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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Indiana Jones and the Temple Of Doom Fans

Discussion in 'Lucasfilm Ltd. In-Depth Discussion' started by Doom Trooper, Jan 22, 2018.

  1. Aximili86

    Aximili86 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2018
    Heh, that Lego thing's pretty bananas. Would have loved to have had that as a kid.
     
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  2. christophero30

    christophero30 Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    May 18, 2017
    kids today have the best toys. there were hardly any Indy toys back in the day
     
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  3. Luke'sSeveredHand

    Luke'sSeveredHand Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 21, 2014
    TOD is my favorite, followed by Last Crusade, and Raiders bringing up the rear. I only saw the other one in theaters once and do not like to acknowledge its existence (even though I'm sure folks love it and that's fine) lol
     
  4. DarthBane93

    DarthBane93 Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 11, 1999
    Just wanna drop a line and say I love TOD. 2nd best Indy after Raiders.
     
  5. Sith Lord 2015

    Sith Lord 2015 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 30, 2015
    TOD is best, yes, way ahead of even Raiders and Last Crusade, period. THIS is the very essence of what IJ always meant to me, this is what the series is about. No other entry even comes close. I don't mind the occasional silly moments or comic relief. They are in perfect contrast with the much darker tone of the movie. Humour, suspense, action, darkness, believable villains, fantastic sets and backdrops, stunning photography, Williams' fantastic soundtrack, acting are all in perfect balance here. I remember an ad from 1984 that said there is not a single boring minute in this movie, and 36 years later I can only agree. Just re-watched it today with my parents who are in their 70s and 80s and they both loved it. I think this movie has it all and is most definitely the top entry in the entire saga. It leaves Raiders in the dust by light years, sorry. It just tops everything from the first instalment. And neither Last Crusade nor Crystal Skull ever even came close. TOD will always be THE quintessential Indy movie to me, period. No other captures the Indy SPIRIT any better.:D=D=
    What maybe is more, the movie lifted my family and self from these dark gloomy days of the covid threat and quarantine we have been suffering through like few other movies could, being dark and uplifting at the same time. Temple of Doom simply deserves more positive recognition, not the hate it seems to be getting from both fans and the makers alike!!! This is a totally underrated masterpiece.
     
    Last edited: Mar 24, 2020
    christophero30, AndyLGR and oierem like this.
  6. Doom Trooper

    Doom Trooper Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Jan 1, 2014
    Been so long since I was last here. Hope everyone is well, especially during these scary and uncertain times with this pandemic going on. I've had a lot going on in my life as of late, thankfully mostly not bad. I hope the same for everyone else.

    TOD is still not just my favorite Indy film but one of my all-around favorite films ever. The backlash it still sometimes gets saddens me but it's awesome to see it has it's share of fans and defenders. It's totally it's own animal among the rest of the series and IMO in the best way possible. I can never imagine the series without it.

    I'd love for the next film to be more akin to it with a darker, creepier tone and storyline. Seeing as Spielberg is stepping down as director, I wonder if this could mean a more TOD-like installment? Spielberg has always been vocal about his disliking for it (which no doubt has played a big role in the hate) and he seems to be reluctant to even acknowledge it exists. No idea if James Mangold is a TOD fan, but I think the fifth and final film is in good hands under him. He directed the two best X-Men films with Logan and The Wolverine, and I trust he'll give Indy an excellent swansong. If he happens to be a TOD fan and might want Indy 5 to be akin to it that'd make it all the more awesome to me. We could still get a darker in tone Indy film under Disney, after how Rogue One for Star Wars was. Indy's final adventure IMO should be something dark, bold and intense, not something run of the mill that plays it safe and tries too hard to be nostalgic.
     
  7. Doom Trooper

    Doom Trooper Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Jan 1, 2014

    It's incredible how TOD is equally dark yet at the same time uplifting. I think because it's so dark and gets so intense at times, it makes it feel that much more rewarding and uplifting when Indy prevails against the villains and saves the day. For all of it's darkness and gloomy parts, it also has good humor that never detracts from the feelings of danger, and there's times you genuinely feel like Indy and co. may not make it out alive. Then the tide shifts and Indy against all odds wins. While I enjoy both Crusade and Skull, for me they just never replicated that sheer feeling of danger and peril the first two and especially TOD have. There's such a sense of foreboding to them, and it makes it that much more satisfying when Indy succeeds.
     
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  8. christophero30

    christophero30 Chosen One star 10

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    May 18, 2017
    I wouldn't go so far as to say TOD is ahead of Raiders, but it's second for me and one of my favorite films. It's Indy's nightmare and a classic fun film, although quite dark.
     
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  9. AEHoward33

    AEHoward33 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 11, 2019
    "The Temple of Doom" is probably my favorite Indiana Jones movie. I also regard "Raiders" as "dark" as the 1984 movie, but in its own way.
     
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  10. themoth

    themoth Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 5, 2015
    I have the first three films on near equal footing, and like them for their different facets. I’ve always been an Indy fan, but the fifth film getting a mention has stirred my fandom again.

    The mine cart chase and rope bridge sequence is one of the best finales of all time.
    The bug eating sequence is also memorable.
    The Palace itself is perfection in terms of mystery and evil.
    Indy being corrupted tugs at the heartstrings.
    Mola Ram is such a strong villain. Literally ripping out hearts.

    So much going for the movie.
     
  11. christophero30

    christophero30 Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    May 18, 2017
    @themoth I may have mentioned this before but if you swap Solo with TFA our SW rankings would be exactly the same.
     
