Indiana Jones Revisited Part Deux: Temple of Doom

I know a lot of people do not like the second installment of the Indiana Jones series. It gets the same critique as Return of the Jedi – too cutesy, too slapstick. As this movie is the one I remember the most out of the three from my childhood, I have a special place for it in my heart. And, I call on it for inspiration to this day – when I get into a tight spot, I chant "Om Nam Shiva,” just like the guy being lowered into the fire pit. I can see the criticism though. It’s much goofier compared to 1 & 3, which are mostly serious with a few moments of comedy. And yes, Kate Capshaw as Willie is shrieky and not at all badass like Marion, but all the girls can’t be Indy clones (plus, it helps to shtupp the director!) Oh, and Short Round is one step above an Ewok, but he’s Data from Goonies, for cryin’ out loud and that makes him awesome. Here are some other things I noticed:

-The second installment is actually a prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark, as it is set in 1935, one year before Raiders.

-Did I always know the Dan Akroyd is in the opening sequence? He’s the one the gets Indy on Lao Che’s plane.

-The nightclub at the beginning of the move is “Club Obi Wan”

-Could this movie be just a tad insulting to the people of India because it insinuates that Indian food is bugs, snakes, and monkey brains? Everyone now knows Indian food is delicious, but did people think it was hilarious in the 80’s because they though it was true?

-Short Round likens stepping on bugs to stepping on fortune cookies. In 1935, Short Round wouldn’t know what a fortune cookie was if he was a street thug living in China as they were invented in California less than two decades before. I’m just saying.

-Don’t the costumes and makeup of the Thuggee Cult seem more South Pacific island than Indian?

-The mine care sequence goes on for way too long, just like the racing sequence with Anakin in The Phantom Menace.

-Even though the special effects could be better, the bridge sequence is still pretty awesome.

-What’s cooler – Mola Ram’s bare-handed-hear-ectomy or the “Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique” from Kill Bill?

Okay, two down, one to go!

On another note, Happy Birthday Chewbacca! Peter Mayhew is 64!