MovieChat Forums > Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) Discussion > Reasons why this movie sucked

Reasons why this movie sucked

posted 5 months ago by AmeriGirl26 (12873)
30 replies | jump to latest

This is my least favorite of the Indiana Jones movies for a lot of reasons. (I don't include "Dial of Destiny" in this group because it's a shitty KK fanfic, not a real Indiana Jones film).

1.) The story is told in a way that is so different from "Raiders" and "Last Crusade" and in a way that isn't fun and adventurous or compelling. In fact, it feels off, disjointed, and messy.

2.) I hate Willie with a passion. She is a spoiled, loud, annoying, heinous bitch, and the only reason she had "script armor" in this movie was because Indy has to have a girlfriend and boinking material. Otherwise, Indy realistically would have dumped her ass the first time she threw a tantrum or screamed, rather than put up with her bratty behavior throughout the film. Doesn't matter if she was pretty and blond, she was not worth the hassle. If she had been killed by any of the crazy shit she and Indy had encountered in the movie, I would have cheered. By the way, who the F names their daughter, "Willie?" Not only is that a man's name, it sounds like the British slang for "dick."

3.) I found Short Round annoying, he added nothing to the movie, and he's another reason why this film doesn't fit with the other Indiana Jones stories, because in the good ones, he never had a little Asian sidekick.

4.) The "yuck" factor in this film was over-the-top. I really could have done without the exaggeratedly gross dinner scene, the bug room, and the heart-ripping being graphically shown. That's another thing that makes this film nastier than the other Indy films; it's rated R for a reason, while the others are just a hard PG (PG-13 by today's standards).

5.) The "liferaft-as-an-upside-down-parachute" scene was stupid. Even without the Mythbusters' help, your average person could have easily seen how fake, stupid, and illogical it was for Indy to be able to jump out of a plane with the bitch bimbo, inflate the raft in midair, and not have it flip over and dump them out. It would have made more sense for him to tie a bunch of cords to it, tie the cords to him and Screamerella, and treat the liferaft as a parachute instead of how they did it in the movie.

6.) The minecart scene was so dumb. The whole thing looks fake and so cartoony it's laughable.

I have more, but those are just the biggest complaints I have.

[–] Interlepos (1789) a month ago

You didn't like the greatest adventure movie ever made? Well, I guess some people just have a knack for missing out on the finer things in life.

[–] AmeriGirl26 (12873) a month ago

"Raiders" and "Last Crusade" were better.

[–] Interlepos (1789) a month ago

It's the best trilogy ever made in terms of quality. All three movies are perfect. While Star Wars might be the best trilogy overall with the best story arc—beginning, middle, and end—not every film in the original trilogy is flawless. Return of the Jedi comes close, but the first three Indiana Jones films? They're all great, and Temple of Doom is spectacular.

You mentioned you didn't like Short Round, so you might struggle to enjoy this one. However, the score by John Williams, especially the Short Round theme, is wonderful. Listening to it reminds me why I love movies.

[–] AmeriGirl26 (12873) a month ago

What, you never watched "Lord of the Rings?" That is considered the best film trilogy in movie history! That is a hill worth dying on, by the way. (Of course, I've been known to come back to life with a vengeance if certain trolls on here find the concept of my death to be a good thing).

Yeah, John Williams is an amazing music writer and composer. But sometimes even a good musician can't make up for a crappy, B-grade film.

Don't you find it interesting that when people make movie references to the Indiana Jones films, they almost never reference Temple of Doom? It's always stuff from "Raiders" or "Last Crusade." Only reason Mythbusters even referenced TOD 3 times on their show was due to all the famous stunts. Now ask yourself why? Could it be because you and other fans of the film are in the minority, and that most people see this movie as the crapshow it truly was?

[–] Tam87 (258) a month ago

I think this is the most entertaining IJ movie. It's also the most 'fantastical' and visually intriguing in terms of the locations and sets. The opening 15 mins are really impressive.

But then again, I was never that into Indiana Jones. I was a die hard star wars kid and everything else paled in comparison especially IJ, which I found boring as hell by comparison.

[–] OuterSpace (113) a month ago

For me the real issue with this one vs Raiders and Crusade is the weak story, surface level supporting cast and underdeveloped villains due the movie focusing on being something of a rollercoaster ride (Almost literal toward the end).

It relies heavily on the action sequences and set pieces to carry the film and while those are indeed great, it lacks the substance, character and plot intricacies that we saw in the other two. As a result it's very hollow or "fluff". Well executed and entertaining fluff but merely just that.

Still, if you can accept that, it's a well made and fun watch.

[–] AmeriGirl26 (12873) a month ago

You finally hit the core of the biggest issue I had with this movie. It's soooo shallow! Nothing makes a movie feel worse than shallow characters and a weak plotline that relies on stunts and explosions more than good story-telling.

[–] ADBruno1985 (3338) a month ago

Willie is short for Wilhelmina. Probably not that uncommon of a name for when she was born, likely early 1900s.

You make a lot of valid points, but I still enjoy the movie.

To build on your point about the story being told in a different way. What has always bugged me about this adventure is that it just sort of *happens* to him on his way from escaping another adventure. He has little narrative autonomy. He literally just crash lands into the story. In the rest of them, he actively sought something out.

[–] mikethemartian (6270) a month ago

I was raised Catholic so the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail were both something I grew up hearing about. The Sankara Stones on the other hand didn’t resonate with me because I had never heard of them before.