s the biggest disappointment of 1984. I have to give films from the past tough love. If you’re gearing up to see Dial of Destiny, go ahead and rewatch all four films.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 