Review of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) by Filipeneto — 22 Feb 2018

In this film, the second in Indiana Jones franchise, the famous explorer goes to India, where he will face a strange and dangerous cult that kidnaps children in a nearby village of their temple. Directed by Steven Spielberg, this prequel to the first film has script by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, and keeps Harrison Ford in the title role.

See this movie and compare it with the first of the franchise makes you want to ask Spielberg what the hell went wrong. After a film as interesting as "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (which revealed some flaws, but had a very own charm), this one is a real cold shower. Kate Capshaw is a perfect casting error, never managing to overcome the mediocrity. Harrison Ford, although don't embarrassed his character, also doesn't appeared to be properly inspired, making his role without much emotion. For posterity, however, are the scenes of the banquet in the palace, who can start sonorous laughter from any audience. The script is not necessarily interesting, missing movement, the action is very concentrated only in certain sequences. The photograph is bad and boring, colors are too loaded, especially red tones, which is not good, although the visual effects have won an Oscar. The costumes are well imagined and some scenarios as well but the soundtrack brings no surprises or novelties.

People say that there is no love like the first, and this is true in the movies: after a movie like "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was very hard not to disappoint the audience, but it would have been easier to please with a smarter script, a more vivid and adventurous story, a less forced photograph and a main actress better and less noisy.