Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

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  thismoviestinks

  3 / 10

  This is a frustrating film. Spielberg has left me baffled by poor second efforts before--The Lost World, mainly--and I still can't figure out where his mind goes when conceiving a follow-up. Temple of Doom is so far removed from what made Raiders enjoyable that it has to have been an intentional stylistic shift. I don't understand why he would take this approach.
  
  Temple of Doom positively reeks of George Lucas. While the first film was clearly inspired by Star Wars, this one feels like Return of the Jedi in India; just swap speeder bikes for train carts and Ewoks for child slaves. I know Lucas and Spielberg were friends and collaborators, but there's too much crosspollenization here, it feels played out and lazy.
  
  Spielberg is all over the place with the tone of this film, it strikes me now that perhaps the opening performance of "Anything Goes" was actually a warning to the viewer. Elaborate dance numbers, human sacrifice, Short Round, blood drinking, animal comedy, and child slavery do not mix. It's the mass appeal cheese of Lucas bumping up against Spielberg's dark, artistic vision, and the combination is abrasive.
  
  I did my best to enjoy the spectacle of this film; the sets, costumes, and stunts are all top tier. I can't say that there's much else to recommend though. Kate Capshaw is a fouler cinema irritant than Jar Jar Binks; her endless shrieking and carrying on makes sections of this film borderline unwatchable. The story is weak, the gross out insect gags are way overdone, and the film is populated by dull, hackneyed characters.
  
  Temple of Doom is on my list of least successful mainstream sequels. Be good to yourself and skip to Last Crusade. This movie stinks.

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