    Last edited: Dec 26, 2020
  12. Lobot's Wig

    Lobot's Wig Jedi Knight star 4

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    Dec 13, 2020
    Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom sits on equal footing with Raiders of the Lost Ark for me. They are such very different movies, but the two that most go hand-in-hand with each other. Temple of Doom is just bat**** crazy though, in a good way.
     
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  13. antitoxicgamer

    antitoxicgamer Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Sep 9, 2020
    Did anyone of you get confused at the intro of this movie ? Anyone of you thought that you were watching the wrong movie ?

    The musical opening was kinda weird as an Indiana Jones 1 sequel.
     
  14. Lobot's Wig

    Lobot's Wig Jedi Knight star 4

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    Dec 13, 2020
    Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is much more of a comic book version of Indiana Jones than Raiders of the Lost Ark, which had a slightly more "serious" edge. The musical number, especially with the, now familiar, orange font titles appearing around Willie on stage really set the tone in that this is going to be a more cartoonish and outlandish adventure. I think it fits perfectly. I love that Willie stumbles when she tries to step back up onto the stage, it's goofy. [face_laugh]
     
    Last edited: Dec 27, 2020
  15. Doom Trooper

    Doom Trooper Jedi Master star 3

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    Jan 1, 2014
    The opening with the musical number sets the tone how the movie is equal parts intense but also funny. I also think the opening kind of "disarms" the audience in a way in the sense you're wondering if it's really an Indy film at first, and then later on when we get to Pankot it suddenly takes an unexpected turn into the dark and macabre.
     
    Last edited: Dec 27, 2020
  16. Lobot's Wig

    Lobot's Wig Jedi Knight star 4

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    Dec 13, 2020
    The opening in the nightclub was Spielberg scratching two of his itches. One of which was to direct a Busby Berkely style musical number, and the second in my opinion was his desire to direct a James Bond movie. The tuxedo, the tension and high stakes at the table etc - very reminiscent of a Bond sequence (Bond is poisoned at the casino table in Casino Royale for example)
     
  17. christophero30

    christophero30 Chosen One star 10

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    May 18, 2017
    I saw TOD in theaters, numerous times. I can remember several times, usually with people arriving late and then leaving the theater, thinking they were in the wrong theater.
     
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  18. Lobot's Wig

    Lobot's Wig Jedi Knight star 4

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    Dec 13, 2020
    It is such an appropriate song too, and pretty much gives away the type of movie you are about to see, where indeed "Anything goes" [face_laugh]
     
  19. StarYogi

    StarYogi Jedi Master star 2

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    Nov 18, 2005
    At first glance I thought your Lobot avatar was chef Gordon Ramsey[face_laugh]
     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2020
  20. themoth

    themoth Force Ghost star 5

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    Dec 5, 2015
    When I first saw TOD for the first time on VHS I was certain they put the wrong cassette in my case. I was just about to turn it off, before Harrison appeared on screen. True story.
     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2020
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  21. Doom Trooper

    Doom Trooper Jedi Master star 3

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    Jan 1, 2014
    I don't know if Spielberg or Lucas has ever said if they were fans of EC Horror comics from the 1950s, but TOD at times really has that asthetic and vibe for it. Dark and macabre, but at the same time also having plenty of humor and revelling in how out there the concept is. You look at the artwork of the 50s-era EC Horror comics and compare it with TOD, and TOD just fits right in with that style and aesthetic. TOD feels like the Indy movie that most embraces the pulpy roots of the character and goes all-out, which I feel is absolutely a strength of it.
     
  22. oierem

    oierem Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2009
    Exactly the same thing happened to me.
     
  23. Doom Trooper

    Doom Trooper Jedi Master star 3

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    Jan 1, 2014
    TOD was the first of the series I ever saw. Kind of funny how I saw it before the rest since it's a prequel set before Raiders, though I prefer to watch it after Raiders.
     
  24. Doom Trooper

    Doom Trooper Jedi Master star 3

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    Jan 1, 2014
    I probably posted about this before here, but the Slave Children's Crusade is such an amazing, epic piece of music that rates among the very best tracks John Williams has ever done (that's saying a lot considering his other epic, iconic scores). What a heroic, dynamic piece of music, and it's usage during the scene where Indy appears before punching the Thuggee guard... absolute cinematic magic.
     
  25. CosmoHender

    CosmoHender Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 2, 2016
    While Raiders of the Lost Ark is my favorite of the series, I absolutely love Temple of Doom as well and I will defend it until the day I die. It is actually the only Indiana Jones film to ever make me cry, since the scene at the end where the parents are reunited with their children is perhaps the scene in the franchise that gets me the most emotional. I really like how Temple of Doom tries to be different instead of just trying to do Raiders again and I think it has a lot of heart. I adore the relationship between Indy and Short Round, with another one of my favorite moments being when Short Round hugs Indy after they've rescued Willie from being sacrificed. Their dynamic really works for me, especially since I see a lot of myself in Short Round as someone who admires and wanted to be Indiana Jones. It also works as a prequel, since it shows a more selfish Indiana who is motivated by fortune and glory. He's even shown to be willing to use Willie, an innocent women, as a hostage in the beginning of the movie. This especially works because of Belloq tells Indiana that they are not so different in Raiders. We see this in Temple of Doom, where Indiana is Belloq. But thanks to the heart and humanity of the film, Indiana becomes a more selfless character who is motivated by a desire to rescue everyone before ultimately returning the stone to the village. It's an arc that I really quite enjoy. I even like Willie because she also goes through some character development and I like that the movie is how Steven Spielberg met his future wife Kate Capshaw. It seems like Steven Spielberg isn't too proud of Temple of Doom now, which I kinda get since he and Lucas were going through some hard times when they were making it, but I do think it's unfair to what Temple of Doom does right and I feel that is is very underappreciated.
     
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