Plot: Set about a year before the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones ends up in a Himalayas with his 11-year old sidekick, Short Round and nightclub singer Willie after escaping from a crime boss in Shanghai. They come across a poor village where the villagers believe that they were sent by the Hindu god Shiva and ask them to retrieve the sacred Sivalinga stone stolen from their shrine as well as their children. So Indiana and his companions go to Pankot Palace to try to find whoever is behind the stolen stone and children.
Now this movie has a sort of mixed reception. Some people like it, but others think it's way to dark with its violence and rather intense scenes. So much so that while it's declared a good movie, it's somewhat known as the weakest of the first three films. For me, this was actually the first Indiana Jones film I ever saw from beginning to end. And for what they gave me for the first movie I ever watched, I actually really like this movie... true, I understand some of the problems it has now that I'm older, but I still think it's a very good movie. As cheery and fun as the other films are, I enjoy Temple of Doom, because of how the dark and intense moments and all around story make for a very thrilling and epic film in my opinion. The antagonists where intimidating, making the danger more dramatic, the fights where more suspenseful (in their own way) and yet it would still manage to have a few fun moments here and there that keeps the all around spirit of Indiana Jones. Granted, I do understand how, again, the dark moments appear to go way too far to some people, with the mere concept of things like sacrificing people and especially kidnapping the children. But to me, that just makes it a more compelling story and leads to a very satisfying climax. I liked Short Round as a companion - I can see why some people might find him annoying, but he's was still a fun character who would be very helpful to Indiana. By the way, where is the actor for Short Round? After this film and Goonies he's barely been in anything anymore. I felt this way as a kid, and I'll say it now: what the heck? But the even bigger problem people have that I won't really defend is the character, Willie. Pretty much everyone hates what a clumsy, whiny, damsel-in-distress Willie is. Granted, what she does in the film does make sense: she is completely out of her environment. She's a nightclub singer in Shanghai and yet she's in this jungle full of all these things that are very foreign to her and it's perfectly understandable how she generally reacts to it. But what kills it for us liking her at all is how she generally does not stop whining and screaming. Sure she might do something helpful on occasion, but in the long run, even Indiana specifically says "The trouble with that woman is all the noise."
And that's my review for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. If you're not a fan of how dark and intense this movie is on top of how annoying Willie is, I can't say I don't understand why. I do. But for what the film has with all that aside, I personally see it and a very thrilling, epic adventure in the Indiana Jones films. It's not the greatest, but I enjoy it.
Rating: 85%
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