Movie of the Week – Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

This week’s movie is Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984).

The film is the second in the Indiana Jones series and finds Indy in India on a mission to track down a missing holy stone for a small village that has fallen on very hard times since the stone was stolen. Director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas team up again for the film, and it features a fabulous score from John Williams (as do all the films in the series), wonderful cinematography from Douglas Slocombe and great production design from Elliot Scott. Like all the films, it stars Harrison Ford, and this installment features supporting work from Kate Capshaw (who then became Mrs. Spielberg), Jonathan Ke Quan, and Amrish Puri. Look out for Dan Aykroyd’s cameo as well. While not considered quite as good as Raiders of the Lost Ark or Last Crusade, Temple of Doom is still a very fun and entertaining adventure film. The opening sequence in Shanghai is great and Ford’s charisma carries the film. Plus, Short Round, the action and the jokes make up for the otherwise complete annoyance of Willie Scott. Fans of the series no doubt already love this film, and if you have not seen the first three films in the series – get on that and watch them. Check out the trailer.

Available on DVD and to Rent