My thoughts on Temple of Doom

Posted by Satipo from webcache03p.cache.pol.co.uk on February 26, 1999 at 12:30:23:

First let me say one thing. A really irritating factor about the last 2 Indy films is their overstated titles. Why do they have to have 'Indiana Jones and the' in their titles? It detracts from each film's individuality. Surely the public can work out for themselves that Indiana Jones is in them. The James Bond films didn't need to call themselves 'James Bond and the....' in order for audiences to know that they were watching James Bond films. Keeping 'James Bond' out of the titles helped the films to maintain the feeling that they were each films in their own right. This is a feature especially missing from Last Crusade. Last Crusade, is simply a gross mutation of Raiders of the Lost Ark (a bit like that unfortunate 7th Ripley clone in Alien Resurrection). However, brushing aside the unfortunate first part of its title, Temple of Doom is at least more admirable in that it tries to achieve something different. In Temple of Doom, the Indy character is the only character we have met before, and the film's setting and style are different to those of Raiders. This makes it less objectionable than in Last Crusade, when Temple of Doom further experiments with the Indiana Jones formula. Its opening sequence makes it clear to the viewer that it is not trying to be Raiders of the Lost Ark at all - rather it is going to be a loud, brash ghost-train of a film featuring a familiar central character. The Temple of Doom Indy character is an exaggeration of all the humorous Indy quirks that were demonstrated in Raiders. But this is excusable when you consider that, in this film, Indy is virtually surrounded by nightmarishly over-the-top characters and situations. I really cringe when watching the irritating Willy Scott and Short Round characters, but I can appreciate their function in diluting the film's dark story line.

So, although Raiders of the Lost Ark is my favourite Indy film, I still find Temple of Doom to be an entertaining film in its own right. When I first saw Temple of Doom I was both exhilarated and disappointed by the experience. I was disappointed because I'd been expecting something closer to Raiders of the Lost Ark, but I was still exhilarated by the fast-paced spectacle I'd just seen. I had high hopes for Last Crusade, because I anticipated that it would give me the Raiders type of fix I had originally expected from Temple of Doom. However, the fact that it resembled Raiders of the Lost Ark in pantomime, left a nasty taste in my mouth. On reflection, I'm glad that Temple of Doom didn't try to go down the Raiders path, as it may have ended up like Last Crusade. Don't get me wrong, its not that I don't watch Last Crusade at all, but when I do watch it I get the urge to put Raiders in the video instead. It's like watching the cartoon before the main feature - it keeps you entertained for a while, but you still can't wait for the main feature to start. With Temple of Doom, I just accept it for what it is - not Raiders, but not too bad either.

Adios,

Satipo

Follow Ups:

Re: My thoughts on Temple of Doom Anejo Joe 22:38:23 2/26/99 (0)
I disagree somewhat Brett Lambert 21:37:33 2/26/99 (0)

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: First let me say one thing. A really irritating factor about the last 2 Indy films is their overstated titles. Why do they have to have 'Indiana Jones and the' in their titles? It detracts from each film's individuality. Surely the public can work out for themselves that Indiana Jones is in them. The James Bond films didn't need to call themselves 'James Bond and the....' in order for audiences to know that they were watching James Bond films. Keeping 'James Bond' out of the titles helped the films to maintain the feeling that they were each films in their own right. This is a feature especially missing from Last Crusade. Last Crusade, is simply a gross mutation of Raiders of the Lost Ark (a bit like that unfortunate 7th Ripley clone in Alien Resurrection). However, brushing aside the unfortunate first part of its title, Temple of Doom is at least more admirable in that it tries to achieve something different. In Temple of Doom, the Indy character is the only character we have met before, and the film's setting and style are different to those of Raiders. This makes it less objectionable than in Last Crusade, when Temple of Doom further experiments with the Indiana Jones formula. Its opening sequence makes it clear to the viewer that it is not trying to be Raiders of the Lost Ark at all - rather it is going to be a loud, brash ghost-train of a film featuring a familiar central character. The Temple of Doom Indy character is an exaggeration of all the humorous Indy quirks that were demonstrated in Raiders. But this is excusable when you consider that, in this film, Indy is virtually surrounded by nightmarishly over-the-top characters and situations. I really cringe when watching the irritating Willy Scott and Short Round characters, but I can appreciate their function in diluting the film's dark story line.

: So, although Raiders of the Lost Ark is my favourite Indy film, I still find Temple of Doom to be an entertaining film in its own right. When I first saw Temple of Doom I was both exhilarated and disappointed by the experience. I was disappointed because I'd been expecting something closer to Raiders of the Lost Ark, but I was still exhilarated by the fast-paced spectacle I'd just seen. I had high hopes for Last Crusade, because I anticipated that it would give me the Raiders type of fix I had originally expected from Temple of Doom. However, the fact that it resembled Raiders of the Lost Ark in pantomime, left a nasty taste in my mouth. On reflection, I'm glad that Temple of Doom didn't try to go down the Raiders path, as it may have ended up like Last Crusade. Don't get me wrong, its not that I don't watch Last Crusade at all, but when I do watch it I get the urge to put Raiders in the video instead. It's like watching the cartoon before the main feature - it keeps you entertained for a while, but you still can't wait for the main feature to start. With Temple of Doom, I just accept it for what it is - not Raiders, but not too bad either.

: Adios,

: Satipo

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