Thesis: "Temple Of Doom" is over-hated and under-appreciated

[Captain Faramir]

I actually like Last Crusade most of all, perhaps because it has a deeper, more profound feeling to it. I don't think it's the most exciting one, but that's why I like it. The element of family, forgiveness, and the spirituality of it make it #1 to the point of totally forgetting the previous two sometimes. I've only seen them a couple of times each, but I watch Last Crusade over and over again. But for the record, I like the other two the one as much as the other. They're both awesome movies, and I actually like the girl in TOD, if only because she's so ditzy it's funny.

What they should have done it kicked out Shia and replaced his character with what should have been Indy's adoptive son--Short Round! He would have been grown up at this point, and could have been PERFECT as successor to Indy's game. Get some cool Asian actor to play him and it would have made so much more sense! Oh well . . .

 

[Darklord Dave]

TOD will always be the least of the films for me (until Crystal Skull anyway) for many of the reasons Adam stated.

Raiders is just a classic film, it feels familiar yet the characters, plot and maguffin are all fresh and fun.

Crusade has Connery and brings new insights into Indy as a character, even if the maguffin feels a lot like the ark.

I just don't care about the maguffin in ToD, the stakes don't seem that important and the villains aren't as villianous as the Nazis. Both Kate and Short round are annoying (although I love "Anything Goes" in Chinese) and I don't like seeing Indy under "mind control."

 

[IrishJedi]

I'd say that the prequels are over-hated right now, actually. Not sure if I'm quite at "under-appreciated" yet, though.

 

[Captain Faramir]

Just the other day, I was telling Madonna how much I hate name-droppers!

That's funny, Frank Oz was just telling me the same thing. Losers.

 

[IrishJedi]

TOD is the Jan Brady of the Indy films. Middle child, overlooked, underloved.

Sure, Willie's annoying, but no one has ever been able to live up to Marion.

Shorty was cool! INDIANA JONES is an homage to old serials, and a staple of the serial hero was the sidekick. Shorty was a lot of fun, and the poker game in the jungle is great character stuff!

I love LAST CRUSADE, but it pretty much is a safe remake of RAIDERS. Remove Sean Connery, and you've basically got a RAIDERS re-tread. The whole film hinges on the father-son realtionship, and the amazing chemistry between Connery and Ford. You could have a COMPLETELY different plot, different locations, different artifact, and as long as Connery and Ford are doing their thing, it'd be great & fun to watch.

I like TEMPLE OF DOOM mostly because it dares to be different. The easy thing is just revisit what made the first film a hit, but TOD has the mendacity to at least try something different.

I don'y want every Indy story to be about Indy in the desert racing against Nazis. Every time a film or comic or novel does that, pretty much all it does is cheapen RAIDERS a little bit. If it says "Archeologist, Instructor, Nazi-Beater-Upper and Judeo-Christian Artifact CHaser" in Indy's business card, then RAIDERS isn't quite as special. Why? Because it's just another day at the office for Indiana Jones.

TOD, for all its warts, was the one Indy sequel that tried to stand on its own (for the most part).

 

[Trevolver]

I LOVE Temple of Doom. I have never had any problems with it whatsoever. It's probably the only one of the three films that isn't as 'polished' when it comes to editing and continuity, (that's part of its charm) but it's brilliant fun. I've watched it an unhealthy amount of times.

I gotta say, I've never understood why it isn't as well liked.

I'm hoping Crystal Skull will also be very different. I'm curious to see how the film 'feels'. Part of what's great about Raiders, for instance, is the quality of the picture and sound. I don't want to say its rough, but it's something exclusive to the time that the films were made. I trust Spielberg though...I've enjoyed all of his current work (sorry, OT...back to praising the great TEMPLE OF DOOM!)
Trev

 

[EVILFACE]

raiders was the best of the trilogy with tod and tlc coming in around even, both not as good as the first. i suppose tcs will be more along the lines of tod and tlc.

for those loving tod..is there any scene gayer than the indian children coming out of the hills back to there families? or kate capshaw fainting at dinner?

So what is wrong with kids being returned to their parents? Indy made the right choices.

And ask any joe smo about the Indy films and most of the time they remember the "chilled monkey brains" over any other scene in all the flicks.

TOD has it all. Darkness, laughs, a great begining and a great ending.

 

[Rook]

I've always said that ToD is the purest of the trilogy, in terms of adherence to the genre. It really is a throwback to the old action-adventure serials, and is pretty timeless in that regard.

"Raiders" rules, no doubt about that. But if you stuck it and ToD to a wall and asked me which one I would consider art, I'd choose the latter.

