VERSUS THE SCARECROW EPISODE SEVEN: SPECIAL EDITION: Nick and the Last Crusade of Raiders of the Lost Temple of Doom? I decided to challenge myself and really open the doors of my film knowledge and take on “The Scarecrow Video Movie Guide”. It’s 808 pages of movies and movie reviews from some of the most knowledgeable movie people you don’t know. It’s a book put together by a staff that praises, and destroys, some of our favorites and not so favorites. You can read the rest of my series here.
Just a quick refresher: each episode, I’m going to tackle three films from three different categories. Two films will be films I’ve never seen before and one will be one I’ve seen before or own. For the new films, well, new to me, I’m going to review them like a typical FTS review using the TOAST Rating system. But, for the films I’ve seen, I’m going give a quick paragraph or two about why I like or don’t like the film. We’ll try to include the poster and trailer for each film. “….and here. We. Go!”
In this episode we’re going to bend the rules a little bit. On September 15th AMC Theaters screened a marathon of all four Indiana Jones Films. I thought this was a tremendous opportunity because I had never seen these films before and what better way to experience them for the first time than on the big screen! Because the Scarecrow Movie Guide was published in 2004, it does not cover Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which I’m okay with. But weirdly enough, the book only covers The Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade films of the Indiana Jones Franchise. So I’m going to bend the rules a bit by reviewing The Temple of Doom, The Last Crusade, and I’ll reflect on Raiders of the Lost Ark as well as the marathon experience as a whole.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) Directed by Steven Spielberg. Starring: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw and Jonathan Ke Quan. IMDB says: “After arriving in India, Indiana Jones is asked by a desperate village to find a mystical stone. He agrees, and stumbles upon a secret cult plotting a terrible plan in the catacombs of an ancient palace.”
This “prequel” to Raiders of the Lost Ark begins with a very different feeling from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Not only does it open with a big musical number, but it takes on a different mood when Willie Scott (Kate Capsha, aka Mrs. Steven Spielberg) tags along to Indy’s escape from the Chinese club and when we’re introduced to Short-Round. This combination of characters turn the movie into a B-Movie buddy cop romp that lessen the expectations set by Raiders. All of that changes when Indy’s true adventure begins.
When Indiana Jones escapes with Willie and Short-Round on a plane from the club, it’s sabotaged and they crash somewhere in the Himalayas. They come across a desolate village where the children are missing and the lands are dying because a mystical stone is nowhere to be found. Indy becomes interested and they head to a palace where the Maharaja lives. Maybe he has the answers? No, but through Willie’s annoyance, Indy finds a secret passage that leads them to a very dark place. The film takes a dark turn in Temple of Doom based on the content alone. Children are slaves and are beaten when they don’t work hard enough. Mola Ram (a fantastic performance by Amrish Puri) is ripping hearts out of chests and plunging people to their death in a lake of fire. Indy must stop Mola Ram, save the children, and return the stone to the village; can he do it? SPOILER ALERT: you know he does because there are two other movies.
The film’s tone changes throughout the movie and it’s that uneven pace, to me, that makes the film seem weak when compared to Raiders and Last Crusade. Granted, it takes place before the events of Raiders, so the villain it introduces won’t be a big a name as Hitler or the Nazis, but, aside from the theatrics, the film never explains why Mola Ram is bad or how he came to power, etc. There is no depth or backstory to really comprehend how powerful or deadly this guy can be. Mola, at times, comes across as nothing more than a Shaman drunk with power when it looks and feels like he was destined for much more. Despite the character’s misgivings, Amrish Puri still gives a fantastic performance. There is a scene when Willie is locked into the contraption that will drop her into a lake of fire. The camera is positioned over her shoulder and we see Mola Ram slowly walk up the steps and approach her. There is a look in his eyes of pure evil and pure madness that completely elevated the scene.
Harrison Ford is great as he reprises his role, but the chemistry between his character and Willie Scott (a VERY annoying and helpless Kate Capshaw) just isn’t there. Short-Round, when he isn’t Jar-Jar Binks-ing up the place, is the perfect companion for Indy, giving a back and forth that adds to the film, rather than take away. What’s interesting to me is how there is no mention of Short-Round or there friendship before or after this film. You’d think such a young kid making an impact on Indy’s life would be more meaningful, but I guess the character was chalked up as “comedic relief” for a film with such a dark tone.
There are other moments that add a goofy slapstick element to the film that I didn’t enjoy. I can understand the need to have it so the film isn’t as dark and bleak, but it takes away from the dramatic tone the film tries to establish. The special effects in the film, while they might seem dated now, work really well. They’re practical and they feel believable. You’re creeped out when they pull the moving skeletal remains out of the fire. You’re stunned when Mola rips out someone’s heart. It all works and it works well. Overall the story is enjoyable and the sets and locations are really good; nothing comes across as hokey. The score is your standard John Williams score, but with all it’s Indiana Jones flair, it gets you excited from beginning to start. I’m sure the film on it’s on stands strong, but when viewed in succession with the other Indiana Jones films, it’s not the strongest, but it’s still enjoyable.
Check back tomorrow for my review of The Last CrusadeRaiders of the Lost Ark . And if you’re interested in more, you can find the rest of the Versus The Scarecrow series here.