Directed by:
Steven SpielbergCinematography:
Douglas SlocombeComposer:
John WilliamsCast:
Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan, Amrish Puri, Roshan Seth, Philip Stone, Ric Young, Philip Tan, Dan Aykroyd, George Lucas, Frank Marshall (more)VOD (4)
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Dashing, whip-wielding archaeologist-adventurer Indiana Jones is joined by comely chanteuse Willie and a 12-year-old sidekick named Short Round. Together they search for a mystical stone stolen from an Indian community and stumble upon a dangerous Thuggee cult. Exotic locales, wild chases, death-defying cliffhangers, last-minute rescues, screaming damsels, and tribal sacrifices are the order of the day as the threesome attempt to acquire the stolen stone. (Paramount Home Entertainment)
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Reviews (8)
Clearly the weakest of the Indiana Jones movies. The horror atmosphere occasionally grabs you, but it's far from being enough from the Lord of Archeologists. It needs more boat flying or wheelchair riding. As it is, everything starts off very promisingly and then merely pauses for about an hour before the classic final spectacle.
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I don't like this episode that much, mainly because Kate Capshaw is such an irritating element that is hard to bear. She’s got nothing on Karen Allen. However, it must be acknowledged that the horror atmosphere is sometimes unreal, and what Spielberg dares in terms of gore is just fantastic. The story is too drawn out for me, though, because it doesn't have much to tell. But the action is excellent.
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When I recently watched this Indy adventure again after a long time, I felt it was even better than in my enthusiastic teenage years. The story may not be as cool as Raiders of the Lost Ark or The Last Crusade, but in its individual parts Spielberg proves his storytelling greatness and is brimming with ideas that elevate this instalment to the honourable level of the two other entries in the trilogy. The low-key communicativeness towards the viewer, who is cunningly warned of the approaching action, the twists of seemingly insignificant plots, the playful work with lighting or multi-genre references, the likeable humour and the thrilling action of the last half hour make this one of the purest and funniest adventure films ever made in Hollywood…
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Of all of the Indian Jones movies, I like The Temple of Doom the least. Hard to say if it’s the change of environment, the absence of Nazis or just a worse story. It’s still way above average in the adventure movie segment. Excellent funny scenes (dinner at the palace) are alternated by impressive action sequences, dominated by the chase in the mine wagons. If I think about it, more like 4.5 than 4*, but I think that Indy will forgive me this once :-).
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Temple of Doom is considered by many as the weakest link in the series about the fearless archaeologist Indiana Jones. I dare to disagree. I don't mind that my generous rating is probably influenced by nostalgic memories of the big screen, where the colorful exoticism of inaccessible lands, amazing natural locations, the presence of attractive women, the dynamics of imaginative action scenes, the ironic exaggeration, and the abundance of witty lines deeply impressed me as a young boy. The second installment is the most action-packed and fast-paced with noticeably horror tones. In the 80s, scenes like breathtaking mine cart chases felt like a revelation and generated boundless enthusiasm from the audience. In fact, these scenes are still impressive today. The cinematography of bombastic tricks and attractions, understandably, has reached a much higher level as time has passed, but Temple of Doom still holds its charm for me. The characters, along with Indy himself, are the weakest aspect of the film, but the other elements successfully compensate for this handicap. In similar adventure films, I don't mind the naivety and the attempt to attack the audience's senses. It has style, irony, and traditionally excellent direction. It is nothing more and nothing less than quality adventure entertainment, and I don't regret giving it an overall impression of 90%. Perhaps it's just disappointing that Spielberg stole the charming Kate Capshaw for himself and tied her down with a ring. I must admit that Steven has good taste, but I believe that if she had devoted the energy she put into childbearing and social presentation of the family to her acting career, she could have achieved much more.
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