Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Summary

“Nice try, Lao Che!”

Paramount Pictures has recently released the entire collection of Indiana Jones films on the 4K UHD format. Aside from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, these films are widely considered to be some of the greatest adventure films ever made. I have been working my way through the box set with my oldest son Holden and this week we watched Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Until the release of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, this was always considered the most divisive of the Indiana Jones pictures. Everyone I know can basically agree that both Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade are exceptional, but I have encountered frequently people that just can’t seem to warm to Temple of Doom. Let me tell you right now – I actually love Temple of Doom.

In fact, when I was in my early years of college, a few friends and I used to toast each other to Temple of Doom when we had drinks. The film had always seemed almost criminally underrated. There are so many unforgettable characters and sequences in the film, that I never understood exactly where the disconnect was. Rewatching the film, I kept that in mind, and I think I have narrowed the reasons why it was so divisive to two elements: Kate Capshaw and more adult themes. The parents who had seen the first film probably did not expect the second film to have a sequence where Indiana Jones and Wilhelmina debate sleeping together, and they definitely did not expect to view a sequence where an evil priest rips out a beating heart from a young slave. The violence in Temple of Doom was one of the major reasons that the MPAA was forced to create the PG-13 rating on the advice of Steven Spielberg. (The other major film that caused waves at the same time was Gremlins, with its infamous microwave scene.) Aside from the more adult moments, Kate Capshaw’s casting (and her character) have come into question by fans of the first film. The character is certainly annoying, and the performance is over the top, but it never destroyed the overall film viewing experience for me. Rewatching the film with my oldest son, he seemed to be enjoying the film with the same wide eyed enjoyment that I had for the film at his age.

Shanghai, 1935 – in a nightclub, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) has rough dealings with gangster Lao Che (Roy Chiao.) Indy has come there to trade the cremated remains of an ancient emperor for a large diamond in Lao’s possession. In order to avoid being killed during the trade, Indiana grabs a nightclub singer named Wilhelmina or “Willie”(Kate Capshaw) that Che is fond of. The deal seemingly completed, Indy takes a drink of his martini. The martini is poisoned and Lao offers him the antidote for the diamond. Mayhem breaks out and Indiana escapes with the nightclub singer and the antidote with the help of a small Chinese boy nicknamed Short Round (Ke Huy Quan.) They escape to a plane that is waiting for them, not realizing it is run by Lao Che Air Freight. In the skies over India, their pilots dessert the plane. Narrowly avoiding their demise, Indiana, Short Round, and Wilhelmina (through a series of VERY unlikely events) find themselves in a village which has recently lost a mystical stone that had brought them luck. Without the stone, their village well has run dry, crops have burnt, and their children have been stolen by the evil Thuggee priest Mola Ram (Amrish Puri.) They embark on an adventure revolving around locating the mystical stone and the village’s missing children.

Revisiting Temple of Doom with my son was a great experience. I enjoyed watching my son’s eyes light up the same way in which mine had years earlier. The script for Temple of Doom is goofier and much more over the top than Raiders, but I still can’t help but love the film. While I can understand why some people were disappointed at the time of its release, time heals all wounds. How can you dislike a film with a scene as wonderful as the bug and monkey brain dinner sequence? The film, through repeated television plays throughout our youths, has cemented itself as a classic adventure film that could only have been made during Spielberg’s prime. It’s an ambitious film that moves from one extravagant setpiece to the next without any points in which the pace really slows down. The goal of the film is certainly not realism, but instead to achieve a form of spectacle. In that regard the film absolutely succeeds.

Spielberg, with the full backing of Paramount, shot sequences of the film in Kandy, Sri Lanka when the Indian government found the script too offensive. The island of Macau was used to substitute for Shanghai. Some pickup shots were filmed in parks in America, but the rest of the film was shot on huge sound stages in Elstree Studios in England. The production design of the film still ranks as one of the more impressive productions from Spielberg – which is saying a lot. The film has some of the best matte painting effects from that time. The film was made for $28.17 million dollars and was a massive success, grossing over $330 million dollars. At the time of its release it was one of the top ten grossing films of all time. 

