Indiana Jones is headed to India to try to find a mystical stone but must rescue a group of children from a cult practicing slavery and witchcraft in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” This film, set in 1935, serves as a prequel to “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” It was a financial success but the reviews were mixed due to its darker themes than its predecessor. Still, it was popular enough to inspire a third film during the 1980s.

This is my personal favorite of the original “Indiana Jones” trilogy despite it being ranked low for a lot of other people. I’ve previously said that “Raiders of the Lost Ark” was the complete package of an “Indiana Jones” film, and I still believe that, but I just like this film better. I like the darker elements that others didn’t. Plus, I really enjoy the relationship between Indy and Short Round. I know the filmmakers tried to recapture that relationship in a later film, but this is the best it’s ever been done in this series.

My biggest complaint is the character of Willie Scott. I like that they tried to go a different route from Marion Ravenwood in this film for Indy’s love interest, but I don’t like this character. She feels too one note and flat for me. While Marion could be annoying at times, she also performed well at other times. Plus, Harrison Ford had much better overall chemistry with Karen Allen than he did with Kate Capshaw.

I understand why some people rate this film the lowest of the original trilogy, but it will always rate highly for me. Taste is subjective, and I really enjoy this film. There are some small changes I would make, and I would have liked to see some of the characters from the film revisited in subsequent sequels, but all in all, I’m just happy “Temple of Doom” exists.

Rating: 5 stars

What did you think of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom?”

Jeremy Brown

Jeremy has been a big Disney fan since he was a kid growing up during the Disney Renaissance. One day he hopes to go to every Disney Park in the world.

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