Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom review
Posted : 3 years ago on 21 April 2021 03:270 comments, Reply to this entry
A very good movie
Posted : 7 years, 6 months ago on 23 October 2016 07:200 comments, Reply to this entry
Fortune & Glory
Posted : 8 years, 12 months ago on 18 May 2015 01:10Ah, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. One of those films which I thought was beloved for many years until the advent of the internet in which I discovered it actually gets a lot of stick. Well never fear Temple of Doom, as I am here to defend you against waves of undeserved criticism. So hold onto yo potatoes, itās time for a controversial review of unpopular opinion.
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Iāll begin my defense of Temple of Doom by discussing the movieās two not so beloved supporting characters. First up its Short Round as delightfully played by child actor Jonathan Ke Quan. I love Short round for several reasons with the first being the endearing relationship he shares with Indiana Jones. Unlike Indyās other companions, Short Round idolizes Indy. The moment in which Indy places Short Roundās cap on his head after freeing him from the Thuggee cultās spell perfectly sums up their relationship and it gets me every time. Short Round saves Indyās life on multiple occasions; In fact, sometimes I wonder how heās even still alive without him. In comparison to a more beloved character in the series, Henry Jones senior, who almost gets Indy killed on a number of occasions thus rendering the criticism of Short Round being a hindrance to Indy invalid. But I hear you say, Short Round has an annoying voice? - Not at all. Short projects a voice of juvenile innocence and adventure. Short Round is like a kidās fantasy, whatās cooler than getting to be Indiana Jonesā sidekick? Who wouldnāt want to be Short Round? Well, Iād rather be Indy himself, but being Short Round is the next best thing.
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But how do I defend Willie Scott?! This bastion of female serotypes! Oh please, quit the feminist double standard. Outrage is none existent when a character exhibits male stereotypes (not that there should be). Shouldnāt true equality between the sexes allow for a female character to be portrayed as incompetent rather than imposing creative limitations on how women can be portrayed in fiction.
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For those who call Willie annoying; well letās agree to disagree. Iāve never found the character of Willie to be annoying and I believe one of the reasons for this is that she is punished for her selfish actions throughout the film. Her character is supposed to be unlikeable and the movie is fully aware of this by making her receive comeuppance. Willie holds some similarities with Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes with her preoccupation with diamonds and her intention to get rich by marrying a particular wealthy gentleman, only to find out theyāre a child. Just like Monroe, Capshaw displays a wide range of facial expressions and excels in her comedic timing. During the movie Willie matures, she shows concern for Indy and Short Round during the later portion of the film and even punches bad guys during the mine cart chase, a far cry from her earlier self. I love this trio of characters, so yeah, what are you going to do about it?!
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Temple of Doom begins not with the build-up to an action scene but rather a musical number (with the opening shot of the gong is surely a little tribute to the Rank Organisation). Iāve never heard every rendition of Cole Porterās Anything Goes but surely this has to be the best version of the tune with Kate Capshaw singing it in Mandarin. The superb rendition of the song along with the dance choreography, the costumes and shear sparkling on-screen, this may be the greatest musical number from a non-musical film. It might seem odd to start an Indiana Jones movie with a musical number but as it captures the 1930ās setting and exotic tone of the series so against the odds it works and works magnificently. Temple of Doom even serves as a travelogue for India with its gorgeous landscapes, accompanied by John Williams at his most exotic.
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Temple of Doom is a film that doesnāt beat about the bush and gets over the top very quickly. This is another aspect that sets it apart from Raiders and Last Crusade as the action in Temple of Doom is the least plausible from the original three movies; hence why moments such as the trio escaping from the plane via jumping out of it on a rubber raft come under criticism. However, I believe thereās a fine line between action being implausible but not the point in which you canāt suspend your disbelief (yes Iām looking at you Nuke the Fridge) and I feel Temple of Doom achieves this fine line. The second half of Temple of Doom is one huge roller coaster ride with many classic B-movie and adventure serial pitfalls; a room with a descending spiked roof, a conveyor belt with a crushing roller at the end, a scene atop a rope bridge and the best of all, the mine cart chase sequence ā an absolute master class of action movie filmmaking. After the trio escape from metaphorical hell, the final kiss between Indy and Willie is one of the most satisfying in all of cinema.
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Temple of Doom is too juvenile you say? Youāre saying juvenile like itās a bad thing. I like all the weird creepy stuff; the bugs, the monkey brains, hearts being ripped out of peopleās chests. Itās repulsive in the best sense of the word. But Temple of Doom isnāt a stupid film. No one ever seems to mention Indyās character arc of overcoming his selfish streak. During the first half of the film, he is only concerned with obtaining his āfortune and gloryā. Even after visiting the baron village and obtaining the Sankara Stones, his personal gain remains his only objective. Itās not until he sees with his own eyes the children in slave labour that he changes his ways. Likewise, people praise The Empire Strikes Back for being ādarkā, why doesnāt this logic of darkness being synonymous with quality not work for Temple of Doom?
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But letās get into the real serious stuff - the filmās portrayal of Hinduism. I donāt claim to be an expert on Hinduism but Iāll attempt to the best of my ability to defend this most controversial aspect of the film. The villains of Temple of Doom, The Thuggee, were a cult who resided in India over several hundred years who would strangle travelers and steal their belongings (hence the origin of the term āthugā). The Thuggee were followers of the Hindu Goddess Kali, however, in Hinduism, Kali is not an evil entity, but rather the goddess of time, change and energy. As what The Thuggee believes is not what Kahali stands for, it makes the villains more interesting as they religious extremists, desecrating a faith for their own selfish gain, such as The Westro Baptist Church to Christianity or Isis to Islam. I believe the filmmakers are aware of this, as evident in the scene towards the end of the film on the dangling rope bridge. Just before Indy sends Mola Ram to his death, he utters āYou betrayed Kali!ā. Raiders and Last Crusade both show that the God of Christianity exists in the Indiana Jones universe. Does the spiritual power to the Shankara Stones lend legitimacy to Hinduism then?
