INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM. Directed by Stephen Spielberg; written by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz; produced by Robert Watts for Paramount. Starring Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw and Ke Huy Quan. Rated PG (violence).
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Have you ever been on a 2-hour roller-coaster ride? You'll feel like it after seeing Temple of Doom. Exhausted, and somewhat frazzled, but wow! what a ride!
Anyone who saw the first Indiana Jones movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, doesn't need to be told the kind of show the sequel will be. If anything, Temple of Doom is more breathless, and visually more impressive, if not more fun, than its predecessor.
There are some new faces here. Indy's female companion is nightclub singer Willie Scott (Capshaw), a more feminine and helpless type than Karen Allen's bar owner in Raiders. But although I wish Willie would scream a little less and pitch in a little more, I liked her character. She is funny, a good match for Ford's dry wit.
The most important addition to Indy's team is Short Round (Quan), a twelve-year-old former pickpocket. He is Indy's valet, chauffeur and man Friday, and saves his bacon more than once. Kid's liberation gains where women's lib loses in Temple of Doom.
After seeing Raiders, I still liked Han Solo better than Indiana Jones. Now I'm not so sure. Ford has Jones down pat, and his many imitators might as well throw in the towel. No one else can convey the same perfect combination of cynicism, heroism, intelligence and macho. His scenes with Quan are delightful. They allow both Ford and Indy to display an unexpected sensitivity.
Of course, in movies like Raiders and Temple of Doom the actors have the benefit of superior material and the best action direction around.
The story of Temple of Doom is every bit as outlandish as you would expect. But it is simple enough to require a minimum of exposition, leaving more time for what everyone comes to see—action!
Willie sings a Chinese version of "Anything Goes," backed by a Busby Berkley-style production number, over the opening credits. That will give you a fair idea of what to expect from the movie's action. There are some scenes in the Temple which might be too intense or gory for the squeamish. But the mayhem is so outlandish, comic-book style, it's impossible to take seriously. A quick hands-over-the-eyes and "tell me when it's over" is all anyone needs to get through it.
Although the tone of some of the action is darker than one really likes to see in this kind of movie, most of the daring-do is good, clean, hold-on-to-your-hats fun. A desperate Himalayan bail-out in a rubber raft, a narrow escape from a spike-filled chamber and flaming pit, a show-down on a rope bridge over a 300-foot gorge. These are just samples. And every scene is shot with impeccable style and timing.
I wonder if kids today really appreciate having Spielberg and George Lucas (he wrote the story for Temple of Doom and is executive producer) making movies for them? It is a pleasure to see a movie made by people who obviously care so much about turning out a quality product. They could make do, and probably still make lots of money, with less effort, less attention to detail. But as a lover of movies, I'm certainly glad they take so much trouble.
NOTE: this movie made my 10-best list for 1984.
June 6, 1984