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

[Race Bannon]

Inner Busby Berkely, I think.

 

[cb1]

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

I agree, I saw it in the theater at least 6 times that 1984 summer before I left for Basic Training in Aug 1984. Between Temple of Doom and Ghostbusters, I had a great movie summer that year.

There are a couple of movies that are part of my best "theater experience" and Temple of Doom is on the list right after Rambo II.

 

[TravisR]

Inner Busby Berkely, I think.

Yeah, I agree. Logic be damned, he wanted to take advantage of what might have been his only chance to do a dance number like that.

 

[Tino]

Summer of '84 movies are my favorite childhood memories. So many classics.

 

[Dave H]

I think Temple of Doom is by far the second best Indiana Jones movie (behind Raiders, of course). Great music score and just an amazing adventure. The different environments were rather spectacular and I think the plot was good. Sure, the movie is not perfect: there was some over-the-top moments, Kate was a bit annoying at times, but the darkness of the movie worked well. I did not feel in anyway this movie was racist...I think that's ridiculous.

 

[Worth]

For me, as far as the Indy films go, there's Raiders and then there's all the rest. That said, of the sequels, Temple of Doom is my favourite. Aside from the bits taken from the original drafts of Raiders (which is pretty much half the movie), the writing is lousy and Willie is annoying. But the direction is dynamite. The camera work, staging and blocking are all top tier. This feels like the first film where Spielberg had nothing to prove and could just let go and have fun with it.

Last Crusade benefits from a sharper script and Connery's presence, but it feels like everyone's going through the motions. The set pieces are uninspired, especially the motorcycle chase, which is TV-level stuff. There's no snap to Spielberg's direction. It feels like it was ghost-directed by someone else. And the less said about the last film, the better.

 

[Dave H]

Last Crusade benefits from a sharper script and Connery's presence, but it feels like everyone's going through the motions. The set pieces are uninspired, especially the motorcycle chase, which is TV-level stuff. There's no snap to Spielberg's direction. It feels like it was ghost-directed by someone else. And the less said about the last film, the better.

Agreed. there's something just missing to it. I do rewatch Last Crusade periodically and as much as I try to like it, it just ends up feeling "okay" and not what I can really call truly enjoyable if you know what I mean. It also felt a little too light-hearted. I know Spielberg, Lucas, and others felt 'Doom went too dark - but I much preferred that direction versus this one.

 

[Dick]

It's probably Spielberg's messiest film outside of 1941.

But, then, there is HOOK...

 

[brap]

This was a very dark movie compared to the others. It certainly shows that Lucas and Spielberg were both going through divorces at the time. Willie won't stop nagging and the bad guys literally rip your heart and take your children away.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

But, then, there is HOOK...

I actually have never seen Hook so I can't really comment on it. My wife told me recently that she saw Hook when it was in theaters and liked it.

 

[Tino]

1941 is an underrated masterpiece![emoji12]

 

[Worth]

Agreed. there's something just missing to it. I do rewatch Last Crusade periodically and as much as I try to like it, it just ends up feeling "okay" and not what I can really call truly enjoyable if you know what I mean. It also felt a little too light-hearted. I know Spielberg, Lucas, and others felt 'Doom went too dark - but I much preferred that direction versus this one.

The first film was more pulpy in tone, while all the sequels were more over-the-top and cartoony. But Temple of Doom's goofiness is tempered by a real sadistic streak running through the movie. Last Crusade feels too cutesy, and it's always bothered me the way they changed the characters in that film. Sallah and Brody are buffoons all of a sudden, and it's hard to imagine the Indy of the first film ever having been a boy scout, and there's no way he'd ever have uttered a line like "this belongs in a museum".

 

[TravisR]

I actually have never seen Hook so I can't really comment on it. My wife told me recently that she saw Hook when it was in theaters and liked it.

Hook seems to have a fanbase with people who saw it as kids. The positive about any of Spielberg's (or any big name director's) 'bad' movies is that they will always have a longer shelf life than if they were made by a lesser known person so those movies have a better chance at reappraisal and eventually getting some respect.

1941 is an underrated masterpiece![emoji12]

I love 1941. It's crazy and over the top but it's got a great cast, some of the comedy is really funny and you can hear John Williams finding his way to the iconic Raiders Of The Lost Ark score.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

For me, as far as the Indy films go, there's Raiders and then there's all the rest.

I agree with this. I personally feel that Spielberg's three best films, as with Ridley Scott, came early in his career. Jaws, Close Encounters, and Raiders. These all showcase what Spielberg has always done best...make really good popular entertainments. The rest of Spielberg's directing career has been average to hit or miss. He has had the best of everything available to him since the 1980s and basically has never really made any great films. He makes good films and entertaining films and I enjoy many of his films but mostly he seems like an average director that always gets the best "train set" to play with.

Temple on my revisit was fun but I think an incredibly sloppy picture. I enjoyed Last Crusade because it was a better "sequel", added Connery, and seemed to attempt to go back to things that made Raiders good. The Crystal Skull film I just thought was dreadful. Hated the majority of the CGI in it and Ford looked tired in it and maybe a little uninterested. I also thought there was zero chemistry between him and LaBeouf...which in a way is understandable as Ford seems pretty no nonsense and Shia seems like a complete pain in the ass. I am however looking forward to seeing Shia play John McEnroe as that is about as perfect a casting choice as you could get. If there is one guy that might be perfect playing the whining nutjob John McEnroe, Shia is the man.

 

[Lord Dalek]

I fail to see how Schindler's List is not a "great" film.

 

[Bob_S.]

I know I'm in the minority but Temple has always been my favorite. This might be due to the fact I saw Temple before Raiders. I thought Raiders was kind of slow. I still think Raiders is slow. I loved the opening '30s musical tribute in Temple and the mine car chase. This movie was just a lot of fun. I thought Speilberg set up all the action sequences brilliantly. I would put Crusade slightly behind Raiders ( didn't like Brody's character change either). I would have liked Crystal more if it wasn't for the bad cgi and the alien garbage at the end.

 

[TravisR]

He has had the best of everything available to him since the 1980s and basically has never really made any great films.

If we're using 'great' in the sense that it's among the best movies ever committed to film, I don't know how many people make more than one or two movies that fit that criteria. And I'd say that Spielberg did it at least once with Schindler's List. The rest of his stuff is just amazing entertainment that enchanted people the world over more than anyone else ever has or probably ever will.

 

[Lord Dalek]

If we're using 'great' in the sense that it's among the best movies ever committed to film, I don't know how many people make more than one or two movies that fit that criteria. I'd say that Spielberg did it at least once with Schindler's List.

Or E.T. Or The Color Purple. Or Saving Private Ryan. Or... you know what just SYPH.

 

[TravisR]

Or E.T. Or The Color Purple. Or Saving Private Ryan. Or... you know what just SYPH.

I think Munich is another one that can fit into that lofty group.

 

[Tino]

Spielberg has more "great" films than pretty much any other director imo.