Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

SirStuckey on 12/8/2012 Reply  ·  Like  ·  (17 likes)

With your eyeballs

smatticus on 4/12/2020 Reply  ·  Like  ·  (0 likes)

As I rewatch the Indiana Jones saga, one which I never really rated as highly as other 80s franchises or Spielberg properties, I think this comment pretty much sums up how I feel about this film in particular. I find Short Round and Willie less intolerable than I used to, mainly because I think I understand what Spielberg was going for; using Short Round as a surrogate POV character for the children in the audience and Willie as a 30s damsel "screamer" a la Fay Ray, to contrast with Marion Ravenwood. That, and the fact that Spielberg probably couldn't take his eyes off Kate Capshaw at the time! But that doesn't change the fact that annoying characters, however intentional, are still annoying.

IloveMovie243 on 7/15/2021 Reply  ·  Like  ·  (0 likes)

On more Thought, I Think Crusade is the best. I still think it's better then Raiders. but if I could I'd say all 3 are the best.

ChrisFilm85 on 8/15/2021 Reply  ·  Like  ·  (1 like)

Crusade is my favourite too. For me, the most purely enjoyable of the series and just an exhilarating ride. Raiders is good too but I think Crusade is really just a better version of it (sorry, it's still a great film though). Temple was so demonic and creepy I hated it when I was younger. In my mind, I still think it's one of the most disturbing films I've ever seen. I haven't seen Crystal Skull, but apparently it's bad

IloveMovie243 on 8/15/2021 Reply  ·  Like  ·  (0 likes)

Was it the heart sacrifice that scared the younger you? I know it was that for me. Also I don’t know if I’d say Last Crusade is a “better version”, as it’s a lot more different to Raiders then people act. What gives Crusade the edge over Temple and Raiders for me isn’t just the comedy; but Indy and Henry’s relationship. It’s so well developed that it almost makes you forget about the grail. And for Crystal Skull, personally I think it’s alright. But I gotta give it a rewatch to be sure.

ChrisFilm85 on 8/18/2021 Reply  ·  Like  ·  (1 like)

It wasn't even really the heart bit; that would have been bad enough but more gory than scary. First of all, it was the atmosphere of the scene; the cave setting, the chanting, the frantic red lighting, the fire, Mola Ram's apperance, the blood soaked statues, the giant skull with the stones in it, everything was so demonic and nightmarish. And then you have the heart bit, but the part that really disturbed me was the part where he was lowered into that volcanic lava pit. I have always had a fear of lava (and fire), and that scene was absolutely traumatic to watch. And then you find out they keep a bunch of children as slaves... At that point I ended up turning off the TV.

Also, I do really like Raiders but not as much as a lot of people do (this may be because when I first watched it I watched Temple right after it and that may have dampened my memories of it). It's still really good, the action is great, Harrison Ford is fantastic, the settings are cool, the pace is fast, the opening scene is legendary, etc. but I wouldn't call it one of my favourite films or anything. Meanwhile, I watched Crusade a long time after I first watched Temple and really enjoyed everything about it - it's a quintessential action/Adventure classic. And yes, the big reason I like it a lot is because of the Henry/Indiana dynamic which is priceless beyond relief. And the Grail is by far the best MaGuffin in the series