Posted: 02/12/2011

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Review

by Robert Baum

Review: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Harrison Ford returns to action with his trusty bullwhip and an annoying but comely blonde in a prequel to the 1981 box office blockbuster Raiders of the Lost Ark. The Steven Spielberg-directed Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a lively, dizzying, jolting joyride that is far more sinister and nowhere near as much fun as the first film. By the end, we have gone through an experience which feels more like being a passenger in a fast-moving vehicle with no brakes hoping the end will soon come and pray that we don’t sustain any injuries.
The film starts in a Shanghai nightclub a few years before Raiders of the Lost Ark. No coincindence that the joint is called Club Obi-Wan—acknowledging the sagacious space samurai essayed by Sir Alec Guinness in the Star Wars films—where Indy meets up with some Asian gangsters. We meet the woman who will reluctantly share in the perilous adventure emabrked on by the archaeologist. She is a singer from America named Willie Scott (Kate Capeshaw).
Indy is doublecrossed by the gangsters and a battle breaks out in the club. Indy and Willie narrowly escape and are pursued by the gangsters through the narrow streets. Aiding in their escape is Indy’s sidekick, a Chinese orphan named Short Round (newcomer Ke Huy Kwan) who is driving the getaway car. The trio arrive at the airport where they are led to a craft by a fast-talking Englishman (Dan Aykroyd making a cameo) and Indy bids farewell to nemesis Lao Che (Roy Chiao).
It turns out the plane is owned by Lao which puts Indy, Willie, and Shorty in jeopardy. Again they make an exit in the nick of time and wind up facing yet another fright feat as a raft ride down a snowy mount leads to a mighty plunge into a raging river. They manage to recover and realize that they are in India.
They head to a village and are told of the hardships which have enveloped the village because a sacred stone was stolen by intruders who have also abducted the children. Indy decides to help the villagers by getting the rock back. Unlike Indy’s search for the ark, this endeavor is a voluntary deed.
His adversaries in this adventure are a cult of savages which look like they belong in a Tarzan tale. They will probably unsettle young children and the faint of heart. yes they are evn scarier than the Nazis Indy faced in Raiders of the Lost Ark. The Nazis were hissably wicked, these thugs are nightmarish nasties.
As Ford’s reluctant sidekick, Capshaw is nice to look at and is credibly annoying. Unlike Karen Allen’s Marion Ravenwood, Willie Scott is a spineless whiner lacking gumption and grit. Yet despite annoying and riling Indy greatly, who does shecry out for when in trouble? Our hero—of course. Does he save her? Well…
This adventure was penned by Gloria Huyck and Willard Katz from a story by George Lucas, the film’s executive producer. Huyck and Katz previously teamed with Lucas on his tale of teens looking to get out of their California town, 1973s American Graffiti.
Unlike the fast-paced action found in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the follow-up leaves little time for audience members to catch a breath. In that film, the action seemed to slowly pick up speed before going into overdrive. This time though Spielberg offers up an excitement extravaganza but the thrills are ratcheted up too high and too soon. Almost like a thrill ride that gos supersonic the moment it is activated and you hold on for dear life.
Perhaps Indy creator Lucas has spent too long ensconced in Rebel bunkers and Death Stars. This film is a bt too claustrophobic and the thrills are a bit too intense. Surely the troika of Ford, Spielberg, and Lucas will return and give us an adventure more fun than Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, certainly they can do no worse thsn this exciting but disappointing adventure.

Robert Baum is Currently a Bryn Mawr, PA-based film afficanado and pop culture junkie.

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