Indiana Jones 2: The Temple of Doom Review

Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom is one of the best movies ever made. It has cunning realism, an unbelievable plot, and some of the most memorable scenes in any movies. The introduction scene of the movie where they are in the nightclub in China in the 1930s is a true work of art. Except the too-long showgirls' dancing scene that Spielberg put at the very beginning of the movie. It was so long; a 5 minute stage dance from these professional glitter nightclub dancers before anything actually happened in the movie while the credits were rolling out. Still, there was something authentic about this. We kept watching and couldn't look away. There was something authentic about all of Spielberg's films in fact. Temple of Doom went on to have a chase scene in the streets of Shanghai where Indy is running away from some Chinese gangsters in a car driven by a kid. They barely escape, and go on to have an adventure searching for the lost Shankara Stones, which were rumored to have magical power. The Chinese kid serves as Indiana's sidekick in this, which was an excellent combination. The little kid's poor english and quick-wielding attitude would clash with Indiana's wisdom and well-educated approach. He is always by Indy's side, and never scared. Indy has a girl in this movie- the main dancer from the nightclub.

They go on to travel across India, where most the movie takes place. They have a fantastic scene on a bridge. The bridge is made of rope and wood, and they have a clash with the shamanic army of the force Indiana is trying to fight with, which ends up in a gigantic swing across a canyon river valley. This movie has practically every-thing. From the airplane scenes (like all Indiana Jones), to the jungle scenes, to the unbelievable stunts, to the exotic animals. And the local folklore, which would educate us on local customs of people in far away lands. It was the total package, a fun thrillride.

You could watch this movie again and again. However some of the parts are sort of difficult to watch, and make us turn away from Indiana Jones 2. Like the scorpions and spiders which are shown in the backwall cave where they have to get across. It is so jarring and difficult to watch. There are so many insect scenes in this movie. They are so gross. Like the snake scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark. The heart-ripping out scene of this movie is also a little intense. It's probably one of the most gory scenes in any mainstream movie ever! They guy digs into this guy's chest and rips his heart out for god's sake. All on camera. The guy goes into the bottom of a fiery chamber, and gets burned into nothing. Is this a movie? I can't believe that they actually showed that. And with such realism no less. It is glorious to us guys, but the girls watching this film are completely grossed out. Then there is the monkey brain eating scene. The untraditional Indian dinner at the palace that Indy and the crew partake in. It shows all the gory details. The head being lifted off and the brain exposed. They really made it seem real. We are turned away, at the same time, we wanted to see that, because we've never seen that before. It was so realistic. The plot of Indiana Jones 2 carries wonderfully well, with great actors, dynamic dialogue, good action scenes, and detailed costumes and settings.

Some of those scenes we can just go back to again and again and are embedded as movie folklore: like the guy shooting the tommy gun and laughing at Indy in the nightclub at the beginning of the movie. And the car chase scene where the kid is using wood blocks to drive the taxi. All the settings and costumes make Indiana Jones an unbelievable movie. The scene where the raft flies out of the plane is so totally unrealistic at the same time is so amazing to watch. Spielberg pulls it off to make us believe that this stuff could actually happen. All in all it's realistic, enthralling, and epic. Indiana Jones 2, it's a fast-paced thrill ride!