Movie Club: Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom

WELCOME EVERYBODY TO THE LATEST DISCUSSION THREAD OF THE NEW MOVIE CLUB, DESIGNED TO RUN PARALLEL WITH R.O.C.K.S. A big thanks to everyone that are joining us through all of this.

The next few weeks we're going to do another acclaimed series of films from the 80s, the Indiana Jones films. We're continuing this week with Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom - the prequel which we could arguably have covered first, but it doesn't really make much difference continuity-wise!

Remember any ideas for films to discuss are most welcome, and should be made on the Movie Club Introduction thread (the sticky one), and anyone is welcome to add their thoughts about movies already discussed on their respective threads.

Just a friendly reminder to everyone that, whilst fans are obviously welcome to passionately discuss and give their views on these movies, please remember to keep things on a friendly footing and respect your fellow posters.
Also, please do not post where or how to find the full movie online. And do not post asking others to PM it to you. You are however allowed to watch the movie in whatever manner you want.

Temple of Doom was the first Indiana movie I saw.

A very good movie but I do have some very mixed thoughts on it.

The movies opening seems very out of place a more like something that would suit a James Bond movie. Fun enough but it really doesn't compare to the opening of Raiders of the Lost Ark or even the other movies to be honest.

The movie pretty much just goes along without the excitement and intrigue of the previous movie.

It doesn't really pick up until the assassin attacks Indy then it's very enjoyable with the temple, mine and bridge scenes.

I really didn't like the scenes at the dining table. They seemed just to be there for shock value and to be gruesome and to me it really succeeded.

Also I understand they wanted Willie to be the opposite of Marion...but the character can be a bit irritating and doesn't really add much to the plot and her screaming gets very annoying. Capshaw herself has complained about this with her character and Spielberg also wasn't that happy with how the film turned out.

I loved the bridge scene as it has become so iconic. Along with the mine scenes.

Harrison is great as usual as Indy and really steals the show.

Over all though I do still really like the film as it is very different in tone to the other movies although I would say it's probably my least favourite of the original trilogy of movies.

Strangely enough following the failure of the Raiders of the Lost Ark toys Kenner did not produce toys for Temple of Doom. Instead LJN picked up the licence. Which sadly was another failure. LJN made the figures larger in 6" scale with lots of accessories...well Indiana at least. They only made three action figures. Indiana, Mola Rama and Thuggee. They had planned to produce Willie and Short Round and their images were featured on the back of the figure cards. But the line was cancelled before they were made. At least they got made in the 2008 toyline.
The Indiana TOD figures featured LJN's ''battle mattic action'' which would become more well known in their Thundercats line. I am going to assume Willie would have had some type of pull string screaming action. ;):laugh
One reason cited for the failure was the new large scale. Being 6" rather than 3.75" like Kenner's previous figures meant the new figures and characters could not interact or be used with the previous figures.
Its a shame they didn't sell well as I would have imagined that Mola and Thugge would have looked and worked very well with other fantasy figures like He-Man, Thundercats, TMNT etc and maybe even Rambo. Especially with them being larger, bulkier and more colourful with accessories.
Ironically Pat Roach has had a few, five at least, figures made of him from the Indiana Jones movies but has never had an official figure made of him as a wrestler.

I've often seen it said that this was the weak link in the original trilogy. I don't know about that, but it's certainly the most different. The other two films see Indy fighting the Nazis for a biblical relic. This film makes use of a different mythology for its source, the whole thing is set in the east, without any stopover in the US to have a "formal mission announcement". Indy just happens to get embroiled in this adventure, so a nod to Alfred Hitchcock here, as well as the established James Bond vibe.

The Bond vibe is particularly evident in the opening scene here, the negotiations around the table with the gem and the antidote.

As far as heroines go, Kate Capshaw is basically everything Karen Allen isn't. She looks like a cross between Meg Ryan and Taylor Swift! That much is a good thing I guess, but her character is useless in a crisis. Given that she regards chipping a nail as a crisis . . . basically, we covered "Rear Window" the other week, and she is the embodiment of everything James Stewart was afraid Grace Kelly would be in his world in that film.

The fact that it's a prequel means I should probably one day watch it first. As I mentioned earlier, they use a different religion as the source material for the quest - albeit still involving objects with mystical powers, but a less familiar religion to the average viewer. I wonder how much that one factor is held against it. I don't mind it. One religion is just as good or bad as another in my book - or rather lack of book as I'm an atheist ;) but seriously, I do wonder if this is the main thing that's held against it. The fact that the artefacts he's searching for here are Hindu/Thuggee rather than Judao-Christian.

In any event, it's a fun film.

"LiamABC, post: 126118, member: 25438" said:

I've often seen it said that this was the weak link in the original trilogy. I don't know about that, but it's certainly the most different. The other two films see Indy fighting the Nazis for a biblical relic. This film makes use of a different mythology for its source, the whole thing is set in the east, without any stopover in the US to have a "formal mission announcement". Indy just happens to get embroiled in this adventure, so a nod to Alfred Hitchcock here, as well as the established James Bond vibe.

