Review of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) by Peter W — 04 Nov 2012

What's unique about Temple of Doom is how little it falls in line with the other three films. Outside of Temple, the films tend to follow a fairly consistent structure that begins-in every film-with Jones in the midst of some impossibly dangerous conflict. After escaping by the skin of his teeth, he goes back to his teaching college, before being called into action with a MacGuffin that will end up dictating the rest of the story. Yet in Temple of Doom, Indy never makes it home. After nearly dying in Shanghai, he finds himself tumbling headfirst into a journey for the Sivalinga stones and a village worth of kidnapped children in Northern India. In addition, the other films feature a power-hungry political group as the antagonist (Nazis in Raiders and Crusade, Soviet Russians in Crystal Skull), while the second film's villain is the head of a subversive Indian cult. Temple of Doom even takes place before the first and third films in the Jones timeline.

This could explain why the middle film has always felt just a bit secondary to the other two, although this could also be explained by the tonal shift from the more general action-centric story in Raiders and Last Crusade, to Temple's interest in horror. Once he arrives in Pankot Palace, Indy and his traveling mates-Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) and Short Round (Jonathan Ke Quan)-are treated to a dinner of snake babies and monkey brains before exploring the tenebrous, bug and body-infested innards of the palace. They witness a sacrificial rite wherein a man's heart is removed from his chest and he's lowered into a pit of burning magma. Later, Indy is forced to drink the "Blood of Kali," turning him into a living zombie capable of hurting the only two people who care about him. Pretty dark stuff for a PG-rated film.

Still, you won't find yourself longing for action, as Temple balances its interest in horror with a few spectacular Spielbergian set pieces. In particular, the hellish rollercoaster ride through the mines of Pankot is an unforgettable sequence. From the setting to the shot selection, Spielberg's work towards the end of Temple of Doom will remind you of his roots as a director, as well as the pulpy origins of the Jones character.