Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1984
	Director: Steven Spielberg (Jaws, E.T.)
	Actors: Harrison Ford (Star Wars 4-6, Blade Runner), Kate Capshaw (Black Rain), Jonathan Ke Quan (The Goonies, Encino Man)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Adventure
	Conditions of visioning: 11.01.2013, Blu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: Indiana Jones (Ford) crash-lands in India while accompanied by his side-kick (Ke Quan) and a singer (Capshaw) he just met. The spiritual guide of a small village will see this arrival as a sign from their God, and Indiana will be embarqued in a new adventure
Review: I was positively surprised by this episode that I remembered poorer than the two others from the same period. It is actually pretty good and offers a nice contrast compared to the first one. Spielberg was clever enough to deliver something surprising for a sequel. First, in this movie Indiana doesn't choose his quest, but it is imposed to him. Then, only the first sequence in Hong-Kong shows him in his usual conflict with other explorers, as to mark the transition with the first movie. After that he is on his own. The side-kick is also something new, and the religion background (not Christian) is a nice change. I also appreciated the several disgusting and horrific scenes (monkey brain for dessert, insects, death by burning, heart ripped out of a chest!), which makes this movie less suited for children. It seems to me that Spielberg was at the top of his art at this period, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom his one of his best pieces (with E.T., Jaws, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan). In particular I noticed many shots that clearly defined his filmmaking and that are now classical, like the camera travelling back from a close-up on a face and lettig characters entering in the frame from the sides, for a kiss for example. The typical apparitions by Indiana Jones when you don't see his face, or only see his back, are also fantastic. The roller-coaster ride in the mine is also impressive in quality and fun and creativity. Spielberg doesn't let you the time to question the credibility of the scene, not like what was recently done in Journey to the Center of the Earth. The image and sound quality for this movie is the same as for the first one: simply excellent.
Rating: 8 /10