Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan

Synopsis:
Indiana Jones finds himself in India with his young ward and a lounge singer in tow, where he must retrieve a sacred stone from a resurgent Thugee Cult.

Impressions:
Though this film has been seen by many as the weakest in the original trilogy, it was my favorite as a kid (however much that might disturb you), which makes it much like Return of the Jedi in that regard. For the folks who bang on about the inaccurate treatment of Hinduism and such, the series is based on the serials from the 30s, so you shouldn't be expecting documentary treatment. Besides, you can forgive Lucas and company for not quite catching the nuance of the goddess with a skull necklace and a skirt made of severed arms. Film buffs can look at this as a spiritual successor to Gunga Din (I know I do), which can add another layer to your enjoyment (unless you didn't like Gunga Din, I guess). There's a lot of good variety in the set pieces, from the opening musical number to the James Bond-esque encounter with Lao Che, mountainside slaloming, palace intrigue, cultic horror, the minecart chase, and the climax on the bridge. Depending on your tastes, you may not be so fond of Indy's companions, but I enjoyed the belligerent relationship with Willie and as far as kid characters go, Short Round is among the better ones. (I'm not the only one who wished Ke Huy Quan returned to acting to take up Indy's mantle rather than us being blighted with Mutt Williams.) Amrish Puri deserves a lot of credit for his brilliant performance as Mola Ram. I also liked Roshan Seth as Chattar Lal and DR Nanayakkara as the village shaman. And though their parts were fairly small, Roy Chiao and Ric Young really helped sell the opening scene as Lao Che and Kao Kan. John Williams' score continues to satisfy and among the new tracks, I particularly like "Slave Children's Crusade". While this may not be as highly regarded in the annals of cinema as the first film, it's near and dear to my heart and well worth adding to your collection.

Rating:
Treasure It