Indiana Jones and the Temple Of Doom Fans

To me TOD seems more outdated than racist. But agreed it's an incredible thrill ride. I like Willie, but for some she's a deal breaker and I get it. To be fair part of the joke is she is a spoiled actress thrown out of her element, but she is punching out bad guys by the end. She's no marion; but that is a high bar. And I love Short Round and Mola Ram.

 

Agreed.
Even though ToD is not my favorite, those statements ring true to me. ToD was really sensational on home video especially.
Tbh, I most liked ToD when I was a kid because of the shock value of the dinner scene, the insects, the sacrifice and the beating heart etc...
ToD only slipped in my rankings as I revisited all the films over the years and Raiders became the clear winner.

 

I agree. DOD wasn't without flaws but it felt like a natural progression and went beyond just merely trying to be nostalgic for Raiders again. I also absolutely loved how TOD was acknowledged and treated with respect, which made me smile in the theater.

 

It used to be my favorite as a kid. I considered the chase through the mines to be cinemas greatest action scene and I had nightmares about my heart being stolen. With age my taste refined and Last Crusade took it‘s rightful place.

 

I’m the opposite, Last Crusade was my favorite as a kid but as I got older Temple of Doom just stands out as the best.

 

With Halloween coming up, I'm reminded how TOD is the closest the Indy series ever got to full-blown Horror. The other films have Horror-y moments in them (particularly the snake tomb and melting faces in Raiders, and Donovan getting the Crypt Keeper treatment in TLC), but TOD really goes for an all-out Horror tone the other films don't have. Tonally it very much has the feel of the vintage 1950s EC comics like Tales From The Crypt, The Vault Of Horror, etc. which Spielberg and Lucas no doubt grew up being fans of and were heavily influenced by. I bet TOD intentionally paid homage to those comics, with the mix of colorful visuals with the horrific proceedings and how the tone mixes Horror with fun. The film itself very much feels like a precursor to the 1999 Mummy film which itself was very heavily influenced by the Indy series.

And funny enough, Short Round himself was even in an episode of the Tales From The Crypt HBO show (Undertaking Palor).

 

Not sure if anyone has heard of it, but theres a podcast called The Ford Fiesta. Which is basically 2 guys revisiting and discussing every Harrison Ford movie in chronological order. I think they're up to Mosquito Coast now. But I was listening to their TOD episode this morning and it really reminded again me of how special this film is, how different it is and what a time to be alive it was back in 1984 when Harrison Ford was in great films year upon year. They also made some great points that this movie has so many quotable moments and that the mine car chase is something we'd never seen before or since. You kind of take these things for granted now, but listening to it has made me want to watch it again.

 

I still feel of all the Indy films it's the most "Indy" of them if that makes sense.

 

Does Indy do any "Professor Indy" style lecturing in this one? I mean, there's a few moments in all the movies, either with the fedora or not, that he dips into his lecture mode. I guess the closest we get here is when he learns about the shakra stones.

 

I think what I like about this is that its not the same structure or formula as Raiders and TLC. In many ways it reminds me of Empire in being a sequel that does something different. Plenty of sequels through the history of cinema try to replicate the magic of the original, but they do something different here and for good or bad thats what sets it apart.

 

I'm not hugely well-versed in expanded Indy lore, but given that Temple of Doom is a prequel, is he even teaching at this point? I know they say he is in videogames (specifically, The Emperor's Tomb) but perhaps the intent at time of writing / filming was different.

 

I agree about TOD being fresh and different. No one expected the sequel to go this dark. I really like Last Crusade and Connery in it, but it did feel very safe after TOD. Luckily it's a lot of fun.

 

Hard to believe TOD turns 40 this year. Sure would be nice if it got a theatrical re-release. I've seen it countless times on VHS, DVD and Blu-ray, but the theatrical experience is always so one of a kind and gives a special dimension films only really have when viewed in a proper theatrical setting.

 

I remember being exhausted after seeing it in the theater. I was excited, scared, and thoroughly entertained.

 

It's the kind of movie that's the reason you go to theaters in the first place.

 

They did re-release the entire original trilogy in theatres in the UK for either the 25th or 30th anniversary of Raiders, (I forget which). So you never know, they could put TOD back out again for its 40th.

 

Seeing people walk out of the theater during Anything Goes was priceless. People would come in look at each other, and exit the theater thinking they were in the wrong movie.

 

The memories of that meal will last a lifetime.

 

I actually sing along to that. Or try to, when I watch the movie.

 

It's a great Cole Porter song.

 

I'm glad its not just me then.

 

It doesn't hurt that Kate Capshaw is very easy on the eyes.

 

Nipped around my mum and dads over the weekend and before I left she told me that she'd found an old book in a cupboard. Turns out it was my 1984 hardback Marvel adaptation of Temple of Doom. Complete with 11 year old me writing my name, address and phone number on the inside front page. Totally forgot about this, so it was really cool to get it back. What I found interesting is that certain things were cut from this that were in the film, for example some of the dinner scene, the bodies coming out of the wall in the tunnels. It was also interesting to note that it was almost like the illustrator had never seen the film because a lot of the scenery he'd drawn looked different than it ends up in the movie. Very pleased to revisit a part of my childhood with this.

 

Heads up UK Indiana Jones fans. Vue cinemas are showing the original trilogy beginning the weekend of March 1st with them being shown on consecutive weekends. My assumption is it’s for the TOD 40th anniversary?

 

Perhaps. It'd be awesome for there to be re-release screenings for the anniversary.