Harrison Ford is great in the film – equaling his fantastic performance in the first film. Ke Huy Quan is incredibly memorable as Short Round, even if there are moments where his physicality doesn’t quite convince. Kate Capshaw does the best that she can do in the role, but Willie is certainly the least appealing character in the film. I don’t dislike her performance, but the character itself is pretty abrasive. Amrish Puri is fantastic as the evil Mola Ram. Spielberg does an excellent job of directing the actors, and the cinematography by Douglas Slocombe is wonderful. The score by John Williams rivals his work on the first film. It’s great. There is not a single technical thing wrong with the film in my eyes, aside from possibly the sequence involving the plane crash and slide down the mountain on a raft. That sequence is pretty ridiculous anyway, but the green screen effect on that scene has not aged particularly well.

As I mentioned, the greatest issue of the film is caused by how over the top the film swings for the fences, but it is also one of the defining attributes of the film that has led to its cult following. I am firmly of the opinion that Temple of Doom is great, and I am happy to report my son thinks the same. It remains one of my favorite adventure films ever made.

Video

The new 4K HEVC/H.265 transfer from Paramount Pictures is a vast improvement over the prior Blu-ray release. Temple of Doom is a visually stunning film, and the 4K UHD does so much to help reveal subtle details of the production design that would never have been possible to take in without the higher resolution. Fine detail is significantly improved from prior releases. This is the best the film has ever looked. This is the most colorful of the Indiana Jones films from the original trilogy, and the red glow of the lair of Mola Ram has never looked more impressive. My hat is off to Paramount for their work on this project.

Audio

Paramount Pictures have updated the DTS-HD MA 5.1 track for this release to a new Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track. Unlike the Raiders track which lacked a little oomph, Temple of Doom roars to life on the UHD format. Temple of Doom was only the second film to utilize the THX format, and that format has aged incredibly well.  Clarity is excellent and the track is very immersive with strong surround and LFE channels. It’s a perfect representation of the sound design for the film.

Supplements:

The supplements featured aside from two trailers are only found on the bonus Blu-Ray disc included in the set. This is the same special features disc that was included in the original Blu-ray set. That said, the amount of special features on that disc is quite extensive. I have listed the full list of features on that disc below.

• On Set with Raiders of the Lost Ark
  • From Jungle to Desert
  • From Adventure to Legend
• Making the Films:
  • The Making of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
  • The Making of Raiders of the Lost Ark
  • The Making of The Temple of Doom
  • The Making of The Last Crusade
  • The Making of The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
• Behind the Scenes:
  • The Stunts of Indiana Jones
  • The Sound of Indiana Jones
  • The Music of Indiana Jones
  • The Light and Magic of Indiana Jones
  • Raiders: The Melting Face!
  • Indiana Jones and the Creepy Crawlies
  • Travel with Indiana Jones: Locations
  • Indy’s Women: The American Film Institute Tribute
  • Indy’s Friends and Enemies
  • Iconic Props
  • The Effects of Indy
  • Adventures in Post Production

Overall Scores: 

Video – 5/5

Audio – 5/5

Supplements – 4/5

Overall – 5/5

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was one of the more divisive entries in the series when it was first released, but it has gained stature over the years and has a devoted following. It’s a darker film than Raiders, and it is also a little bit less serious than that film. I personally love it. Despite having been released thirty seven years ago, the film still feels completely fresh and unlike anything that has been released since. My son enjoyed watching the film with me with the same wonderment in his eyes that I had when I first saw the film about twenty eight years ago. The 4K UHD Blu-ray is a huge leap in quality from the Blu-ray. The sound on this release is more robust than the Raiders release, and delivers an excellent surround experience. For fans of the film, this is the release you have always wanted. It receives my highest recommendation.