I first saw Temple of Doom in theaters when I was a about seven years old. I can remember all the things in the film that grossed me out then, the bug eating scene in the tribes hut, the famous dinner scene, and who can forget the room full of bugs. There is not one scene in this film that is not memorable.

In Temple of Doom, (which is the second film in the Indiana Jones series) follows Dr. Jones (Harrison Ford) on yet another adventure. This time along with a new love interest, a showgirl named Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) and a young boy named Shorty ( Jonathan Ke Quan), they find themselves escaping death when a deal goes sour between Indy and an Chinese gangster whom tries to rip Indy off, none the less kill him. While fleeing the country by plane they find themselves alone on the flight and need to make an unexpected escape from the cargo plane, as it’s owned by the same gangster they just tried to get away from. But they end up in India, in a location where the people are very poor, and royalty in the country is secretly being brainwashed by a cult, that sacrifices the poor to their god, and keeps their children working as slaves in a mine. The tribe asks Indiana to help them get their sacred stones back from the evil that has taken them and their children away.

I love every second of this film, and look at it as one of the best action films ever made and the best film in the Indiana Jones series. I consider it to be one of Spielberg’s best films, and Lucas’s best script since Empire Strikes Back. It’s your typical hero saves the day film, and it shows a lot of the differences between the rich and the poor and how governments in certain countries are corrupt and take away from the people in order to gain control. The movie does have it’s moments where it can be a bit corny, and unrealistic. There is a scene in which they are camping out in the jungles of India, and certain animals in the jungle that pop out and scare Willie, are not native to India. Still the movie has some of the most memorable moments in cinema history.

The film as a whole has some great acting and wonderful set design and visuals. The visual effects are good for the their time as we did not have CGI back in the mid eighties, but the make up effects are brilliant, and some of the set pieces and food in the film were very interestingly made to look like something else. It’s an overall great production.

In a nutshell, it’s hard for me to write reviews for a film that I have nothing but great things to say about. I’ve probably seen Temple of Doom over one hundred times in my life and it gets better with each showing. The DVD includes a ton and I mean a ton of special features. It has a new introduction by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, as well as the basic Photo Galleries and a demo of the Indiana Jones Lego Game. There is also a feature that talks about the bugs and animal scenes in the film called Creepy Crawlies, and another feature that shows the storyboards behind the mine cart chase scene, and then there is a whole featurette about the adventures and the locations of the film. It’s a DVD that well worth picking up for fans of the film, and for people who have never seen it before. In my opinion it’s the best film of the Indiana Jones series.

– Horror Bob