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74 comments
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on 6/3/2008
I know I'm the only person in the world who thinks this, but I liked Temple of Doom better than Raiders. Might be because it was the first Indy movie I saw as a kid.
on 6/5/2008
No time for love Dr. Jones.
on 7/14/2008
Snakes! I hate snakes... But I love Raiders.
on 6/20/2009
Raiders, for sure. Temple of Doom is my least favorite of the Indy movies; Indy being possessed was just too cheesy.
Raiders of the Lost Ark was a Perfect intro to the Indy character. While I prefer darker movies like Temple, I just can't pick it over what is a better movie in Raiders.
on 6/21/2009
Mola Ram! Prepare to meet Kali... in Hell!
on 6/25/2009
I agree mostly with Wolfbrother. I actually like Temple of Doom, but aprabhu and I were talking this over the other night, and he made the good point that ToD wins the prize for "one of these things doesn't belong." Raiders and Last Crusade are epic quests/adventures, where Temple is claustrophobic and close. Love 'em all, but they never matched Raiders (and never will, despite current efforts).
on 6/27/2009
I've definitely gotta go with Raiders here! The religious relics definitely make the best Indy movies! Doom beats the crap out of a certain alien plot line though!
on 6/28/2009
Raiders is a perfect example for a classic adventure movie. ToD tried to capture that, but failed. The biggest problems were the two sidekicks, the claustrophobic environment, and the fact that the last act of the movie feels more like an advertisement for an amusement park rollercoaster ride than a proper showdown.
I was really surprised there was even discussion about this, it just didn't occur to me anyone could like ToD better than Raiders. I guess if you were the right age to see ToD first, I can kind of see how it might your favorite for that reason ... but Kate Capshaw (first and foremost) ruined ToD for me. She was, frankly, horrible. I don't think I've seen her in anything else and she may otherwise be an accomplished actress, but I cringed through all her lines. Short Round, meh. Outside of Ms. Capshaw, when I saw ToD a couple years ago, I actually enjoyed it much more than I did being disappointed in it as a kid. I'd slot it between Last Crusade and Crystal Skull.
on 6/30/2009
Raiders vs. Temple of Doom? No contest. Raiders all the way. Raiders vs. Last Crusade...well then we'd have a competition. One that most probably require another viewing of each before a choice is made...
No contest, Raiders of the Lost Ark crushes Temple of Doom. Heck, even Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is better than Temple.
on 7/1/2009
Raiders is a much better film the Temple of Doom, the plot is much stronger and just all around better produced.
on 7/2/2009
Definitely Raiders for me. Raiders is my favorite Indy movie. My second fave is Last Crusade and then further behind are Crystal Skull and Temple.
anyone that honestly puts temple of doom over lost arc, i feel sorry for as well as anyone that thought crystal skull was the worst indiana jones movie out. temple of doom IS the worst indiana jones by a long shot. raiders is arguably the best.
on 7/3/2009
Raiders, no question about it.
on 7/4/2009
Definitely Raiders of the Lost Ark. My ranking of Indy films is: 1. Raiders of the Lost Ark 2. Last Crusade 3. Temple of Doom 4. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (I don't like to admit this one exists though)
on 7/6/2009
I'm the exception that proves the rule. Raiders is my least favorite of the trilogy. That fourth one doesn't exist.
on 7/7/2009
Love both of them, but this is one of the easiest calls for me. Raiders is way better. In my opinion, Temple of Doom doesn't fit with the feel of either Raiders or Last Crusade. It's like a random adventure movie that just happens to have Indiana Jones as the main character. No global trekking, no quests, no puzzles, no traps.
