Moments like the collapsing bridge, the mine cart ride, and the cave full of bugs are as thrilling or more so than anything in the first movie.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:58
Fresh:49
Rotten:9
Average Rating:7.2/10
Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Synopsis: Filmmaker Steven Spielberg returns as director for this rip-roaring prequel to 1981's smash hit RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Here dashing, whip-wielding archaeologist-adventurer Indiana Jones (Harrison... Filmmaker Steven Spielberg returns as director for this rip-roaring prequel to 1981's smash hit RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Here dashing, whip-wielding archaeologist-adventurer Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is joined by comely chanteuse Willie (Kate Capshaw) and a 12-year-old sidekick named Short Round (Ke Huy Quan). Together they search for a mystical stone stolen from an Indian community and stumble upon a dangerous Thuggee cult. Exotic locales, wild chases, death-defying cliffhangers, last-minute rescues, screaming damsels, and tribal sacrifices are the order of the day as the threesome attempt to acquire the stolen stone. A few scenes originally planned for RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK showed up in INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM--most notably the mine chase sequence, which was part of the 80 percent of TEMPLE OF DOOM shot on a soundstage. After the film's release, the MPAA's Classification & Ratings Board created a new rating--PG-13. Spielberg cast actress Kate Capshaw, who would later become his real-life wife, for the film. [More]
Starring: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan, Amrish Puri
Starring: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan, Amrish Puri, Roshan Seth, Philip Stone
Director: Steven Spielberg
Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenwriter: Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz
Story: George Lucas
Producer: Robert Watts
Composer: John Williams
Get This Movie
Reviews for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Part of the trouble is that anything clearly does go, including the slender hold on credibility that Raiders managed to maintain.
From our perspective it is still a very good piece of Hollywood entertainment, much superior to the more recent examples of same genre.
Yes, Temple of Doom still stinks -- save that spectacular opening Shanghai nightclub scene.
In retrospect, there's something hateful about this picture that's energizing. It's a f**ked Freudian funhouse of freakishly personal divorce anxiety.
It lacks the sense of detail that made Raiders such a treat. It isn't very clever, very funny or very compelling.
If it was a sign of the times for Indiana Jones to take on more of a comic-book aspect, the film's accomodation of darker themes and explicit imagery came as something of a shock to many.
Too shapeless to be the fun that Raiders is, but shape may be beside the point. Old- time, 15-part movie serials didn't have shape. The just went on and on and on, which is what Indiana Jones does with humor and technical invention.
Set years before the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is sillier, darkly violent and a bit dumbed down, but still great fun.
Seems to forgo characterization and plot development in favor of action sequences that don't necessarily feature as much exciting action as in its predecessor.
The kind of movie where your date is always grabbing your forearm in a viselike grip, as unbearable excitement unfolds on the screen. After the movie is over, you've had a great time but your arm is black-and-blue for a week.
...it's cathartic as hell, for Spielberg and for those of us who go for the ride. The mayhem is transporting, inspired, exultant...
The reality is that this is the film that comes closest to reflecting the racism, sexism and jingoism that fuelled most of the serials that originally sparked Spielberg and George Lucas's impressionable young imaginations.
Where the brilliant "Raiders" was an adventure film aimed at the child at heart, "Temple of Doom" is really designed for the kiddie market itself.
The film betrays no human impulse higher than that of a ten-year-old boy trying to gross out his baby sister by dangling a dead worm in her face.
It’s an extremely well-crafted, exciting, and, most importantly, brave work.
...makes you wonder if Spielberg and series producer George Lucas might have been going through some sort of drug phase.
Latest News for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
July 28, 2008:
Lucas Considers a Fifth Indiana Jones ![]()
George Lucas is bringing Clone Wars to a theater near you, getting down to work on the Tuskegee Airmen-inspired Red Tails, and -- oh yeah -- contemplating a fifth Indiana Jones... More...
May 21, 2008:
Indiana Jonesin': How Does the Latest Chapter Measure Up?
Everyone has their favorite Indiana Jones movie -- and their own thoughts on if Raiders of the Ark is better than Last Crusade. (Sorry, Temple of Doom -- there's no contest). ... More...
May 12, 2008:
RT on DVD: Indiana Jones Box Set, Narnia in Blu-ray, and a Porn Virus Epidemic?
Spaced, the UK cult hit series, is finally headed to the States this summer - but guess what's here now? A 3-disc Indiana Jones DVD collection and Narnia in Blu-ray! (Plus, we... More...
March 04, 2008:
Indiana Jones and the Special Edition DVDs
If you were one of the many Indiana Jones fans who purchased the four-DVD Adventures Of box when it was released in 2003, prepare to wish you hadn't. More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom at Rotten Tomatoes
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom at IGN
Fresh Links
Featured

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

AV Club looks at a beloved cult classic, Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness.

TIME offers us a closer look at the characters from the latest Twilight film.

Moviefone lists their choices for the least attractive men in Hollywood.
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic



