In the summer of 1984, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg released their follow-up ‘prequel’ to RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, telling a new adventure which happened two years before Indy’s Ark quest: this was the darker, more nightmarish INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM.  Harrison Ford was back and younger than before as Dr. Jones, who must rescue kidnapped children from the slave mines where they dig for sacred stones with mystical powers.

Audiences stormed theaters for more fedora-capped action and adventure, but some younger viewers got a bit more than they bargained for as the evil Thuggee cult offered sacrificial victims to their deity in a fiery ceremony.  TEMPLE OF DOOM earned its namesake in both tone and content, though director Steven Spielberg managed to soften the more gruesome aspects of this cult with misdirection and supernatural effects — as he described it, this adventure felt more like a “fever dream” than a rollicking fun roller coaster.  In many ways, this Indy adventure became the poster child of the MPAA’s creation of the PG-13 film rating, as this frightening chapter existed in a no-man’s land of action and horror under the previous ratings system.

TEMPLE OF DOOM was the first installment to adopt the classic serial matinee title INDIANA JONES AND THE… gimmick, which was later adopted to cover RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and all subsequent films in the series. Penned by screenwriting couple Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz from a story by George Lucas, this prequel is hampered at times by go-for-broke excesses with a tad too much immaturity in tone compared to Indy's first adventure.  Nevertheless, this adventure still packs a wallop in its darker themes manifested by the Thuggee cult and the breakneck pacing of its signature action setpieces.   

TEMPLE OF DOOM broke the mold set up by RAIDERS by pairing Indy with two new sidekicks: his trusted-if-diminutive young friend Short Round, played amiably by Ke Huy Quan in his first-ever acting role, and the pampered nightclub singer Willie Scott, portrayed in a comic (if sometimes grating) turn by Kate Capshaw.  Short Round's tough street sense matched Indy's bravado well and the unlikely team are given a considerable backstory despite the lad's tender age — they've clearly been through untold adventures before.  Not so for Willie Scott, who is absurdly out of her high society element in the jungles of south Asia, serving as a constant comedic foil for Jones through one tight jam after another.

Amrish Puri had a field day in his role as Mola Ram, the maniacal leader of the Thuggee cult lurking beneath Pankot Palace.  The bald-pated actor balanced physical intimidation with mad zealotry which proved more fanatical and fantastic than RAIDERS' Nazi villains. So popular and iconic was Puri's performance, after TEMPLE OF DOOM the actor continued his career in high demand for another two decades as one of India's most prolific film performers. 

Having played Nehru in Sir Richard Attenborough's GANDHI, British actor and New Delhi native Roshan Seth added a sophistication to the ultimately sinister persona of Chattar Lal, the administrator of Pankot Palace and manipulator of its young Maharajah.  Another veteran stage and screen actor, Philip Stone, portrayed the unflappable and wary Colonel Blumburtt, the British Army's representative in the Pankot realm.

John Williams' contributed some of his best exotic adventure themes, including a brassy jungle trek suite and the speedy staccato setting the pace of the mine cart pursuit.  Industrial Light and Magic's amazing stop-motion and optical effects, mixing models and live action footage, delivered visual impact around every cavern turn, matching perfectly with Elliot Scott's superb set designs.  Darker and at times a bit daffier, TEMPLE OF DOOM still delivers some of the film series' signature action sequences that have even inspired two Disney theme park rides in California and France.

Now included in THE ADVENTURE COLLECTION 3-disc box set, this second journey with Jones still holds up well through the years, containing some of the series’ best action sequences including a thrilling mine car chase and a dizzying finale over a crocodile-infested chasm. For all its thematic controversy and occasional moments of uncharacteristic horror, INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM still remains a bold and beloved favorite among fans.

THE DVD PRESENTATION

As with the previous film in this INDIANA JONES THE ADVENTURE COLLECTION 3-disc box set, TEMPLE OF DOOM delivers the same high quality DVD transfer seen in the trilogy's previous 2003 release.  Again the widescreen presentation offers clean details and a rich, sometimes vivid color palette in Douglas Slocombe's cinematography.  The DVD’s letterbox format salutes the 2.35:1 ratio image in all its dazzling glory as it’s meant to be viewed.

DVD menus are enhanced for 16:9 televisions with the 2003 sketch art animation, now updated to include the all-new Bonus Material.  With its dark shadows and fire-red color scheme, the look of TEMPLE OF DOOM faired poorly in its old VHS releases, but even in standard DVD resolution, the film looks fantastic, especially as reviewed on an upscaling high-def disc player and HDTV monitor.  The deathly shadows of the mines remain inky dark while the rope bridge chasm finale offers stunning clarity and depth in broad daylight. 

TEMPLE OF DOOM also puts your audio system to the test with its dynamic but balanced Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track in English.  Giant bats and unseen birds screech and hoot to encircle the listener, enhanced by a superb THX remastering job.  Do yourself a favor and listen to the temple mine car chase without watching the screen — steel wheels screaming along the track as jutting cave walls whip by dangerously close — and you’ll gain an appreciation for Ben Burtt’s irreplaceable talents as a sound designer and editor.  Additional audio tracks in Dolby 2.0 Surround for French and Spanish complete the options, along with English/French/Spanish subtitles.

NEW BONUS FEATURES PREVIEW INDY'S CRYSTAL SKULL ADVENTURE

Now that a fourth and final adventure returns Indy to the screen this summer, the fun continues as trilogy expands to quadrilogy with the May 22nd release of INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL. 

