Revisiting Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom on blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Winston T. Boogie]

So, wandering through a store recently I stumbled across a copy of Temple of Doom on blu-ray for less than $10.00. I had not seen the film since it had opened in theaters in 1984. To be totally upfront I despised the film when I saw it in the cinema dismissing it at the time as no more than an excuse for some theme park to create an Indiana Jones roller coaster ride...and if you have seen the film you know exactly why I thought this. Roger Ebert, for whatever it is worth, loved it.

For less than 10 bucks I thought it was worth giving the film another shot some 32 years later and I figured it likely would be better than most films released as "summer blockbusters" these days. I also was curious because I read a list of films online somewhere that are now labelled as "racist" and this film made the list. According to the list this film would not get made today without heavy changes and a lot of people feel it should be banned and no longer shown. Sixteen Candles also made this list but that is not a film I have ever seen nor do I intend to catch up with it now. Molly Ringwald teen flicks just not being my thing.

So, what did I think watching Temple of Doom again 30 plus years later...well...I did not hate it...so that was different. I was pretty stunned when the film started off with a big old fashioned song and dance routine, played totally straight and actually nicely executed as if what I was about to see was some sort of technicolor musical from the heyday of that sort of thing.



It was kind of odd that Kate Capshaw emerges from what sort of looks like a giant vagina (meant to be a dragon's mouth I think) but that appears to be the part of her anatomy Steven was obsessed with while making this picture as she did end up becoming Mrs. Spielberg. Maybe that was a bit Freudian or just a set designer's attempt at being funny. It then shifted into a goofball action/physical comedy sequence that could have been an outtake from 1941 and then hilariously Dan Aykroyd suddenly shows up for an out of the blue cameo doing a British accent.

Anyway, I sort of went for the ride this time and recognized the film was going for little more than goofy fun. Way back in 1984 I found this film irritating as all hell and a total disappointment after Raiders of the Lost Ark...which I would still call a far superior film. Temple of Doom is sort of a totally bat shit picture. I mean Spielberg goes way over the top and it makes for one nutty ride. I also was sort of surprised that they basically stuck a complete redo of the trash compactor sequence from Star Wars in the middle of the film but I guess since Lucas used it and it worked before, why not do it again.

So, is the film "racist"...well...it does portray people from India as being insane with dining habits that leave quite a bit to be desired. Snake surprise and monkey brain dessert being two featured menu items. I'm not sure any of that was meant to be a shot at Indian folks as much as it was meant to allow Capshaw to scream...which seemed to be a sound Steve loved because he's got a lot of it in this picture. Capshaw is not particularly good in the part either. We also get "Short Round" and I suspect the "racism brigade" also were not too happy with that character or the other Chinese characters from the opening of the film...who all seemed to be ripped from (a tribute to) old Charlie Chan pictures.

I was not offended by anything but I did find the big palace dining scene more than a little ridiculous and I think if they had that to do over again it would be quite different.



So, overall I still did not enjoy Capshaw and I don't know if it was her as much as the idiotic aspects of how they wrote her character (all the screaming) and Short Round was annoying but I found the film a fun little picture if not a worthy sequel (prequel actually) to the first film.

It is an odd film that seems as if they were not quite sure what they wanted to do and that leads to it being a bit all over the place...from song and dance to goofball comedy to weird supernatural cult sequences...it's probably Spielberg's messiest film outside of 1941.

 

[KPmusmag]

Very apt comments. I feel very much the same way about this film. I disliked it in 1984 also, I think because the tone was so different from Raiders. Some things, like the dinner scene, just seem like cheap high school haunted house gross-out shenanigans that IMO are beneath Spielberg and the character of Indiana Jones. I have not avoided it as you have, but I watch it rarely and never feel quite satisfied by it.

 

[Tino]

It's the second best Indy film after Raiders. Waaay better than Crusade and Crystal skull imo.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I've never been a big fan either. To me, it's my least favorite of the series - Last Crusade and Crystal Skull are both significantly better in my view.

But it's not without merit, and it's not terrible. It just has a way of leaving me unsatisfied.

I always find it a little weird that the movie is meant to be a prequel to Raiders, which I don't think works. In Raiders, Indy is the one who protests against the Ark the longest - he thinks it's all a bunch of supernatural mumbo jumbo that couldn't possibly true. But in this film, which is set before that one, Indy is accepting of the legend of the stones from the very beginning. And then he witnesses the obviously supernatural spectacle where people can have their hearts removed and somehow be alive, led by a man who obviously has some sort of supernatural ability. All of which would be fine, except in Raiders, which is supposed to happen after this movie, he doesn't believe any of that's possible. That's always bugged me about this movie.

Individually, there are moments that I enjoy, and I never skip it when I'm watching the whole series, but this is the ultimate "whole is less than the sum of its parts" movie for me.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I actually liked Last Crusade better and enjoyed Connery in that film. Crystal Skull just seemed tired and I would take Temple of Doom over that any day.

Temple of Doom just seems to try too hard to be funny and the Capshaw character is just horrendously written. Drop her and Short Round from the picture and it would be a better film I think.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

So, since this is a "prequel" when you watch the entire series do you watch Temple of Doom first or do you go order of release?