Doom is by far my least favorite of the Indy movies. It just lacks the same spirit of the others. Its dark and gloomy, and not fun to watch. Raiders, Crusade,Skull,.........................................Doom.
on 7/8/2009
After being in the majority on the Empire vs. Jedi debate, I'm gonna go with the minority here and say Temple of Doom. It's hard to say why exactly - but while Nazis are perfectly good villains, we already know how bad they were - the Thugees were much more of an unknown quantity, and scarier for it. I love the idea of the hidden corridors in the castle, and the dark mysticism of the cult. Add in the balls-to-the-wall action of the last 45 minutes, and Temple of Doom comes out on top. Raiders is one hell of an adventure, but I honestly had more fun in the Temple.
on 7/9/2009
Best overall movie, hands down is Raiders. Temple may be the best pure Indiana Jones movie of the series, though. Still, no match overall for Raiders.
on 7/10/2009
I always found Temple of Doom was too dark for my liking. Raiders.
on 7/12/2009
DOCTOR JONES! DOCTOR JONES!
on 7/14/2009
How is this even a competition? Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the best action films ever made, period, and Temple of Doom can never, ever, be as revolutionary as this film was and is.
I enjoy the entire Indy series immensely but Temple over Raiders? No. They're both fun rides, but the latter is a monumental piece of filmmaking.
on 7/16/2009
I prefer movies that have a darker tone, but for shear entertainment value you have to go with Raiders of the Lost Ark
on 7/18/2009
C'mon, Raiders is the funner film, the better adventure,. and the just plain better movie. Personel feelings aside(I seriously consider Temple of Doom one of the worst follow ups in history - Not a terrible film no, but it just can't compare to it's predecessor), Raiders got the better development, the better characters, and a better mythology around it.
I feel like temple is more fun, but as a formal film raiders is more iconic, with a better story. but hell, I love both.
on 7/19/2009
Raiders is one of the greatest action-adventure films ever made, Temple.......is not.
Raiders is definitely a good movie, but it's definitely overplayed and overhyped. Yes it has the iconic opening scene and the various catchphrases, but you can't hold onto that forever. Temple had the best opening out of all of the entire series in my opinion and some of the most exotic and interesting areas and sets along with a held-together plot and some very interesting characters. Also, what other movie can you say had Dan Aykroyd in it? My point exactly :)
on 7/22/2009
Maybe Temple had a few good scenes, but I thought the entire plot of the film was so separated from the other Indy films, it just seems incompatible. And that woman makes me cringe almost every time she's on screen, which in itself makes me dislike the film. And Raiders is so iconic, which is partly what drew people to it, but it's the actual story that kept them watching
to quote one william blake "Raiders is one of the greatest action-adventure films ever made, Temple.......is not." i could not have said any better myself
on 7/23/2009
but last crusade beats them both....
I say temple of doom even though i know raiders is made better and captures the spirit of adventure more. Doom to me was my first introduction towards the indie franchise and it will always be the underdog for me.
on 7/28/2009
I've always felt that the character changes between the two movies kind of what made me believe Raiders to be the superior movie. The main scene that comes to mind is in the very beginning when Indy is Kao Khan and the other Chinese gangster, and he is willing to sell an artefact for a diamond. This just isn't my Indiana Jones who shouts, "it's belongs in a museum". I do think the darker elements of the film are interesting (Raiders does also have dark scenes too, the ending where people lose their souls, melt, and pop), but then we also have the very wackiness of Willie and Short Round, and I don’t think they mix together too well. Don’t get me wrong, I think that there are some great scenes in Temple of Doom, but Raiders is just a perfect movie to me. Also, Willie is one annoying character, while Marion is a fine lady (who doesn’t love the scene on the steamer). Those are my thoughts on the subject.
on 8/2/2009
Raiders is one of the best flicks of all time. But, as sequels go, I think Temple of Doom is one of the best. Better than Crusade due to the lightened tone and story element carry-overs from Raiders.
on 8/4/2009
As with Lucas's other famed project the first in the series was the strongest. If Lucas ever comes up with another idea for a series I hope it has the right mind to kill it off before he ruins it like everything else.
on 8/5/2009
You have to go with Raiders all the way. If I had seen Temple of Doom first than I never would've watched another Indy movie. So many flaws in Temple of Doom....don't get me started on Short Round. All that bitch Kate Capshaw does it scream the whole stupid movie.
