The younger, "fortune and glory" indy is awesome. I like how this movie provides the impetus for his change of philosophy.

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Posted by California Mike from 209-21-33-165.dialup.neteze.com on April 25, 2001 at 04:16:13:

In Reply to: TEMPLE of DOOM: way UNDER-rated by Indyfans posted by Yurik on April 24, 2001 at 22:45:49:

: I would consider ToD the least attractive of all Indyfims. However, I think that too many people don't give it enough credit. If fact, a lot of people pretend like it never happened. Well, it's my opinion that ToD is very significant within Indy-dom for several reasons. I just wanted to list a few for those who just don't appreciate a good movie with a good story.

: 1. Raiders and Crusade are very similar within their plot and flow. However, ToD is absolutely unique to the other two films.

: 2. In ToD you don't see Indy in his university context at all. Instead he seems to be more of a survivor, rather than an intellectual stiff. Indy is a lot more raw in this film, even darker.

: 3. Nothing seems to be working out for Indy throughout most of the film(as opposed to the other films), including seducing the girl the first night in the palace. That's a lot more true to life.

: 4. In ToD you'll find Indy to be a lot more human. He actually struggles between "fortune and glory" and charity. He actually goes out of his way to rescue the village children and is willing to make his situation even worse for their sake.

: 5. Speaking of humanity, Indy gets mastered quite a bit in the film. He is captured by the Thugee, gets his backed whipped by his own whip, submits to the Black Sleep and is paralyzed by the Voo Doo. Again, our hero shows a realistic weakness.

: 6. ToD deals with eastern religion instead of the all too familiar Judeo-Christian religions. There's a unique culture the viewer gets to discover.

: 8. Indy is surrounded by disadvantages. I don't know if you rememeber, but he has a gun for only about ten minutes of the movie. The rest of the film he relies on his hands and his whip. Also, he has two very clumpsy partners that constantly slow him down. And, he has absolutely NO local contacts to help him. Indy is absoltely striped of his usual resources and has to rely on his own cunning and whit.

: 9. His physical dexterity is tested from every angle in such areas as fist-fighting, swallowing poisen, jumping out of a plane, falling of a cliff, white-water rafting, sword-fighting, surviving a falling bridge, cliff-climbing, getting his side burned, and dodging bullets with no gun to shoot back with

: 10. One of the most important points of the film: The bridge scene. Indy lands himself into a "no-win" scenerio. Hence he curses under his breathe. You have to admit that is an extremely intense scene. And his little solution was absolutely insane. Again, you see Jones the Survivor.

: Certainly, it is the least of the trilogy, but it is certainly NOT a bad film. I just think that this film is highly UNDER-RATED and shouldn't be ingored or snuffed off as a "mistake". Anyone who hates this film really has no appreciation for the Indiana Jones character. In fact, if Indy 4 ever is produced I hope it's absolutely unlike Raiders or Crusade. I hope it puts Indy in a totally different and challenging situation.

: Again, that's just my opinion. Do you have any other positive points to add?

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