Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

(L-R) Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan, and Harrison Ford as Willie Scott, Short Round, and Indiana Jones in ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’. (Photo Courtesy of Paramount Pictures and Disney.)

When we last settled in to discuss the Indiana Jones film franchise, we talked at length about how Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, was in fact… a perfect iconic film. One that knew how to bring together the right story, the right emotional response and cast and crew to create lightning in a bottle, or in an Ark of the Covenant if you prefer, and well… we also discussed… how Raiders was a feature that laid down the foundation for a juggernaut franchise. One that would span forty-two years before bringing its conclusion to bear and would bring a bevy of iconic and timeless sequels to the table. A feat that this franchise accomplished in multiple ways. Such as replicating the most successful aspects of the original feature and by also… trying new things.
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For this is in many ways, a very bold and brave franchise. One that has no qualms going places that stories in this vein have never gone before and is often eager to challenge the characters and the structure of the franchise like never before and well… it just so happens that the second entry in this saga, wasted little time in making that happen. For Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was indeed a bold and brave entry in the franchise, one that more or less abandoned the grander and more hopeful adventure of the prior film… to plunge us into an adventure that featured isolation and darkness and fear. Not to mention, heavy horror elements, something that the original film toyed with briefly and well… all of those changes to the structure of the franchise should have brought forth complete and utter failure, but instead… brought to bear a true iconic and cult sequel.

Thanks in large part… to its dark tone. Something that is established from the get-go since Indiana Jones and his new sidekick, Short Round, find Indiana facing death by poison and that of course… leads them to more scrapes with the end at Pankot Palace, when they uncover a cult and monstrous acts taking place there and well… that setup, and seeing Indy and his friends deal with some ugly moments and a man willing to remove hearts from screaming victims… is pretty dark material for certain. The kind that was shocking in 1984 when the film was released, and remains dark now, since that plot stands in such stark contrast to everything else in the franchise through and through. Yet, it works. You’re compelled to see if Indiana Jones can stop the darkness growing in this place and do right by the villagers that sent him there to retrieve the Sankara Stones and that compulsion to see this through to the end, is further amplified by the fascinating storytelling choices present here.

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Since we see Indiana Jones, the titular character that helped guide Nazis to their doom… badly injured in this film and he almost turns to evil along the way and you genuinely worry that the everyman that conquered the odds might falter and lose here and well… that’s a hell of a direction to take this film in, and that’s a concept that basically remains taboo today. But this film goes for it and goes for broke period. In fact, it was so bold in its endeavors to push the envelope, it helped create the PG-13 rating. And of course… we’d be remiss to not discuss the fact that it was released to mixed reviews, largely because it went to such dark places and changed tonally from Raiders and of course… went places that few action serials have ever gone. All of which really did make it seem as though this would be a true blip in the franchise, one forgotten by the masses as they waited for the next chapter in this saga.
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But in reality, this was critical to the success of the franchise period. Since the decision here to try bold things with the story, would inspire bigger and broader adventures and brave decisions regarding the characters in future sequels, some of which would work, some of which would receive a similar mixed reception akin to what was found here. But make no mistake about it… this is a cult classic through and through and iconic courtesy of the incredible choices made with the story and the characters, and thanks to some stunning visuals since let’s be honest… the mine chase is still the stuff of legend. However, make no mistake about it, it’s iconic status does not come without some measure of controversy, since it does harbor some negative stereotypes of Indian culture, and those are glaring as the years roll along, and well… if any positive can be gleamed from that, it would have to be that this film does indeed remind us to be mindful of how we present other cultures in cinema.

Yet despite that particular flaw, people really do flock to this film time and time again, and recommend it, debate its merit and standing with in the franchise. Plus, it also features some amazing acting. With Harrison Ford reminding us why he’s one of Hollywood’s top leading men, and Ke Huy Quan steals the show often as Short Round with his plucky and honest observations on every situation he and Indy, and Willie, encounter and well… all of those reasons are why this movie has withstood the test of time and why it does deserve praise and proper scrutiny where applicable. Oddly enough, while the franchise returned to its more lighthearted roots in the next film… you really can feel Temple of Doom’s influence on several key plot choices. The kind we will discuss in the next leg of our grand countdown to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.   

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