Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

I took Raiders of the Lost Ark quite lukewarmly, but The Temple of Doom managed to win me over to the Indiana Jones adventures a lot more. I praise the casting of Ke Huy Quan (who at the time certainly had no idea that he would win an Oscar less than forty years later) and the overall atmosphere of the film, whose plot revolves around audience-friendly occultism and has a truly eerie feel in places. Some of the scenes were laughable, but they didn't hit me as hard as the first one. I have a fairly neutral attitude towards the much-maligned Kate Capshaw and her character Willie, though her sobbing jungle scene tickled my diaphragm beyond measure. A fair four stars! (01/07/2023)

I don't like this part that much, mainly because Kate Capshaw is a really irritating element that is hard to bear. Karen Allen doesn't have the same effect at all. However, it must be said that the horror atmosphere is sometimes unbelievable, and what Spielberg allows in terms of gore is just great. But the story is too stretched out for me, because it doesn't have much to tell. The action, however, is excellent. (28/03/2015)

I feel like Spielberg let himself be seduced by the gloss and forgot that Indy's magic is equally part of the action and the story. There is plenty of the first in The Temple of Doom (perhaps even a surplus), but the second is a great weakness. The whole thing is built too straightforwardly, without real gradation and any noticeable shift. The environment has a rather dull and backdrop impression, so everything must be saved by the divine Harrison and his boyish charisma. Another problem for me is the screaming beauty Kate Capshaw, who, though I don't hit women, I would like to slap. Her role is what it is, it’s acted great, but it doesn't work for me. And one more negative point for that little kid, who is typically an infantile smirk at the child viewers. Yet at least the feast scene and a few other sequences make Jones' second adventure unforgettable. (18/04/2004)

Of all of the Indian Jones movies, I like The Temple of Doom the least. Hard to say if it’s the change of environment, the absence of Nazis or just a worse story. It’s still way above average in the adventure movie segment. Excellent funny scenes (dinner at the palace) are alternated by impressive action sequences, dominated by the chase in the mine wagons. If I think about it, more like 4.5 than 4*, but I think that Indy will forgive me this once :-). (03/12/2006)

When I recently watched this Indy adventure again after a long time, I felt it was even better than in my enthusiastic teenage years. The story may not be as cool as Raiders of the Lost Ark or The Last Crusade, but in its individual parts Spielberg proves his storytelling greatness and is brimming with ideas that elevate this instalment to the honourable level of the two other entries in the trilogy. The low-key communicativeness towards the viewer, who is cunningly warned of the approaching action, the twists of seemingly insignificant plots, the playful work with lighting or multi-genre references, the likeable humour and the thrilling action of the last half hour make this one of the purest and funniest adventure films ever made in Hollywood… (31/01/2012)