Joking aside, I'm sure we'd all agree that Raiders is the better film, followed by Temple of Doom, then the Last Crusade.
on 8/6/2009
Temple of Doom is a pretty good sequel, and when I saw it as a kid at the cinema I thought it was AWESOME. But it still suffers from sequel bloat, Raiders is leaner and funnier.
on 8/7/2009
I was worried that there should even be a thread. Raiders is, in my opinion, better than Temple of Doom, but you have to love Temple of Doom for the crazy RR adventure at the end and typical Indy touches like sinking rooms, etc. Although Kate Capshaw is my least favorite of the heroines, it makes sense to have her considering the types of woman Marion is, and even Ilsa is in Crusades. Crusades has a special place in my heart, but I think Raiders might be the best movie...though it's close and I could probably recite the lines through them both. The last one doesn't exist and deserves a thread about why it shouldn't.
Doom tried too hard to try to not rehash what the original did.
on 8/9/2009
Temple of Doom was dragged out and just didn't have the same spirit as the first two. I watched them in chronological order (Doom-Crusades) and I still thought Doom was the weakest. With some lame comedy bits and aggravating sidekicks, its the lowest of the three movies. The soul is tired and a lot of the cleverness is gone too.
on 8/10/2009
There is absolutely no question at all here. Raiders is always thrilling, funny, and fresh to me, even though I've seen it multiple times. Temple of Doom is much worse. I wanted to slap Kate Capshaw right across the face. Short Round would dissolve into a pool of tears faced with Toht. Plus, how many scenes from ToD are referenced in popular culture. "Throw me the idol," the giant ball, shooting the swordfighter, "Don't look, Marion!" "Top. Men."
on 8/11/2009
Like some of the previous comments, this really should be a no-brainer. Raiders is one of the finest franchise starters. Having said that, I've always had a soft spot for ToD mainly because it was the first one I saw in the cinema as a kid. Crusade is also wonderful and Crystal Skull is gradually growing on me...
on 8/12/2009
The first thing I think about when recalling Temple of Doom is that Kate Capshaw screamed through the whole movie. She is a terrible actress and ruined the whole movie for me. I tried to watch it a second time but it was even more annoying. As far as Raiders it is one of my top 20. Who can forget the opening sequence? And how many times have other movies duplicated it? It is a movie I never tire of watching.
on 8/13/2009
Ha hah ha! Nice try, Lao Che! All you Raiders fans are probably right it's a much classier film... BUT! for sheer balls out enjoyement, I'll take Temple any day. The opening half hour tops both Raiders and Crusade. The subterranean setting does set it apart but it helps the film, when they finally emerge with that water thrumbling after them, it feels like a real escape from hell, like they've been through an ordeal. Sure this tone is different, but that's OK - each film is kind of like its own little run in a serial and you could image different runs in some cliffhanger serial each having a different tone.
on 8/20/2009
Yep, I'm going along with everyone else, but, we all know why, Raiders was a fun adventure, as opposed to a creepy cult experience. All the Jones movies have dealt with the supernatural to some degree, but while the Indiana Jones movie that shall not be named went completely out of left field, rendering it sillier then all the others, Doom went with the occult, a much more disturbing undertaking and the movie lost its innocence because of it. Now don't get me wrong, I'll throw in Doom and have a blast, but, in a direct, side-by-side comparison - no contest.
on 8/30/2009
Raiders. But i love Temple.
on 8/31/2009
Temple of Doom is the worst of the whole series. I even like Kingdom of the Crystal Skull better.
on 9/9/2009
Both excellent, but Raiders is much better
on 9/11/2009
Temple hands down. Maybe it's because it was the first I saw in a theater, maybe it's because it's a frantic rollercoaster ride from beging to end. it just seems to move faster than Raiders. Have to add Raiders is also one of my all time favorites. Like what you like, hate what you hate it's all a matter of opinion,
on 9/18/2009
I'm not a Temple of Doom hater or anything (gotta love Shortround!) but there's no beating Raiders. It's the best of the *trilogy.*
on 9/20/2009
Picking 'Raiders'. I like 'Temple of Doom', but it always has felt the most out of place for me. Never a 'true' Indy film.
on 9/30/2009
Raiders is clearly the better film, perhaps the best action film of all time, but the adolescent in me can't help but enjoy TOD about as much.
on 10/2/2009
There's no competition here as far as I'm concerned; I'm just glad Spielberg and co. bounced back big time after Temple of Doom with ...Last Crusde (oh, and learned not to cast his wife again!)