 

[Race Bannon]

I loved the film. Easily second best for me, and captures a very pulpy and old movie feel. Such an adventurous and heroic story. In Raiders, Indy is trying nab a McGuffin. But in Temple of Doom, he's more of a superhero, sacrificing his well-being to save a bunch of children.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

So, since this is a "prequel" when you watch the entire series do you watch Temple of Doom first or do you go order of release?

I almost always go in order of release. I've gone backwards a few times. Because I've seen it less than the other movies, sometimes the Indy movie I'll watch randomly when I want to see just one is Crystal Skull - I like it more than most people seem to, and it feels "new" since I didn't grow up with it and haven't seen it dozens or hundreds of times. But when I end up watching Crystal Skull, inevitably I'll want more Indy, and then it's just a question of whether I should continue working my way backwards, or just go to Raiders and start there.

 

[Carabimero]

I always find it a little weird that the movie is meant to be a prequel to Raiders, which I don't think works.

Agreed. If Temple is a prequel, then why does the empty holster gag work? Answer: Because it's not a prequel. Sticking an earlier date on something don't make it so.

 

[sleroi]

Ive always enjoyed temple. The opening dance number sets the perfect tone, fun. To me the whole film seems like a gleeful nod to the 40s and old cliffhanger serials. And the prison escape leading to the mine cart, leading to the bridge showdown was a very Cameronesque way to milk a climax. And I really liked that it wasnt just a rehash of raiders. I liked Crusade, and the addition of Connery, but it was a little too similar to raiders. I was 14 when doom came out, so I was probably the perfect age for a first viewing. I really liked raiders, but didnt have any expectations going in. So I agree with Tino, its my second favorite of the series.

 

[bujaki]

For what it's worth, the movie opens with Capshaw singing Cole Porter's Anything Goes in Chinese. So maybe that was Spielberg's way of setting the tone for this movie.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Agreed. If Temple is a prequel, then why does the empty holster gag work? Answer: Because it's not a prequel. Sticking an earlier date on something don't make it so.

I suspect that it's a "prequel" at least in part so that Karen Allen's absence doesn't have to be explained.

 

[Carabimero]

I've said this before, but I thought the Spielberg's setups and directing are second only behind JAWS. It's beautifully directed. And the soundtrack is superior, as well.

But do I watch it very often? No.

 

[TravisR]

I've never been a big fan either. To me, it's my least favorite of the series - Last Crusade and Crystal Skull are both significantly better in my view.

But it's not without merit, and it's not terrible. It just has a way of leaving me unsatisfied.

Individually, there are moments that I enjoy, and I never skip it when I'm watching the whole series, but this is the ultimate "whole is less than the sum of its parts" movie for me.

That pretty much sums up my thoughts on it too. For me, it's only disappointing because the other Indy movies are so much better. It's definitely got some cool stuff in it (the opening 10 minutes and the rope bridge sequences are both great) and John Williams is always a homerun but I think it's too dark for an Indiana Jones movie. That being said, it certainly has developed a vocal fanbase over the last 10 or 15 years.

If I had to rank Spielberg's movies, Temple Of Doom would probably be near the bottom with his segment of the Twilight Zone movie, Hook and The Lost World.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

I saw Temple of Doom on release in 1984 - I was on business travel in San Diego and had some time to kill. I didn't like it and never watched it again, even after I'd bought the box set of Indiana Jones DVDs. So I completely forgotten about the opening sequence. How odd. Any Chinese speakers here? Shanghai uses Canton dialect IIRC - is Capshaw's enunciation creditable?

 

[Race Bannon]

I saw Temple of Doom on release in 1984 - I was on business travel in San Diego and had some time to kill. I didn't like it and never watched it again, even after I'd bought the box set of Indiana Jones DVDs. So I completely forgotten about the opening sequence. How odd. Any Chinese speakers here? Shanghai uses Canton dialect IIRC - is Capshaw's enunciation creditable?

Check it out again. To me, it holds up very well to an adult viewing, with an enhanced understanding of what Spielberg was paying homage to with this series. I was 15 when Temple of Doom came out, but I like it now even more than then.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

 

[TravisR]

Check it out again. To me, it holds up very well to an adult viewing, with an enhanced understanding of what Spielberg was paying homage to with this series. I was 15 when Temple of Doom came out, but I like it now even more than then.

I definitely agree that anyone who hasn't seen it in a while should check it out again but it's funny, I liked it more as a little kid because there was all kinds of crazy stuff like gross bugs & snakes, monkey brains getting eaten and hearts being torn out.

 

[TJPC]

I recently re-watched these movies when I acquired the boxed set. I found that l have the same opinion now that I had when we first saw the films in the theatre.
Most of Temple of Doom is a lot of fun, especially the opening number and the mine car chase (wasn't there an Atari cartridge based on this sequence?). But boy does it ever drag drag drag in the Temple heart rip out sequence. Thank goodness for fast forward.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

So, another question I have is during the opening song and dance it begins in the club in what is obviously a small space on a small stage...but then suddenly opens up to a massive football field size space that is all black and obviously much larger than the club with far more dancers all dressed in silver suits and top hats. The club and its patrons obviously have vanished and there is no way this is going on in that club.

So, what exactly is happening there? Is it just anything goes and Spielberg is saying who cares if this makes no sense I just want to unleash my inner Busby Berkeley or is that fantasy taking place in Willie's head?