INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM. Still excellent

After the massive success of Raiders of the Lost Ark, there was no doubt that another installment of Indy’s adventures would follow—especially since the original deal involved making five films. George Lucas, who was responsible for shaping the overall storyline, didn’t want to pit Indiana Jones against the Nazis again. Instead, he decided that the events of the second film would take place a year before the original, making it a prequel.

In keeping with the filmmakers’ philosophy of throwing the audience straight into the action, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom opens with a ten-minute prologue set in Shanghai. This sequence, mostly unrelated to the main plot, serves as the climax of an unseen earlier adventure—a storytelling device famously used in James Bond films. The characters then travel to India, where most of the action unfolds. The story takes place primarily in the Pankot Palace and its surroundings, making this installment feel more contained compared to the globetrotting Raiders, in which Indy explored much of the world.

Spielberg and Lucas opted for a darker tone this time, with noticeably more violence than in the previous film (the original working title was even Indiana Jones and the Temple of Death). This creative shift mirrored their personal lives at the time, as both were going through difficult breakups—something that seeped into the mood of the screenplay. That said, the genre didn’t fundamentally change—it’s still a classic adventure film, paying homage to 1930s and 1940s serials.

Temple of Doom also had a lasting impact on the film industry. Along with Joe Dante’s Gremlins (which Spielberg produced), it was directly responsible for the creation of the PG-13 rating. To this day, many of the most popular blockbusters carry that label.

Indy is joined by a teenage orphan named Short Round (played by recent Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan) and Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw, who would become Mrs. Spielberg in 1991), a nightclub singer and accidental adventurer. For the film’s opening scene, Capshaw learned to sing “Anything Goes” in Cantonese. Naturally, Marion Ravenwood does not return, fitting with Lucas’s vision of Indiana as a playboy archaeologist who has a different romantic interest in each film. Willie’s character was written as the polar opposite of the strong, spunky Marion—a high-maintenance, dramatic diva more suited to upscale clubs than snake-infested jungles.

The villains this time are members of a cult that worships the goddess Kali, led by the sinister priest Mola Ram (played by Amrish Puri, one of India’s biggest stars at the time).

Temple of Doom is packed with memorable set pieces—the nightclub brawl at Club Obi Wan, the creepy tunnel crawl, the mine cart chase, and the final showdown on a rope bridge. Still, it features a few controversial moments, whether due to questionable realism (like parachuting from a plane using an inflatable raft) or the stereotypical portrayal of Indian culture (like the infamous dinner scene at Pankot Palace). Additionally, the film’s pacing sags a bit in the middle, though it’s redeemed by a thrilling, high-octane final forty minutes. On that front, the other entries in the franchise arguably fare better.

The second film was a huge box office hit, though it’s now regarded more coolly than Raiders. Even so, it remains a top-tier adventure movie—full of fights, chases, clever sequences, and charming characters. And it’s the film that inspired one of the series’ most iconic taglines:
“If adventure has a name, it must be Indiana Jones.”