| |
Temple of Doom is the best of the Indy Films
Scott Manning
January 20, 2002
|
 
Director: Steven Spielberg
Release Date: 1984
See it on Amazon
 Studies have shown that people have a certain order to their favorite Indiana Jones movies. They typically rank:
1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. The Last Crusade
3. Temple of Doom Or possibly:
1. The Last Crusade
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark
3. Temple of Doom No matter which one people like best, they usually agree that Temple of Doom is the 'worst' of the trilogy.
I, on the other hand, have come to the realization that Temple of Doom is not only the best of the Indy movies, but it is the best action movie of all time as well. In order to help people get over their misconceptions about this movie, I have compiled a list of things to think over next time you watch Temple of Doom:
1. Temple of Doom is the only movie that has Indy completely on the run.
In the other two movies, Indy is on a quest. Although he may be chased for several scenes, ultimately, he knew what he was getting into. He was prepared. In Temple of Doom, Indy isn't on a series of leisurely mexico holidays or a jamaica vacation, he is running from people trying to kill him in China. In the chaos of his flight, he ends up in India. Still wanting to get away, he decides to help a starving village retrieve a sacred stone that had been stolen. Even though this eventually turns into a quest, it was not by choice but rather by circumstance that Indy ends up in this situation.
This movie shows how Indy reacts to the unpredictable. You can truly see how great a man is when he is thrown into a situation as opposed to when he goes in willingly. This shows us a more determined Indy.
2. Indy is not selfish - he's just trying to survive.
As opposed to trying to raid a tomb, Indy is trying to survive. He in turn helps others survive. This shows the non-selfish side of Indy that we completely miss in the other movies. Indy's entire quest is not for riches, credit, or the museum; but instead it is for a starving village. He rescues hundreds of children from slavery when he could have ran away and saved himself.
3. Indy does not sleep with the lame girl in this movie.
The lamest part about Temple of Doom is the annoying girl that is with him the entire journey. The redeeming part is that Indy does not sleep with her as is his style in the other two movies.
4. Hands down, best climax.
What does Indy do when all hope is lost? Simple: he goes kamikaze. Stuck on a bridge hundreds of feet above a rushing river full of alligators and surrounded by evil men with swords Indiana Jones attempts to kill everyone. He would rather everyone die than surrender. Again, this shows us a side of Indy we do not see in the other movies: The "If I go down, we all go down" Indy.
These are just a few things to consider the next time you see Temple of Doom. I haven't even gotten into obvious things like the kid sidekick, the uniqueness of the plot, the lack of Nazis, or how this movie went on to be the inspiration of dozens of other great adventure movies.
Remember, just because it's the middle child and doesn't have Sean Connery in it, doesn't mean Temple of Doom should be neglected. In fact, as proven here, it should be your favorite.
Related Links:
What's your favorite Indy film?
January 31st, 2002
A fellow Temple of Doom fan had this to say after reading this article:
"The fact is Scott that the reason TOD will always be least favorite to a lot of fans is that so many of them prefer the Euro-centric, Christian-centric plots/artifacts etc. Why? I don't know."
|
|