I enjoy Temple of Doom; I like the opening, I like Short Round, it's still a good Indy movie, but yes, Raiders is superior. It's almost a toss-up between Raiders and Last Crusade, but Sean Connery ups the ante, making the third film the best. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is, in its way, nearly as fun to watch as Temple, but a couple of sequences just don't work, and its over-dependence on CGI kills it (even more than the alien plot line). Ranking the Indy movies from best to worst: First, Last Crusade, barely over Raiders; third, Temple of Doom, and, in a distant fourth, Crystal Skull.
I'm honestly surprised this is a discussion. I'd put Raiders AND Last Crusade ahead of Temple. I actually like Temple...but...come on!
on 10/6/2009
I can definately see the argument for Raiders, but Temple of Doom is the better character study of Indiana Jones himself. The story is him, not the Ark...not the Holy Grail. We love Indy. And chilled monkey brains.
on 10/7/2009
People are really discussing this? This is like discussing which is better - hot pizza or cold pizza.
on 10/18/2009
hot pizza....raiders
on 11/11/2009
Temple of Doom is one of the worst movies of all time. The story, acting, and script sucks. Why the little asian kid? Raiders of the Lost Ark on the other hand is amazing and one of the greatest adventures of all time in film.
on 11/20/2009
i like that people are coming out in favour of doom, i think its pretty underated and prefer it to crusade but i'm going to go with raiders in this one.
on 11/26/2009
Two amazing movies, neither as perfect as The Last Crusade of course, but a very tough decision to make. I think I'll go with Raiders of the Lost Ark.
on 12/10/2009
I'll join the underdogs on this one. There is nothing wrong with Raiders, of course, but I've always preferred Temple of Doom, for what it's worth.
on 12/15/2009
How can anyone think otherwise?
on 12/19/2009
Temple of Doom is heart poundingly good but Raiders is face melting good.
on 12/26/2009
He has more grit in Raiders. More for me to bite down on.
on 1/4/2010
Dunno if it's been said already, but Temple of Doom is chronologically supposed to be BEFORE Raiders of the Lost Ark. He does all the traveling with Willie and Short Round before he goes looking for the Ark with Marion. That being said, Raiders is the clear winner. The story actually involves a relic that Dr. Jones wants....the three stones in Doom isn't anything he wanted to get involved with. Yes, the story with the kids is terribly sad, but c'mon....the Ark of the Convenant is a bigger deal than some mumbo jumbo river stones. Marion is definitely not as annoying as Willie (ugh). And Salah is 100% better than Shorty. Enough said.
on 1/18/2010
RAIDDEEERRRSSSS
on 1/20/2010
Raiders is better
on 1/21/2010
It's shocking to think this requires consideration as "Raiders" is one of the best films of all, not just the franchise. I recently posted a brief reflection on the series http://sites.google.com/site/thedeskofbrian/pop-culture-other-topics/reflectingandrankingtheindianajonesfilms
on 2/3/2010
"Temple" used to be my least favorite of the series, but in recent years I've come around on it and now it's actually my favorite. "Raiders," "Crusade" and "Kingdom" all paint by the same numbers; "Temple" is the only one of the four to dare to stand out. Short Round is easily in the Sidekick Hall of Fame, and Mola Ram is far more imposing than any of the caricature Nazis or Soviets in the other films.
on 2/14/2010
While Raiders of the Lost Ark reinvented and rediscovered what an action film can be, and reminded us that no protagonist is compelling if he is never in real peril, Temple of Doom was a hacky, unfunny theme park ride that has a ridiculous and racist sidekick, and the least interesting and most obnoxious woman on the planet. It is also opened the floodgates for two more milquetoast sequels
on 3/8/2010
For quite a while, I was in the camp that felt "Temple of Doom" was the lesser "Indy" movie. In recent years, though, I've come to appreciate it more and more. I think one reason is that it's the only one of the four films that doesn't follow the same paint-by-numbers formula: Indy is recruited to find a supernatural artifact before the Nazis/Soviets, who wind up being destroyed by it in the end. "Temple" isn't perfect; I've never cared much for Kate Capshaw's incessant screaming, but it's the only one of the sequels that took any real chances. Noonan4par might characterize Short Round as "ridiculous and racist," but for my money, he's in the Sidekick Hall of Fame. Plus, "Temple" has one of my favorite John Williams scores, after "Jurassic Park," "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Superman."
