Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Having made the adventure film they had wanted in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the filmmakers turned their attention to a second Indiana Jones movie. But having done something once, it’s difficult for any artist to do the same thing again. They want a different take on it; they want to something else, something more.

In Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, this is what George Lucas and Steven Spielberg do with varying degrees of success. In many ways, The Temple of Doom is the most interesting of the films – not the best, but the most interesting.

I think this is because there is a fundamental conflict within it and that conflict resides primarily with Steven Spielberg.

It’s a conflict between a younger, less mature filmmaker and an older, maturing one. Spielberg’s instincts are at odds in Temple of Doom, and this is what makes it so intriguing.

I also suspect this reflects a growing difference of vision between George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. With Lucas, there doesn’t appear to be any aspirations to develop beyond simple adventure movies. If the Star Wars movies are any indication, his interest is not in characters. It’s in on screen spectacle and extended adventure movies.

Spielberg, on the other hand, seems to have more and varied interests when it comes to film. Having mastered adventure films, he seems to be more interested in growing complexities – of characters and ideas. In Temple of Doom I get the sense of a growing disatisfaction. He wants to do more and he feels a bit hamstrung by the constraints imposed by “another Indiana Jones movie.”

This, of course, is just supposition. But that’s my take.

One of the aspects of this movie that is often commented on is its darkness. By this people generally mean it is more nasty. It has more implied violence, more meanness to it. This is because in some scenes, especially those within the temple, there is an almost juvenile quality to them. It’s the sense of a boy picking wings off of flies. There’s a juvenile fascination with seeing how nasty something can be.

Contrasting this, and in many ways in conflict with it, is the developing character of Indiana Jones. He’s less of a type here. Increasingly we see a character emerging. Part of this is due to the film’s darkness. It’s as if the darker it becomes the more alive Indiana is as a human being. It’s as if the more mature part of Spielberg is rebelling against the less mature part.

In Raiders, Indiana Jones is essentially a mercenary. His quest begins as, and is informed through most of the film, by avarice. Not for money necessarily, but “the treasure,” an archeologist’s lust for the artifact. But in Temple, his goal is very different.

From early on Indiana Jones is aware of, and is troubled by, the knowledge that the Thuggee are using children in mines.

Jones’ quest is really to save the children. (And it’s interesting that there is a great similarity to the abuse and oppression the children experience with the Jews and Nazi Germany.)

In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones goes up against evil – reluctantly, and only as a necessary consequence. In Temple of Doom, he feels moral outrage and goes up against evil – willingly and full throttle.

The Adventures of Indiana Jones:

• Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull