Movie Debate #59: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

[Reed Rothchild | 10,320]

 

[TDIRunner | 3,088]

Probably my least favorite out of the original 3 (I know nothing about the 4th one).  I still enjoy it and I think it's still worth watching every few years along with all of the original 3.  

[Dr. Morbis | 2,152]

I can't stand the opening sequence, especially after it's predecessor has one of the most famous openings in cinema history, and Sankara Stones are hardly as awe-inducing as the Ark of the Covenant or the Holy Grail, but it's an excellent action-adventure film whose only real knock is that it is sandwiched between two of the greatest action-adventure flicks of all time...

[AstralSoul | 531]

I love all 3 original IJ movies and I know I'm probably alone in this but Temple of Doom is my favorite one. I don't know why, it just is. Possibly because it was the first one I ever saw as a kid and stuck out in my mind the most. Maybe I just like the theme of it the best. I'm not sure why. But like I said I like all 3 original IJ movies. I won't talk about Crystal Skull.

[Sumez | 3,296]

7/10

I love the first and third Indy movies, but I'm one of those people who aren't that into the second one.

It's enjoyable enough, and it definitely has a few great classic moments (like snatching the hat from behind the closing wall), but every time I watch it I feel that it drags on a bit.

[arch_8ngel | 1,597]

I'll give it a solid 7.

It would have been a better movie with a less grating female costar.

And it would have had a better legacy if it had better opened the door for a broader range of "serial adventure" out of Indiana Jones than a primary focus on Judeo-Christian artifacts and Nazis.  (part of what made the PS2 / GC era Indiana Jones video game so great, IMO, was capturing that world traveler adventure vibe with something more mysterious than thoroughly tread Judeo-Christian artifacts)

All that said -- it is a great adventure movie with a good range of settings and an imaginative enough villain to shape pop culture for a long time.

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,220]

I don't think it's quite as good as Raiders or Last Crusade. It feels a little out of place compared to the other two, but it's still a great movie. 9/10.

[Reed Rothchild | 10,320]

9

I've always loved it and never particularly agreed with the criticisms.

[Tabonga | 2,730]

I gave it a 6 - I found Willie Scott and Short Round to be mostly annoying.  And the theme was a little too dark to fit the spirit of the old cliffhangers which originally inspired the film series. Lots of really good parts which never really gelled for me in the way that the first one did.

I did like to use the opening show scene to demonstrate the wonderfulness that was my then cutting edge laserdisc player on a Mitsubishi 36" CRT.  (This was before DVDs came out.) 

[Tanooki | 5,622]

I don't want to use the worst least favorite, because that would make you think I believe it's poor, bad, or really any far worse than the others as it's not.  I just prefer the subject matter and the grander amazing scenes with or without smarmy jackass nazi's acting tough and getting what they ultimately deserve in the end.  The movie, it has the action, the intrigue, the strange juju of it all, but it's also I guess more confined, smaller, less epic in its set pieces and what they were doing there that's all.  Sure Mola Ram is a prick, epic one all things considered what he did to people, and was hoping to pull off, but the movie lacks the scale of the others in wow punch factor, but it works.  I couldn't give an 8 or a 10, went with a 9.  It isn't so much that it has faults, just design choices that scale it a bit less punchy and memorable, but it's not obviously worse either.  It's like those middle chapters to a really damn good book where you remember what happened, and where it ended on a re-read, but the middle glued it together in good form.

Personally can't wait to see the other two movies get pulled into this.  I'm going to love seeing all the commentary on why crystal skull so called sucks and how so.  Few people try and deconstruct that one and just get into the sheep bin of criticism without thinking about the earlier three as it perfectly follows suit, just in another time(decade) and place.

[Jeevan | 9,357]

All indiana jones except crystal skulls is a 10 for me sue me

[Reed Rothchild | 10,320]

12 minutes ago, Jeevan said:

All indiana jones except crystal skulls is a 10 for me sue me

[Jeevan | 9,357]

4 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

is that a high five???  anyways, ya, come at me bro. i been drinking whiskey and am ready to debate

[Reed Rothchild | 10,320]

1 minute ago, Jeevan said:

is that a high five???  anyways, ya, come at me bro. i been drinking whiskey and am ready to debate

It's a five count 

[Jeevan | 9,357]

are u keeping track of my top 10's or what?  im a little confused, but ready to debate  um, ya......so um, ok, sure,

 

8 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

It's a five count 

 

[Reed Rothchild | 10,320]

This is the problem with me trying to be funny or witty or anything else.  The other person has no idea what I'm talking about, so I just come off as a moron 

...or they're just drunk 

[Gloves | 13,003]

2 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

This is the problem with me trying to be funny or witty or anything else.  The other person has no idea what I'm talking about, so I just come off as a moron 

...or they're just drunk 

He's definitely had a bit of the sauce. 

[Jeevan | 9,357]

3 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

This is the problem with me trying to be funny or witty or anything else.  The other person has no idea what I'm talking about, so I just come off as a moron 

...or they're just drunk 

i dont know what that would mean even if i wasn't drunk!

Just now, Gloves said:

He's definitely had a bit of the sauce. 

Blame canada!!!!!   

[OptOut | 9,445]

Lol, well that derailed quickly! 

Go to bed Jeevy, you lush!

[Sumez | 3,296]

5 hours ago, Tanooki said:

Few people try and deconstruct that one and just get into the sheep bin of criticism without thinking about the earlier three as it perfectly follows suit, just in another time(decade) and place.

I'm sure you've seen this? That's a deconstruction if I ever saw one (just skip over the "comedy" bits)

Personally I enjoyed Crystal Skull well enough in the theater. I didn't think it was great, definitely not on the level of the classic Indy movies, and not even Temple of Doom either, but enjoyable.
The dynamic with Indy's son worked surprisingly well, and I think he did a good job as supporting actor. Other things worked a lot less well, and the overall plot completely lacked any kind of spark or attachment. Could have been a lot better, but it could have been a lot worse too.

Edited March 2, 2021 by Sumez

[JamesRobot | 6,448]

Great movie.  Always loved the monkey brains and mine cart/rollercoaster scenes as a kid.  And the villain is a clear inspiration for Mortal Kombat's Kano.  Kali Ma!

[arch_8ngel | 1,597]

20 hours ago, Reed Rothchild said:

9

I've always loved it and never particularly agreed with the criticisms.

You don't agree with criticism of Willie?

 

To me, Willie is pretty much the only thing that holds this movie back from being neck-and-neck with Raiders of the Lost Ark.

She is Temple of Doom's version of the awful jarring soundtrack in Ladyhawke.

[Reed Rothchild | 10,320]

Not really.  We didn't need a Karen Allen repeat.

[OptOut | 9,445]

22 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Not really.  We didn't need a Karen Allen repeat.

Oh man, she never shuts the fuck up tho! She's the human equivalent of like 16 constantly squealing piglets the whole way through the movie. Short Round was less annoying.

[arch_8ngel | 1,597]

38 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Not really.  We didn't need a Karen Allen repeat.

I'm not saying we needed a Karen Allen repeat.

But we didn't need Willie, either.  Even if you decide the movie is better with a "damsel" instead of a partner for Indy, you can have a "damsel" who doesn't spend more time screaming than speaking and doesn't exercise a pitch-range that makes your ears bleed.