As for "Crusade," well ... fun as it is, compared to the other two, it's still a mealy-mouthed reinterpretation of "Raiders," with a charming father-son relationship thrown into the mix. I wholeheartedly expect the same thing from Crystal Skull, only with Indy coming full-circle and holding the part formerly played by Connery in "Crusade." I hope the film as a whole goes deeper than that, or beyond it. But with both Lucas and Spielberg getting long in the tooth, I'm afraid that's just the kind of story we can expect.

At any rate ... go "Temple!"

 

[Spartan Rex]

I dont see George and Steven taking too many risks with the next installment.
All the "place holders" are present, geez even the Ark and Marion are back.

I liked "Temple" but Willie was annoying. Thank heaven Steven didnt bring his wife back over Marion.

 

[The Josh]

I actually like Last Crusade most of all, perhaps because it has a deeper, more profound feeling to it. I don't think it's the most exciting one, but that's why I like it. The element of family, forgiveness, and the spirituality of it make it #1 to the point of totally forgetting the previous two sometimes. I've only seen them a couple of times each, but I watch Last Crusade over and over again. But for the record, I like the other two the one as much as the other. They're both awesome movies, and I actually like the girl in TOD, if only because she's so ditzy it's funny.

I agree with ya as far as liking LC the most of all. Its my fave with Raiders a close second. I like the relationship you get from Indy and his dad but that may be due to the relationship I have with my own father.

 

[DarkArtist81]

I LOVE Temple of Doom. For the longest time, when I was a kid, it was my favorite of the trilogy. (I was a sick twisted child ) When I learned that Spielberg and Lucas liked it the least and lots of fans agreed I just could not understand it. Later in life when I revisited the second Holy Trilogy I found that Raiders is my favorite, TOD is the second fave and Crusade is the least favorite.

I love Shorty and Willie wasn't really all that bad. In fact her annoying nature just made her character all the more hilarious to me. Indy having to put up with this broad throughout the story, her getting him into trouble all the way.

You can't tell me that the table scene with the eyeball soup, snake surprise and Chilled Monkey brains doesn't make you giggle with delight.

I know it does the trick for me.

And that whole bit in the spike room is one of the most hilariously tragic scenes in the entire trilogy. I cannot express how much I LOVED that film. Great fun and a nice departure from Raiders.

 

[The Josh]

You can't tell me that the table scene with the eyeball soup, snake surprise and Chilled Monkey brains doesn't make you giggle with delight.

Man that makes me want to lose it. Just gives me the creepies.

 

[IrishJedi]

And that whole bit in the spike room is one of the most hilariously tragic scenes in the entire trilogy.

 

[tomandshell]

The mine car chase was one of my favorite movie scenes when I was a kid.

 

[foolkiller]

I absolutely loved it as a kid. The timing and suspense of the action sequences is some of the best in the trilogy. I like it 2nd to Raiders.

 

[DarkArtist81]

I love that bit... gets me laughing every single time. that and the fist sticking through the hole and shaking at Willie.

 

[IrishJedi]

I love that bit... gets me laughing every single time. that and the fist sticking through the hole and shaking at Willie.

I completely agree.

"DO IT NOW!!!"

 

[screamingmetal]

The insect covered walls creeped me out a hell of a lot more then the room full of snakes in Raiders.
I personally had no problems with Willie or Short Round. I'd actually prefer Short Round to take over for Indy, the actor works today as a stunt choreographer (He worked on the first X-Men film) and would make a better replacment then Shia.

 

[Atom Hues]

Thanks, man. I peed myself laughing at that GIF.

 

[Atom Hues]

I've always said that ToD is the purest of the trilogy, in terms of adherence to the genre. It really is a throwback to the old action-adventure serials, and is pretty timeless in that regard.

THANK YOU. I've always felt the same way, 100% the same way. I think RAIDERS is the best of the films, a 5-star adventure film that was referred to by a critic as "An A-quality B-film that pays homage to the Z-grade serials of the 30s through the 50s".

That being said, those old serials were lurid, over-the-top, gruesome, and sensationalistic, but with heart, charm, and a sense of fun.

TEMPLE OF DOOM is pretty much summed up by all those adjectives.

I love RAIDERS the most; that's a personal opinion. I think that RAIDERS is also the best of the three on a critical level. TOD isn't quite the film that RAIDERS is (neither is LAST CRUSADE), but it doesn't deserve the animosity it gets. You folks have listed many of the great and fun Indy bits that are some of the most fun of the funs.

The Spike Chamber is pure Indy, and you could show a newbie that scene, and they'd get a pretty solid idea about who and what this guy is all about.

The Mine Car Chase is still one of Indy's best action set-pieces!