Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom
(A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) was one of the best films of its year and one of the best action/adventure flicks of modern times. Now, 3 yrs. later, Steven Spielberg is back with a prequel. But whether or not it stands up to his 1st Indiana Jones masterpiece is a whole other story. 'Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom' opens in 1935 Hong Kong, with archeologist-adventurer Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) in trouble with a local crime lord. When he is almost poisoned by some Chinese thugs, Indy must make a daredevil's escape (his usual modus operandi) from a Shanghai nightclub - this time in the company of his 11 yr. old sidekick, Short Round (Jonathan Ke Quan), & a blonde nightclub singer, Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw).
They escape in a getaway car, and then hop on a plane - leaving their enemies in the dust {orrrr so they think}. Turns out, the plane is owned by those thugs, & Indy must improvise another improbable escape from mid-air. The 3 land in an Indian village where people are starving. There, the trio is encouraged by the local priest of the small village to retrieve a stolen sacred stone, as well as some missing children from the mysterious Palace of Pankot. While Indiana senses a chance for fame/fortune, he also he cares about the lowly villagers. And so, Indy agrees to help on this mission of mercy.
This results in a crazy journey that takes him to the booby-trapped temple-with-a-deep-dark-secret. Indy discovers the revival of an ancient cult involving human sacrifice; he also learns that the village children are being used as laborers in the Maharajah's underground mine. Overcoming one peril after another, Indy, Willie & Short Round call upon their collective prowess to end the Maharajah's plans to accomplish world domination via dark magic.
If there had been no Raiders of the Lost Ark and 'Temple of Doom' was its own entity ... I would have considered this a great (if schizophrenic) action/adventure film. BUT, it's not its own entity. And while I enjoyed the movie greatly, it's not as fun as that 1st film. Gone is the awe of watching that 1st film. What has been replaced is something quite a bit darker; even a little mean-spirited. To not repeat the adventures from the 1st film, Spielberg leeched a lot of the 'fun'. I mean, in this story there is overt child abuse, hearts removals (which will terrify folks young & old), black magic, a truly hellish temple, etc. It's all just a bit too much; a little too over-the-top. And the inclusion of slapstick physical comedy doesn't really lighten the tone so much as make the movie occasionally feel disjointed.
I also think that making 'Temple of Doom' a prequel (which it is) was a mistake. One of the assets of Raiders was the way in which the characters interacted, especially Indy & Marion (Karen Allen), and Indy & Sallah (John Rhys-Davies). These relationships formed the backbone of Raiders. The chemistry crackled. And in this film, as a love interest, Kate Capshaw screams A LOT, needs rescuing, & her damsel in distress act kinda irked.
But on the whole, there are s many positives of this film, as well - all nicely packed into the 115 min. running time. The cinematography, exotic locales, production values, costumes, make-up, & music are exceptional (as you would expect from Spielberg & his team). Throughout the narrative, there is actually more "comedy" than action. I would have liked that to be flip-flopped. Raiders managed to balance both equally. But the action we do get is kinetic. There are a few scenes in the middle involving bugs & spikes which is pretty cool. That opening plane escape (while ridiculous) IS pretty amazing. And I think a mine chase in the temple (near the end) will become iconic. I craved more moments like that. Ford is great in the title role, once again. He's heroic, good-looking, rough, yet cultured & amiable at the same time. Go into 'Temple of Doom' expecting chills, thrills, scares, & fantasy and you'll get it. Just don't expect a Raider-like masterpiece.
They escape in a getaway car, and then hop on a plane - leaving their enemies in the dust {orrrr so they think}. Turns out, the plane is owned by those thugs, & Indy must improvise another improbable escape from mid-air. The 3 land in an Indian village where people are starving. There, the trio is encouraged by the local priest of the small village to retrieve a stolen sacred stone, as well as some missing children from the mysterious Palace of Pankot. While Indiana senses a chance for fame/fortune, he also he cares about the lowly villagers. And so, Indy agrees to help on this mission of mercy.
This results in a crazy journey that takes him to the booby-trapped temple-with-a-deep-dark-secret. Indy discovers the revival of an ancient cult involving human sacrifice; he also learns that the village children are being used as laborers in the Maharajah's underground mine. Overcoming one peril after another, Indy, Willie & Short Round call upon their collective prowess to end the Maharajah's plans to accomplish world domination via dark magic.
If there had been no Raiders of the Lost Ark and 'Temple of Doom' was its own entity ... I would have considered this a great (if schizophrenic) action/adventure film. BUT, it's not its own entity. And while I enjoyed the movie greatly, it's not as fun as that 1st film. Gone is the awe of watching that 1st film. What has been replaced is something quite a bit darker; even a little mean-spirited. To not repeat the adventures from the 1st film, Spielberg leeched a lot of the 'fun'. I mean, in this story there is overt child abuse, hearts removals (which will terrify folks young & old), black magic, a truly hellish temple, etc. It's all just a bit too much; a little too over-the-top. And the inclusion of slapstick physical comedy doesn't really lighten the tone so much as make the movie occasionally feel disjointed.
I also think that making 'Temple of Doom' a prequel (which it is) was a mistake. One of the assets of Raiders was the way in which the characters interacted, especially Indy & Marion (Karen Allen), and Indy & Sallah (John Rhys-Davies). These relationships formed the backbone of Raiders. The chemistry crackled. And in this film, as a love interest, Kate Capshaw screams A LOT, needs rescuing, & her damsel in distress act kinda irked.
But on the whole, there are s many positives of this film, as well - all nicely packed into the 115 min. running time. The cinematography, exotic locales, production values, costumes, make-up, & music are exceptional (as you would expect from Spielberg & his team). Throughout the narrative, there is actually more "comedy" than action. I would have liked that to be flip-flopped. Raiders managed to balance both equally. But the action we do get is kinetic. There are a few scenes in the middle involving bugs & spikes which is pretty cool. That opening plane escape (while ridiculous) IS pretty amazing. And I think a mine chase in the temple (near the end) will become iconic. I craved more moments like that. Ford is great in the title role, once again. He's heroic, good-looking, rough, yet cultured & amiable at the same time. Go into 'Temple of Doom' expecting chills, thrills, scares, & fantasy and you'll get it. Just don't expect a Raider-like masterpiece.