{"id":5605,"date":"2008-05-24T14:47:29","date_gmt":"2008-05-24T21:47:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5605"},"modified":"2022-08-31T13:24:18","modified_gmt":"2022-08-31T20:24:18","slug":"indiana-jones-and-the-temple-of-doom-1984","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5605","title":{"rendered":"Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Nothing shocks me: I&#8217;m a scientist.&#8221;<\/strong> <\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Indiana-Jones-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Indiana-Jones-Poster-202x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"202\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-47007\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Indiana-Jones-Poster-202x300.jpg 202w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Indiana-Jones-Poster-86x128.jpg 86w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Indiana-Jones-Poster.jpg 672w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 202px) 100vw, 202px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA year before his adventures battling the Nazis for the Ark of the Covenant, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) finds himself helping an Indian village recover its &#8220;magic stone&#8221; &#8212; and its kidnapped children &#8212; from a cult of bloodthirsty Shiva worshipers.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cults<\/li>\n<li>Dan Aykroyd Films<\/li>\n<li>India<\/li>\n<li>Karen Allen Films<\/li>\n<li>Scientists<\/li>\n<li>Steven Spielberg Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary is overly generous in his assessment of this disappointing follow-up (actually a prequel) to Steven Spielberg&#8217;s rollicking <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5603\"><em>Raiders of the Lost Ark<\/em> (1981)<\/a>. The first and most egregious problem with <em>Temple of Doom<\/em> is the casting of Kate Capshaw (instead of Karen Allen) as the female lead: Capshaw is annoying from the moment she opens her mouth, and never manages to redeem herself. Unlike Allen, she&#8217;s utterly hopeless and put-upon when faced with the slightest deviation from her pampered singer&#8217;s lifestyle, and screams more often than she talks. Meanwhile, Ford &#8212; though always enjoyable to watch &#8212; is overly subdued throughout most of the film, perhaps because he&#8217;s so busy trying to drown out Capshaw&#8217;s shrill whines. The freshest performance comes from young Ke Huy Quan as Indy&#8217;s Chinese sidekick, who plays an essential role in the film&#8217;s bloody denouement. <\/p>\n<p>As many have pointed out, <em>Temple of Doom<\/em> &#8212; which is high on action, low on character development &#8212; is actually more like the old-time serials it&#8217;s based on than <em>Raiders<\/em>; to that end Capshaw&#8217;s blonde floozy singer &#8212; a &#8220;heroine of a type that hasn&#8217;t been around since feminism hit Hollywood&#8221; &#8212; may be more authentic to the time period as well. Arguing in Capshaw&#8217;s defense, Peary notes that &#8220;if someone like Willie [Capshaw], who worries about broken nails, can become brave and tough in a crisis, then all women have the potential&#8221; &#8212; but I would argue right back that she never really exhibits either bravery <em>or<\/em> toughness. And while it&#8217;s true that the film has &#8220;great sets&#8221; and &#8220;exciting adventures&#8221;, each enjoyable moment is counterbalanced by one that it&#8217;s either unduly gross (such as the infamous &#8220;banquet scene&#8221; in the Maharajah&#8217;s palace) or falls flat (such as Indy and Willie&#8217;s aborted attempt to bed each other). Film fanatics should see <em>Temple of Doom<\/em> simply to be familiar with the franchise, but all things considered, it&#8217;s a major disappointment. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The opening barter scene between Indy and a trio of Shanghai gangsters<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/temple-doom-opening-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/temple-doom-opening-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"633\" height=\"271\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-67378\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/temple-doom-opening-1.png 633w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/temple-doom-opening-1-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/temple-doom-opening-1-128x55.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/temple-doom-opening-1-604x259.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 633px) 100vw, 633px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Impressive set designs in the Temple of Doom<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/temple-doom-temple-set-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/temple-doom-temple-set-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"626\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-67376\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/temple-doom-temple-set-1.png 626w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/temple-doom-temple-set-1-300x130.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/temple-doom-temple-set-1-128x56.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/temple-doom-temple-set-1-604x262.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 626px) 100vw, 626px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Ke Huy Quan as Indy&#8217;s fast-thinking sidekick, Short Round<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/temple-doom-quan-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/temple-doom-quan-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"625\" height=\"271\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-67379\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/temple-doom-quan-1.png 625w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/temple-doom-quan-1-300x130.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/temple-doom-quan-1-128x56.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/temple-doom-quan-1-604x262.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The final &#8220;bridge sequence&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/temple-doom-bridge-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/temple-doom-bridge-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"635\" height=\"269\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-67377\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/temple-doom-bridge-1.png 635w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/temple-doom-bridge-1-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/temple-doom-bridge-1-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/temple-doom-bridge-1-604x256.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 635px) 100vw, 635px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, but only for its historical importance as part of the Indiana Jones series, and as one of the key films (along with <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=1289\"><em>Gremlins<\/em><\/a>) which prompted the MPAA to create a special PG-13 rating. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Historically Relevant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0087469\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1984\/05\/23\/movies\/screen-indiana-jones-directed-by-spielberg.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/reviews\/indiana-jones-and-the-temple-of-doom-1984\">Roger Ebert&#8217;s Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moriareviews.com\/fantasy\/indiana-jones-and-the-temple-of-doom-1984.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Nothing shocks me: I&#8217;m a scientist.&#8221; Synopsis: A year before his adventures battling the Nazis for the Ark of the Covenant, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) finds himself helping an Indian village recover its &#8220;magic stone&#8221; &#8212; and its kidnapped children &#8212; from a cult of bloodthirsty Shiva worshipers. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Cults Dan Aykroyd Films India Karen Allen Films Scientists Steven Spielberg Films Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: Peary is overly generous in his assessment of this disappointing follow-up&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5605\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5605"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5605\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86608,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5605\/revisions\/86608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}