The Bond vibe is particularly evident in the opening scene here, the negotiations around the table with the gem and the antidote.

As far as heroines go, Kate Capshaw is basically everything Karen Allen isn't. She looks like a cross between Meg Ryan and Taylor Swift! That much is a good thing I guess, but her character is useless in a crisis. Given that she regards chipping a nail as a crisis . . . basically, we covered "Rear Window" the other week, and she is the embodiment of everything James Stewart was afraid Grace Kelly would be in his world in that film.

The fact that it's a prequel means I should probably one day watch it first. As I mentioned earlier, they use a different religion as the source material for the quest - albeit still involving objects with mystical powers, but a less familiar religion to the average viewer. I wonder how much that one factor is held against it. I don't mind it. One religion is just as good or bad as another in my book - or rather lack of book as I'm an atheist ;) but seriously, I do wonder if this is the main thing that's held against it. The fact that the artefacts he's searching for here are Hindu/Thuggee rather than Judao-Christian.

In any event, it's a fun film.

I agree about Grace Kelly.

I don't think the origin of the objects religion matters. It's the fun of Indy's quest to retrieve the object that matters.

Personally I think it is a nice change not having Nazi's as the villains again and perhaps something The Last Crusade could also have benefitted from in some ways.

It shouldn't matter, but it is just easier to understand when it's from a religion you're more familiar with. We know what the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail are, and that means they don't have to do as much explaining to the audience via time-consuming dialogue. That's why Gene Roddenberry's mantra with Star Trek was not to waste time with explaining how any of the fancy 23rd century gadgets worked or what they did, the audience could work it out easily enough for themselves.

I read a Visionaries fanfic a few years back called The Slaves Of Sanofainus, which a friend who also read it described as a ripoff of this film. I need to read that again now I've refamiliarised myself with Indy's adventure.

"LiamABC, post: 126128, member: 25438" said:

It shouldn't matter, but it is just easier to understand when it's from a religion you're more familiar with. We know what the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail are, and that means they don't have to do as much explaining to the audience via time-consuming dialogue. That's why Gene Roddenberry's mantra with Star Trek was not to waste time with explaining how any of the fancy 23rd century gadgets worked or what they did, the audience could work it out easily enough for themselves.

I read a Visionaries fanfic a few years back called The Slaves Of Sanofainus, which a friend who also read it described as a ripoff of this film. I need to read that again now I've refamiliarised myself with Indy's adventure.

Yes I get what you mean. You shouldn't have to explain to the audience. A bit like trying to explain why a joke is funny.
Although when I originally watched these movies I was too young to grasp the significance of the item, except that it was something the bad guys really wanted and had and Indy was going to get it.

hat would be interesting to read. I have heard that Temple of Doom borrows a lot and is inspired by the movie Gunga Din. http://www.theraider.net/information/influences/gunga_din.php

Sorry I'm a bit late to the party! Had a few things to take care of. :)

I saw this movie before the other Indy movies. I don't like this movie more than the other two, but I do like the darker tone and change of location. The jungles and palaces of India (Sri Lanka in reality) are a nice change from the desert, city locations of the other two movies.

Just like Mark, I too dislike the dinner scene as well as the bug-infested tunnel scene. They are the reasons I don't watch this movie as often as I would like to. And I too feel that they were just for shock value. The movie would have been better without them, if you ask me. Also the dinner scene doesn't make any sense from a factual point of view as well. The maharaja and everybody else in his palace are obviously Hindus and the majority of Hindus are vegetarians. And even the ones that do eat meat, they certainly don't eat bugs, snakes or chilled monkey brains!!!! :confused:

Totally agree about Kate Capshaw as well. Man she was annoying!!! A lot of people often list Short Round as one of the most annoying characters, but Capshaw deserves that dubious honor. I actually like Short Round. If you want to see an annoying kid then go no further than "Real Steel"!

The action and adventure does take a while to get going, but once it gets going, boy does it get going!!! The mine cart chase, the fight on the bridge, the scenes inside the villains lair, all so iconic! And I think Mola Ram was a really great villain! Probably the best in the series, IMHO. Sure he was a bit over the top, but then again the franchise is a bit over the top as well. He had some really great dialogues! And I'm a bit embarrassed to admit it but I often still use them in my daily conversations. Whenever I tell anything to my friends that they find a bit hard to believe, I go, "You don't believe me? You will Dr. Jones. You will become a true believer!". Then I do a terrible impression of Mola Ram's laugh! :laugh

It was also a nice and refreshing change to see Indy bringing back a relic that the villain had stolen rather than leading the villain to it, like he did in the other movies. The music is also quite different than the other movies. And "The Parade of the Slave Children" is probably my favorite piece from the entire series.

