by Ben Mapp
SPOILER WARNING!!!
Kali Ma! Kali Maaa!
Initially designed to be The Empire Strikes Back of the original Indiana Jones trilogy, Temple of Doom is easily the darkest and most violent of the four films, reflecting the moods of both director Steven Spielberg and writer George Lucas during the time of its production. Both filmmakers had just gotten out of relationships with their respective partners and so needed a shared creative outlet within which to vent. The result came in the form of a prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark, featuring human sacrifice and child slavery instead of archaeological dig sites and a lot of Nazis. We can assume from these alterations that both Spielberg and Lucas were a little bitter about being newly-single gentlemen, or as Short Round says… “No time for love, Dr Jones!”
SPOILER WARNING!!!
Kali Ma! Kali Maaa!
Initially designed to be The Empire Strikes Back of the original Indiana Jones trilogy, Temple of Doom is easily the darkest and most violent of the four films, reflecting the moods of both director Steven Spielberg and writer George Lucas during the time of its production. Both filmmakers had just gotten out of relationships with their respective partners and so needed a shared creative outlet within which to vent. The result came in the form of a prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark, featuring human sacrifice and child slavery instead of archaeological dig sites and a lot of Nazis. We can assume from these alterations that both Spielberg and Lucas were a little bitter about being newly-single gentlemen, or as Short Round says… “No time for love, Dr Jones!”
Temple of Doom reintroduces Indy as a 007-like figure (even going so far as to don a tuxedo), who escapes being double-crossed by a gangster in a shady Shanghai nightclub along with a young boy called Short Round (played by Ke Huy Quan) and one of the club’s most popular singers, a blonde archetype by the name of Willie Scott (portrayed by Kate Capshaw). After surviving a plane crash by jumping out onto an inflatable boat and landing in a conveniently placed river (and people thought the fridge from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was bad), the trio arrive in a desolate Indian village. Believing them to be sent by Shiva in order to help their plight, the traumatised villagers explain that evil men from the nearby palace have made slaves of all of the local children and have stolen an ancient spiritual stone that usually “protects” the village. Indy recognises that the stone must have some historical worth, and so makes for the temple with his two new friends begrudgingly in tow.
They are welcomed at first with open arms by the staff of the palace, and are even invited to a posh dinner with various other important people, but Indy suspects foul-play after a failed assassination attempt on his life, and so investigates the palace during the night. After navigating a series of booby-traps, the three friends become separated when they discover that an ancient cult is using human sacrifice in an underground temple to worship the Hindu Goddess Kali. Indy is captured and hypnotised by a magical potion, forcing him to follow the commands of the evil cult leader, Mola Ram (played by Amrish Puri). It is only when Short Round burns Indy with a torch that he regains his free will. Together, the two rescue Willie from becoming a victim of human sacrifice and escape the temple via mine cart. Ultimately, the cult is disbanded when its leader is eaten by crocodiles and the other members ousted when the British Indian Army shows up. Indy and co. return to the village, having rescued all of the children and the stone, and are hailed as heroes.
They are welcomed at first with open arms by the staff of the palace, and are even invited to a posh dinner with various other important people, but Indy suspects foul-play after a failed assassination attempt on his life, and so investigates the palace during the night. After navigating a series of booby-traps, the three friends become separated when they discover that an ancient cult is using human sacrifice in an underground temple to worship the Hindu Goddess Kali. Indy is captured and hypnotised by a magical potion, forcing him to follow the commands of the evil cult leader, Mola Ram (played by Amrish Puri). It is only when Short Round burns Indy with a torch that he regains his free will. Together, the two rescue Willie from becoming a victim of human sacrifice and escape the temple via mine cart. Ultimately, the cult is disbanded when its leader is eaten by crocodiles and the other members ousted when the British Indian Army shows up. Indy and co. return to the village, having rescued all of the children and the stone, and are hailed as heroes.
Now, prepare for just a little bit of controversy…
Whilst Kingdom of the Crystal Skull received the most criticism for its story (Aliens? Seriously?), I would argue that Temple of Doom has the worst storyline out of the entire series. Sure, it is spared the terrible acting of Shia Lebouf, and The Last Crusade more than made up for its shortcomings in terms of plot and characterisation, but Temple of Doom simply lacks the mystery and momentum of the other movies. It is heavily inconsistent with the Indy character, portraying him as more of a self-obsessed action hero than the musing archaeologist we recognise from the other movies. The darker direction that the film adopts also seems somewhat aimless in places, adhering more to a shock factor (i.e. the human sacrifice sequences) than the more story-driven adventure, which this whole series is known for.
Whilst Kingdom of the Crystal Skull received the most criticism for its story (Aliens? Seriously?), I would argue that Temple of Doom has the worst storyline out of the entire series. Sure, it is spared the terrible acting of Shia Lebouf, and The Last Crusade more than made up for its shortcomings in terms of plot and characterisation, but Temple of Doom simply lacks the mystery and momentum of the other movies. It is heavily inconsistent with the Indy character, portraying him as more of a self-obsessed action hero than the musing archaeologist we recognise from the other movies. The darker direction that the film adopts also seems somewhat aimless in places, adhering more to a shock factor (i.e. the human sacrifice sequences) than the more story-driven adventure, which this whole series is known for.
That said, Temple of Doom is certainly not a bad film. It’s just… different. It was probably even necessary in a way, an experiment for both Spielberg and Lucas who desperately needed to express their anger and dismay from their personal lives through this shared piece of art. The addition of magic and voodoo into the Indiana Jones soup doesn’t mix too well with the other ingredients, at least for me, much in the same way that an alien spacecraft rising from an ancient temple doesn’t either.
The reason that Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade are individually perfect is not just because they are more authentic, but because the supernatural elements are far more subtle and – as a consequence – so much more powerful. Still, in a litter of four, there will always be a runt. Most people seem to think it is Crystal Skull, and for good reason, but I personally find it hard to say.
The reason that Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade are individually perfect is not just because they are more authentic, but because the supernatural elements are far more subtle and – as a consequence – so much more powerful. Still, in a litter of four, there will always be a runt. Most people seem to think it is Crystal Skull, and for good reason, but I personally find it hard to say.
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