OPEN THREAD: Where Do You Stand On INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM?
Mine has always been an Indiana Jones household.
While the rest of the kids my age were futzing around with Star Wars action figures and pretending vacuum cleaner attachments were lightsabers, I was petitioning my parents for a fedora and a whip. Whereas most of my peers longed to visit the Mos Eisley cantina, I daydreamed about robbing crypts (I mean, er, exploring important archaeological sites) with Dr. Henry Jones Jr. They wanted to face down Darth Vader and the Emperor. I wanted to punch Nazis, with that same satisfying "SMACK!" sound effect that accompanies any haymaker thrown by Indiana Jones. My love for the character, the franchise - and, indeed, Harrison Ford - runs very deep.
Today marks the 35th anniversary of Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom, the most controversial Indiana Jones sequel that doesn't involve a crystal skull. The film's aged poorly thanks to some, shall we say, less than progressive attitudes and its inarguably dark content (a man has his heart ripped out, children are whipped, Indy hangs a dude from a ceiling fan and crushes another on a conveyor belt), but it also feels like Temple of Doom's experienced something of a critical reevaluation in recent years. Maybe that's nostalgia. Maybe said reevaluation was only possible after the release of Kingdom of The Crystal Skull. Maybe I'm imagining that reevalutation, period.
In any event, we're curious where you, the gentle BMD readers of the world, stand on the second Indiana Jones movie. When did you first see it? How do you rank it against the other films in the franchise? Did you ever come around on Kate Capshaw's performance, or are you still just not onboard with the character? How do you feel about the film's politics? What's your favorite set piece?
Answer those questions, ignore 'em completely - whatever you'd like. It's your click. We just wanna hear your Temple of Doom takes, whatever they may be. Please leave those in the comments section below, and stay tuned for more on Indiana Jones as we draw ever closer, teeth gritted and fists clenched, towards the release of Indiana Jones 5: Foregone Conclusions.