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Then youāve got the usual crowd with their screams of āracism!ā. Does the movie have a stereotypical portrayal of Indians? I donāt see Raiders or Last Crusade having such a loving portrayal of the German people but of course, theyāre white so it doesnāt count. Iām sick of engaging in this game. When a film is labeled for apparent racism I think to myself, was there malicious intent behind it? Temple of Doom doesnāt give into any pretense of political correctness with its white saviour protagonist, touchy religious subject matter and stereotypical female lead; deal with it.
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I consider Temple of Doom to be no less worthy of a film than Raiders or Last Crusade. Like how Temple of Doom dared to be different and the black sheep of the series, I dare not to bow to the will of popular opinion. What are you going to do about it!? For you see my opinion is always correct, except for the times when I am wrong, which is never.
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Not as good as the first one but still great fun
Posted : 9 years, 4 months ago on 29 December 2014 06:15The movie keeps its amazing visual style, action and acting, it certainly is darker than the original and shows many heart rip outs! Still Harrison Ford and the rest of the cast shine, the art direction is still brilliant and Steven Spielberg's direction is outstanding!
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Another fantastic Indy film...
Posted : 14 years, 3 months ago on 25 January 2010 04:08Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones will become legend in years to come! He hasn't flawed in one single bit in any of the four films. What I love about Indy in all four films was he was alongside all different kinds of people in each film (apart from Marion Ravenwood because she was in Raiders Of The Lost Ark and Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull). He shows again how charming he can be. After Ford was Han Solo and seeing how charming he is, he became Indiana Jones.
Spielberg directs the darkest of the series. There is a lot of visual effects used in this one but despite that, this film wasn't greatly effected and that wasn't a flaw. After the release of Return Of The Jedi, George Lucas has crafted another brilliant film in his career.
The Temple Of Doom is another reason why I love Indiana Jones. Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom is an awesome action packed rollercoaster that I loved from the beginning to the end. Despite how much I loved this one, it is the worst Indiana Jones film behind Raiders Of The Lost Ark, The Last Crusade and Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. The Temple Of Doom is one of the best prequels of all time. I couldn't really tell that this was a prequel but it was an awesome film nevertheless.
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Solid sequel.
Posted : 15 years, 11 months ago on 22 May 2008 11:36
The original Indiana Jones film was a little known production that became a worldwide hit. After the great success of Raiders of the Lost Ark it was inevitable that the team would get back together and produce another ripping yarn of an action/adventure flick. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is certainly the weakest Indiana Jones film to date. After watching it again after all these years I am reminded that even the worst film of a film series can still be bucket loads of fun.
Temple of Doom is a prequel to the original Indiana Jones film, this time set in 1935 before the Nazi occupation commenced. At the beginning of this film we are once again introduced to the legendary archaeologist with a weakness for adventure, Dr. Indiana Jones (Ford). Jones narrowly escapes a group of Chinese gangsters in a nightclub in Shanghai, ending up stranded in a remote location in India. He finds himself being partnered with a young Asian boy named Short Round (Quan) and a head-aching nightclub singer named Willie Scott (Capshaw, who ended up marrying director Steven Spielberg). The trio come across a devastated village that is under crisis. Their children have been taken and their precious stone stolen. The villagers believe Jones and his companions were brought here for a specific reason: to recover their precious stone and the missing children that they hold dearly. Trekking across the thick jungles of India the gang reach the enigmatic Pankot Palace where they are openly welcome. Indy is then faced with a baffling religious ceremony in a mystifying temple. With two companions and a whip by his side, Indy must battle the powerful forces of evil in order to recover the sacred stone and the young children that were taken as slaves.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a lot darker and more sinister than its forerunner. We still have the gorgeous locales and elaborate sets, but we are also given some menacing horror scenes that will easily frighten young viewers. Especially when the action moves to the temple, things suddenly become exceedingly shocking. I remember being quite disturbed by these sequences when I was a youngster.
The charm and wit of Harrison Ford has not disappeared at all. Ford is energetic, funny, and sublime as Indiana Jones. The character is still whip-touting and skilled. His dialogue is impeccably written and faultlessly delivered. There is no wonder why Indiana Jones was voted several times as one of the best action heroes of all time. Kate Capshaw will make your head hurt. Throughout the whole film she's endlessly whining or complaining about the conditions. Her character is cleverly constructed; however she's just the essential clichƩd damsel in distress. The first film boasted a feisty female lead who suffered from very few fundamental conventions. Recognition must go to Jonathan Ke Quan, a young actor who does a stellar job.
Steven Spielberg is the only man with the skill to helm a successful Indiana Jones film. Even with dated visual effects and limited resources, Spielberg is an accomplished director competent in bringing words on the page to life with great results.
Like the first film, this instalment is filled with stacks of stunts and spectacular special effects that are so abundant that it never leaves us any time to breathe. Unsurprisingly, the film is topped off gorgeously with the rollicking score courtesy of acclaimed composer John Williams.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was never going to improve upon the original movie. Be that as it may, this prequel to the successful 1981 adventure film is influential and entertaining. Followed by Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
7.85/10
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Dumb
Posted : 16 years, 1 month ago on 16 March 2008 08:570 comments, Reply to this entry
A great classic, but...
Posted : 17 years, 1 month ago on 9 April 2007 08:260 comments, Reply to this entry