5/5 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
  by Sandy Rigas (Wellsville, New York)
The second installment in the Indiana Jones, set 2 years before Raiders, finds Indy going after the Shonkara stones and trying to rescue children enslaved by the Thagee Cult. He is joined by young Short Round (Key He Quan) and nighclub vocalist Willie Scott, played very well by Kate Capshaw, the current Mrs.Spielberg. While Karen Allen's Marion Ravenwood was a two-fisted hellraiser, Scott is a pampered indoor brat, and in turn is brilliant, plus her character is quite funny also, as is Short Round. Amrish Puri is a chilling as the villainous cult leader.

Though Temple of Doom lacks Sallah, Marcus Brody, and the Nazis, it is an improvement over Raiders in more than a few ways. To start, Ford is even better as Indy for his character is tested more. Douglas Slocombe's photography is more effective, and John Williams' music score is even more diverse and genius. Temple of Doom is also more creative, emotionally effective, and imaginative. However, it lacks the spectacle of the first film and is far more controversial and violent.This is the movie that created the PG-13 rating.

Dennis Muren's stunning Oscar-winning visual effects match Richard Edlund's effects in Raiders, yet they are not as awe-inspiring or important to the story. Elliot Scott's production design is terrific, and the cult sequences are very intense. The stunts top the ones in Raiders and are really good. The most memorable sequences have to be the mine car chase, the creature feature dinner, the Shanghai nightclub opening, the duel at the cult platform, and the rope bridge finale, incredible. Though Temple of Doom isn't as good as Raiders or Last Crusade it is highly recommended and is one of the best adventure films ever made.

5/5 Indiana's Darkest Adventure
  by Barry
This 1984 sequel to the 1981 classic "Raiders Of The Lost Ark", is a real important film to me. I saw it 11 times in the theaters and I was mesmerized. I hadn't seen anything like it before. It's one of those films that brings back great memories from your youth. Spielberg, Lucas, and Ford all return for this chapter. It takes place 10 years later, and Indy is joined by a nightclub singer, Willie Scott(Kate Capshaw), and a young sidekick named Short Round(Ke Huy - Quan from "The Goonies"), on a mission to find and rescue young children who have been kidnapped from a small village by some sort of cult. Indy and his gang infiltrate this incredible palace, only to discover the horror that lurks below the place. This film definitley has the Saturday morning serial cliffhanger thing going here. More so than the first and third installments. This movie is a little darker and more violent than "Raiders". Some fans didn't think that was such a good thing. Their loss. This movie is a rollercoaster ride from beginning to end. It's a movie that never stops being entertaining. There are a number of classic scenes in here, like - The mine cart chase, the airplane scene, the water out the side of the mountain, the rope bridge. You know it's a good movie when you can think of a number of good scenes like that. Once again, Spielberg has a nice eye for details. Ford is the most charismatic hero of the century. No one comes close. Capshaw and Quan are on hand mostly for comedic support. Just lay back, get some popcorn, and get ready to have your spines tingled when Indy's theme song starts....

4/5 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
  by A. Ross (New Zealand)
The most underrated film of the franchise, INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM is actually superior in terms of action than LAST CRUSADE. Technically a prequel, the film is much darker in tone than it's predecessor, but nonetheless is an exciting entry in the Indiana Jones Trilogy. Night club action, mine car chases and the thrilling climax on a perilous rope bridge, the set-pieces are some of the most memorable in the trilogy. Set before RAIDERS, Harrison Ford is great in one of his best movie roles, Indiana Jones, obtainer of rare antiquities. And this time, it's Shankara stones for the looting, and while the story isn't as original as it's predecessor, it provides some great comic book-style action. Although directed by Spielberg, George Lucas is the creator of Indiana Jones, and this is one of Spielberg's most impersonal films. However there are some nice homages to JAWS and the "Just shoot 'em" gag from RAIDERS. The opening Busby Berkley inspired number "Anything Goes" sums up the pace for the whole film, where the characters go from one action set-piece to the next, with little space for a breather. The female lead Kate Kapshaw (Willie Scott) is not as spunky as Marion Ravenwood, but she's handles being a love interest for Indy and comic relief rather well. There is a notable lack of meaty villians, with Mola Ram not reaching the excellent "Bad guy" heights of Belloq, but hey, he's still nasty enough. Determined not to make Indy a cardboard character, this one explores Indy's dark side and audience limitations. However despite the change in tone for TOD, there are many laughs to be had and some clever in-jokes, the best of which is the nightclub where Willie sings: Club Obi Wan. Genius. Addmitedly, in some scenes taste goes out the window in favour of revolting animal delacacies and human sacrafice. After all, this was the film that started the PG:13 rating for films that were too violent for a simple PG. But what most critics fail to realise is that it's comic book violence, making it not as bad. John William's tonal score is darker than his previous efforts like E.T, but it's still one of his best. And minor carping aside, they don't make action films like this anymore, where the characters aren't crowded out by a barrage of CGI (THE MUMMY). To put it simply, the action, mine car chases, one-liners and monkey brains all combine to make a really fun action film. And while it dosn't reach the excellent heights of RAIDERS, it's still one amazing adventure.

5/5 A more darker, complex Indy Jones tale!
  by
"Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" is a great departure from the first Indy movie. While still being filled with over-the-top acting, effects, and stunts, the violence is much more intense. This was the movie that caused the MPAA to create the "PG-13" rating.

That's not to say that the story shouldn't be viewed by most kids. Like anything else, it should be viewed first by the parents who should make the final decision. The strong violence, most of which is still in the comic-book style of "Raiders," goes down a darker road with much of it being directed at the children who are victims of the evil in this story. The most intense scene though (when a human heart is literally dug by hand out of a man's chest who sacrifices himself to the Hindu god Kali) is completely impossible but one that must be explained to the innocent mind of children.

Despite the extreme script, it's still a Spielberg, Lucas creation that's filled with imaginative images and a more fulfilling end to this chapter of the globe-trotting, two-fisted archaeologist Indiana Jones, played again wonderfully by Harrison Ford.

This is a must see for anyone who loves action/adventure stories and yes, it even has a little romance thrown in too (thanks to Kate Capshaw, the current Mrs. Spielberg).

4/5 This is a great film...what's wrong with you people?
  by Grigory's Girl (NYC)
I'm glad to see I'm not the only one on earth that thinks this is a good movie. I've always liked it a lot, and I'm not really sure why so many diss this film. It's a hell of a lot darker than the first one, in fact REALLY dark. The scenes in the "temple of doom" are very intense, especially for their time (the controversy this film engineered made the MPAA invent the PG-13 rating). But the film has even more stunts than the first film (and a lot of them are awesome). I especially like the mining car chase (even though it's a little hard to believe at times, even in escapist cinema like this one). The "dinner" scene could give current reality TV shows (where people eat disgusting things) a run for its money. It's a very memorable film, although it's may be too intense for very young children.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a very good film. Ford is excellent as usual, Kate Capshaw (the future Mrs. Spielberg) is kooky and kind of endearing, and Short Round is a decent kid sidekick (at least you don't want Indy to throw under the tracks or anything like that). Spielberg's direction is excellent as usual, and I haven't heard people complaining about this one like they have about the latest entry. This is a film that should be revisited.