Anybody notice Dan Aykroyd and Club Obi-Wan when they first watched this movie? I honestly didn't. I only did so after I read about them on the internet. :biggrin

I noticed Aykroyd's name on the credit, but I still didn't spot him.

"Wilycub, post: 126143, member: 25043" said:

Anybody notice Dan Aykroyd and Club Obi-Wan when they first watched this movie? I honestly didn't. I only did so after I read about them on the internet. :biggrin

I didn't notice them originally until I read about them. Same with R2-D2 and C-3PO appearing in the hieroglyphics in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

I'm trying to remember what specifically from this movie was included in the Chipmunks parody. I think there must have been a brief sequence in China, because I have a vague idea that Theodore's character was based on Short-Round. Alvin was "Daytona Jones" and Simon was his brother "Saratoga" who I think must have been based a little on Indy's dad in the next movie.

One thing I do remember is that when they had the map showing the plane journey with the line marking out the route, it curled about a lot to spell out the words "we're lost".

I am not familiar with the Chipmunks parody. But I do remember there being a "Temple of Maggie" level in the "Bart's Nightmare" Nintendo Game. And of course we had the DuckTales episode "Raiders of the Lost Harp. I think the Indiana Jones movies have probably been spoofed/referenced more than any other movies.

I think I have vague memories of seeing this Chipmunks episode.

[USER=25043]@Wilycub[/USER] there in The Simpsons episode ''Bart's Friend Falls In Love'' there is a Raiders of the Lost Ark spoof at the start with Bart carefully taking Homer's change jar then being chased down the stairs by Homer rolling after him then Bart escaping out the garage door before the door closes and reaching back to grab his cap.

"Wilycub, post: 126161, member: 25043" said:

I am not familiar with the Chipmunks parody. But I do remember there being a "Temple of Maggie" level in the "Bart's Nightmare" Nintendo Game. And of course we had the DuckTales episode "Raiders of the Lost Harp. I think the Indiana Jones movies have probably been spoofed/referenced more than any other movies.

Not more than Alfred Hitchcock or Casablanca surely!

I think the opening intro for Dennis The Menace has a bit of inspiration of Temple of Doom during the scene with the mine cart.

"Mark M, post: 126172, member: 5058" said:

I think the opening intro for Dennis The Menace has a bit of inspiration of Temple of Doom during the scene with the mine cart.

The mine cart scene has become so popular that now whenever I see any scene which is even remotely similar to it my mind starts comparing the two. I recall there's a mine cart scene in "The Rock" and one in "Journey to the Center of The Earth"

Series 3 of Knightmare had a room where you had to get into a minecart to go down from level 2 to level 3, and one of the characters had to push you. Anyway, the Last Crusade Thread is up in case you didn't spot it!

"LiamABC, post: 126177, member: 25438" said:

Series 3 of Knightmare had a room where you had to get into a minecart to go down from level 2 to level 3, and one of the characters had to push you. Anyway, the Last Crusade Thread is up in case you didn't spot it!

Now thar I think about, in the Japanese game show "Takeshi's Castle" during the game Dragon Lake (contestants have to swing on a rope and land on a podium) they play the theme from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

IJ & the Temple of Temple of Doom (or, TOD for short) is definitely my favorite of the four IJ films. Saw this in the theater back in '84. Excellent from start to finish - it started off strong & the plot/storyline/action sequences were solid & well-done throughout the film. Really enjoyed the whole movie, especially these sequences:

-The beginning fight sequence at "Club Obi Wan" (nice SW homage there); the scene starts off great with Willie Scott's "Anything Goes"; the tense meeting between Jones & the gangsters; the subsequent fight & the confusion re: the diamond(s) and the ice; Indy finally getting the antidote; escaping with Willie Scott (an unwilling/inadvertent participant) & Short Round, etc. It was funny how Indy thought he had finally escaped from the gangster Lao Che & then told him off as he boarded the plane, but then when he closed the door it clearly stated, "Lao Che Air Freight" - LOL.

-The scene when IJ & co. jumped off of the doomed plane on a inflated raft, which then landed in the snow....was both far-fetched, and almost believable. I.e., I can slightly buy that a inflatable raft - when falling from a great height (even with three people inside) - if it lands on a relatively soft surface like snow - may not cause too much damage too the people inside the raft. However, if the raft had landed almost anywhere but snow it's fairly evident that all three would have been killed by the impact.

-The disgusting dinner scenes in the palace were sickening & funny, which was the whole point.

- The battle in the caverns, followed by the chase in the mine car(s) - very gripping & tense.

-The finale @ the bridge was incredible; a literal "cliff hanger" as IJ cut the bridge, and everyone had to hang on for dear life.

Here is an interesting article that goes over how the film is based on some true historical elements:

http://www.indyintheclassroom.com/projects/archaeology/temple.asp