Review of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) by Mark W — 29 Dec 2015

Following the massive success of "Raiders of the Lost Ark", it was inevitable that a sequel would follow. No sane minded, or financially aware, production company would ever dream of missing the opportunity to boost a few more zero's on their bank accounts. And so... the sequel made it to the screen three years later. Now, some have given this second adventure a bit of hard time but I happen to think it's a very underrated and action packed addition to the adventures of the whip- cracking, fedora-wearing Dr. Jones that we have come to know and love.

This time, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is in search of the Sankara Stones - artefacts that an ancient village believe has protected them for generations and with the recent disappearance of their children, only the stones will bring them back, as well as, the protection of their people. As is customary, Indy agrees to the exploration, but he does so with wanted (and unwanted) people in tow.

Although a follow-up, Indy's second adventure actually precedes Raiders by one year (essentially making it the beginning of the franchise) and this time were we find ourselves in 1935. The Nazi's haven't occupied Europe, yet Indy is still going about his endeavours with just as much bravery and commitment as we'd expect. His (and our) adventure begins in China before moving onto India as Spielberg and Lucas leave behind the Nazi adversaries and opt for a more world exploration in the travels of our favourite archeologist. Some might argue that the Nazi's were part of the draw in Raiders - and I'd agree with them. Who doesn't like the Nazi's being challenged? However, what can't be argued, is that Spielberg still hasn't lost his touch in concocting an exciting matinee yarn.

Even though the Nazi's are omitted (and missed) as villains, the second instalment adds to the overall sense of world wide adventures that Indy has experienced. That being said, many viewers were not happy with this film. It's a little more bubble-gum entertainment than the solidity of it's predecessor but when the character and his escapades are so much fun, it's still very difficult not to be drawn in.

Let's face it, Raiders was an achievement that was never going to be surpassed but I admire Spielberg and Lucas' determination in trying. For example, the escape from a nosediving airplane by rubber dingy is genius action material, as is, the roller coaster chase through the mines and the (hugely iconic) ultimate rope bridge showdown make up some of the best action set-pieces in any of the films. In fact, the opening rolling gong at the Shanghai nightclub and mine shaft chase were originally planned for parts of Raiders but they couldn't fit it in. You could also say that the sense of humour was diminished in favour of a darker tone (leaving this to be one of the first films to ever be prescribed a newly appointed PG-13 rating).

Once again, Ford embodies the role with such commitment and believability and despite the dark tone, Spielberg still retains a sense of humour with the incorporation of damsel in distress Willie Scott (a gleefully entertaining Kate Capshaw) and child sidekick "Short round" (a perfectly cast Ke-Huy Quan) and his action skills are, simply, at the peak of his powers.

Despite it possessing some of the most iconic scenes and confrontations of Indy's adventures, this had been pilloried for being a lacklustre follow-up. It does have faults, for sure, but this is still one of most underrated of action adventures that Hollywood (or Spielberg) has ever produced.

Mark Walker.