This ADVENTURE COLLECTION DVD release of TEMPLE OF DOOM boasts all-new Bonus Features created during production of KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, featuring cast and crew interviews plus teasing glimpses of the upcoming fourth feature:

• THEATRICAL TRAILER FOR KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
  First released in theaters this February, the CRYSTAL SKULL trailer gave fans their first look at a new Indiana Jones adventure in nearly twenty years.  Of course Harrison Ford returns as Indy, a little wiser and grayer than we last saw him, but still partnering with his former flame Marion Ravenwood, in a return performance by Karen Allen.  Joining Dr. Jones on this new discovery are the young troublemaker Mutt Williams (TRANSFORMERS' Shia LaBeouf), competitive archaeologist Mac (BEOWULF's Ray Winstone), Soviet villainess Colonel Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett), the mysterious Harold Oxley (John Hurt) and new academic fellow Dean Stanton (Jim Broadbent). Time may have passed, but the name for adventure is still Indiana Jones!  The CRYSTAL SKULL trailer precedes the feature film in auto-play upon loading.
  
• THE TEMPLE OF DOOM: AN INTRODUCTION
  Hosted by director Steven Spielberg, this second film’s recap again offers brand new new interviews with George Lucas and others recorded for this 2008 DVD release.  Lucas relates how important it was not to simply revisit the success of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, but to expand and deepen the character.  The executive producer also insisted that Indy not fight Nazis in his second adventure, so it became easier to find a new villain by going backwards in time before RAIDERS than to follow it chronologically.  Supplemented with more rare behind-the-scenes film clips, still photos, concept art and cast interviews, fans gain new insights into how and why TEMPLE OF DOOM mirrored the dark turn which the second chapter brought to Lucas’ STAR WARS saga.
  
• THE CREEPY CRAWLIES
  If scaly, slimy, slithering phobias find a way to get under your skin, it’s through the INDIANA JONES film series!  This 11-minute featurette explores the panorama of zoological nerve-rattlers which populate the dark recesses of the three classic films, along with some subtle but enticing hints about which feature creatures might appear in THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL in theaters this May!  From the snakes and tarantulas prompting shivers in RAIDERS, to insect infestation of TEMPLE OF DOOM and the Venetian rat race in THE LAST CRUSADE, enjoy the interviews with cast members who endured and sometimes enjoyed working with their animal co-stars.  Hint: pay attention to the Pop-Up Trivia notes and animal wrangler Jules Sylvester to learn clues about what new creepy crawlies await in the fourth film coming later this month to theaters.
  
• TRAVEL WITH INDY: LOCATIONS
  A trademark of the INDIANA JONES film series is its dramatic and beautiful use of exotic locations around the world.  From misty South American jungles to the arid expanse of the Sahara desert, exploring the sub-continent of India to the historic city of Venice, dust never gathered on Dr. Jones’ passport in his adventures.  Learn who brought up the idea of animating lines crossing world maps to quickly illustrate Indy’s travels, and enjoy many behind-the-scenes clips of cast and crew filming in diverse locations from Hawaii to Africa, Spain to Asia to dazzle audiences’ eyes with new and mysterious locales.  INDY producer Robert Watts plays a key role in this location charting featurette.
  
• STORYBOARDS: THE MINE CART CHASE
  This feature compares the completed film scene with corresponding storyboard sketches as Indy, Willie Scott and Short Round speed through treacherous mine tunnels in a race against evil.  Once more, director Spielberg's pre-visualization of this climactic sequence paid off as Industrial Light & Magic translated these detailed drawings into a hair-raising escape from certain death.
  
• GALLERIES
  Four separate and extensive galleries appear as DVD slideshows viewers control with their remotes: ILLUSTRATION & PROPS sample storyboard art, concept sketches, set designs and costume ideas for Indy’s second escapade; PRODUCTION PHOTOGRAPHS & PORTRAITS capture the various looks of Indy, Willie, Mola Ram and the rest of the cast and crew on location; the EFFECTS/ILM gallery offers more secret and rarely seen photos of ILM’s model work for the airplane crash in India and miniature sets for the temple mine tunnels; and the MARKETING gallery assembles title treatments and poster designs for TEMPLE OF DOOM’s theatrical and print promotions in the U.S. and around the globe.
  
• LEGO INDIANA JONES: THE ORIGINAL ADVENTURES GAME
  LucasArts gives fans a sneak preview of the new LEGO-brand video game coming this summer, shrinking Indiana Jones down to Lego toy size while computer graphics keep the adventure and excitement of all three previous films rolling, swinging and shooting across your TV or computer screen at home.  PC users can also insert this DVD disc into their computer drive to give LEGO INDIANA JONES a test-drive online before the game arrives in stores on June 3rd.
  

THE ADVENTURE COLLECTION DVD box set kicks into a higher gear with INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, still a worthy and now less controversial successor to RAIDERS.  Indy explores more of the dark side in this more serious but occasionally silly tale, but the eye-popping action, stunts and thrills still capture the imagination and quicken the pulse almost 25 years later.  Though it can’t help but lack the original impact of its predecessor, TEMPLE OF DOOM remains required viewing for longtime fans and new inductees as Indy sets out on his fourth adventure INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL on May 22, 2008!

READ OUR INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL REVIEW HERE

READ OUR INDIANA JONES AND THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK REVIEW HERE

READ OUR INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE REVIEW HERE