Review: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
The Steven Spielberg film, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, opened on this date in 1984. The second Indiana Jones adventure once again starred Harrison Ford in the lead role.
Synopsis:
Indiana Jones finds himself lost in India with American singer Willie Scott and his young sidekick, Short Round. A village has fallen on hard times since its magical stone was stolen. The people of the village ask Indiana Jones to bring the stone back to them and face the evil cult that has taken it.
Positives:
- The Temple of Doom is a much darker and faster moving film than Raiders of the Lost Ark. The set pieces are larger in scale and more intense than the first Indy adventure.
- The film is completely different from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Spielberg and the crew did an excellent job of giving Temple of Doom its own feel and tone.
- For me, Harrison Ford gives his best performance as Indiana Jones in the whole series. He balances the charm, action scenes and humor of Indiana Jones perfectly in Temple of Doom.
- The relationship Indy has with Short Round is the real heart of the film. His romance with Willie is also fun, but the father and son dynamic he shares with Short Round is often heart warming.
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Negatives:
- The script isn’t as well crafted as Raiders of the Lost Ark. Temple of Doom is a roller coaster ride and there isn’t much time for plot or story.
In Closing:
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom gets a lot of criticism for its darkness and over the top action. While some of those criticisms are valid, for me it’s the best Indiana Jones sequel we have gotten. It is a different movie than Raiders of the Lost Ark and I love that about it. The action scenes are incredibly inventive and grander than Raiders. Harrison Ford takes everything we loved about Indy in Raiders to another level; Indiana Jones has never been cooler than he is in Temple of Doom. Temple of Doom isn’t as well crafted as Raiders of the Lost Ark, but it is still one of the best action/adventure movies of all time.
Rating: A