on 3/9/2010
Raiders of the Lost Ark is good, harmless fun. Temple of Doom is cheesy, incessant crap.
on 4/11/2010
This one is easy for me.....Raiders is much better than Temple of Doom in my book.
on 5/30/2010
raiders all the way!
on 9/5/2010
Honestly, Temple of Doom is barely better than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull..... Spielberg wussed out and put all of that completely out-of-place slapstick in it, and escaping the plane crash by rafting down a mountain side is almost as bad as nuking the fridge. Raiders has no flaws. None.
on 11/21/2010
I would say Temple of Doom ios better, and even as a child I would say that, but things have changed as I got older. After watching it recently and beign annoyed with the main girl in the movie (speilberg's sex toy at the time maybe still?) I must say that Raiders is all around better. The nazis make a better enemy rather the the tribe. But i cannot deny the sheer badassness of the bridge and mine cart set peices in Temple of Doom.
on 1/5/2011
What I like about Raiders is that both Jones and Belloq (and the Nazis) spend the whole movie trying to get their hands on the Ark, but the whole struggle doesn't matter at all. At the beginning of Raiders, when Belloq steals the idol from Jones, he says "Again we see there is nothing you can possess which I cannot take away." Which implies Belloq has a history of outsmarting Jones. While Belloq is the villainous archaeologist in the movie, Jones has likely done his share shady things as an "obtainer of rare antiquities". While both are obsessive about their profession, Jones only wants to find the Ark first because of its archaeological significance. He doesn't believe in its supernatural powers. Belloq apparently does believe that the Ark is as powerful as the Bible says that it is, and thinks that he can talk to God with it, or something. The Nazis that Belloq is working with don't seem to care either way, and are just following orders. But none of them really understand what they're messing with. So, Jones spends the whole movie shooting and punching Nazis, and taking a serious beating himself, just to be outmaneuvered again by Belloq. This time, though, Belloq takes something from Jones and gets more than he bargained for. Belloq gets wiped out, the Nazis (who don't even know what the hell is going on) get wiped out, and Jones basically wins by losing. Both Belloq and Jones realize that they were out of their league this time around, and their whole rivalry ends in about as extraordinary a manner as possible. And so, at the end of the movie, neither of them achieve anything. And the Ark gets stored away. Which makes the movie pretty funny to me. There was no reason for any other Indiana Jones movies to be made, in my opinion. Raiders ends in such a way that nothing else needed to be said. While it is true that Temple of Doom is a prequel, nothing happens in it that adds anything to Raiders or Jones as a character. In fact, Temple of Doom doesn't really seem to make sense as a prequel to Raiders. In Raiders, Jones doesn't believe in the supernatural, yet Temple of Doom is all about Gods and magic. What I like about Raiders is that it implies that nothing Jones has seen in all his exploits had anything to do with the supernatural, and so God's Wrath is like one big eye opener. Temple of Doom actually lessens the impact of Raiders. And so it seriously sucks just for that reason alone. (But there are plenty of other reasons for its suckiness, which have already been pointed out.)
on 3/21/2011
I think Temple gets a bad rap just because it involves having an annoying lady screaming in your ear for 2 hours.... actually, I think I'll go with Raiders
on 8/4/2011
Raiders of the Lost Ark by a landslide.
on 8/15/2011
Raiders of course.
on 8/16/2011
I'm stunned there are even 12 votes for Temple. Raiders could be the best film ever made. At least Temple beats that awful Crystal Skull.
on 9/19/2011
Raiders of the Lost Ark is going to win each and every time for me, but Temple of Doom still holds a place in my top 15.
on 9/20/2011
The best in the original trilogy is always going to win out, Raiders all the way.
on Dec 20
I have always loved Temple of Doom way more. "Woh, crash landing"
on Dec 21
Not really sure why there's such a big discussion here, Raiders FTW.
on Jan 7
I am one of the few who like ToD best. It is the one I have the most fun watching
