Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
Indiana Jones, I bet you have heard this name before. He is none other than the famous fictional archeologist who goes around the world uncovering the most mysterious of treasures.
He is one of the most recognizable characters in Hollywood. The movie franchise “Indiana Jones” was so successful that, it made the character an inseparable part of popular culture. Even after 30 years of the original movie franchise, people still talk about Dr Jones and his adventures. It’s honestly crazy how influential it has been!
He was and still is, people’s childhood hero.
The Temple of Doom.
“Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”, is the second installment in the Indiana Jones franchise. It was released in the year 1984, after the massive success of the first movie, “Indiana Jones and the Lost Ark”. And to no surprise, this movie was also an instant blockbuster. No wonder they made two more of these lol.
This movie, in particular, is my personal favorite, for reasons that will become apparent later ; )
The plot.
So, like every Indiana Jones movie; this one also follows the crazy adventures of Dr Jones.
Indiana Jones is an archeologist (people that are into digging up hidden artifacts) who teaches archeology at some prestigious college in America. But, unlike your typical professor, he is handsome… and he likes to travel to some of the most ‘exotic’ places on the planet for his archeological pursuits.
And in his travels, he experiences some of the craziest adventures man has ever experienced!
In the Temple of Doom, Dr Jones finds himself stranded in the mysterious land of India. Yup India! And along with him are his Chinese sidekick, “Short Round” (who is 11 years old mind you), and an American night club singer based in Shanghai, “Willie Scott” (who is absolutely gorgeous).
Now, the reason they ended up in India, out of all the places in the world, is that their plane crashed somewhere in the Himalayas (maybe near Nepal, who knows lol) as they were running away from the Chinese boss “Lao Chi”. And as they drifted along the rivers, they reach the mysterious Indian village of “Mayapur” (damn they are good with names lol).
And it is in Mayapur, that they discover something so terrifying that even Dr Jones could not explain. The poor villagers were being troubled by the “evil cult of KALI” (yup, you heard it right lol: Kali; the Hindu goddess), and their children were mysteriously disappearing in the night.
Now Indiana Jones finds himself up for an adventure; he is to go to the “Temple of Doom” to save the children and defeat the evil cult, hopefully bringing peace to the troubled villagers. In a strange country that he has never been to, can Dr Jones succeed? Or perhaps, is this an adventure that he was not ready for?
Find out more by watching the damn film lol.
The thing I found amusing.
I found this movie absolutely fucking amusing! For a couple of reasons.
First, the way that they portrayed India in the film so comical that I literally died laughing. The movie shows such a stereotypical image of India: full of poor people, elephants, Rajas and Maharajas, Hindu cults, and more! that I wonder if my own image of India is “exaggerated enough” lol? This movie does not shy away from depicting its over-the-top image of India. In fact, it’s quite accurate in the sense that, this is what a “white man” would imagine when he hears the word “India”. And I love the fact that the movie is so honest with its stereotype, it’s extreme but that’s what people expect from Indiana Jones! It has to be exciting, and it definitely delivers on that part (at least for American audience I guess).
But, being an Indian myself (Oh come on! We all fucking look the same lol), um… someone of Indian origin, it seems absolutely hilarious how they portray my people in the film. I know the experience of living in the Indian sub-continent, and to see my culture through the eyes of a “white man” was such so fucking hilarious, I can’t even explain!
What’s more?
This guy is the villain of the movie! I bet you know him lol. He is Amrish Puri. “Mogambo” from mister India lol!
The second thing that’s most fascinating for me is, the way that the movie depicts the “typical” male and female characters. Indiana Jones is what Hollywood imagines a man to be; Tall, handsome, smart, who knows what to do in all situations, confident, a family man, and just simply amazing. He is a college professor for god’s sake, but he is so handsome and adventurous that his female students fall head over heels for him. He knows how to use a gun, fly a plane, ride a camel, win a fight, along with a thousand other things. And don’t even talk about his sexual conquests; he has tasted flavors form all over the world, if you know what I mean ; ) He is the definition of masculinity. (And by his standards, I’m just a potato lol).
And talking about the female characters in the movie, they are well… the typical women in cinema; beautiful, sexually objectified in certain ways, weak and dependent on the male character. And this movie expresses this in the clearest way possible. The night club singer in the movie, “Willie Scott” is just another beautiful blonde who is terrified of bugs (just like any other white woman lol) and depends on Dr Jones to save her from the evil followers of Kali.
Hence, the movie is based on the age-old formula for cinematic success: put a sexy woman in the arms of a strong white man. Only that, it is far more exaggerated in this movie because it is Indiana Jones lol. And honestly, I enjoy this a lot. Considering it was made in 1984; it is an accurate portrayal of society and I don’t find it offensive (in contrast to many people these days lol). I actually admire the stereotypical depiction of a “man” in the movie; though it is exaggerated, it is true to a certain extent. Men are expected to be the breadwinner in the family whether you like it or not, and women still sexualize themselves on social media these days. Hence, gender roles still exist in society, and the movie a rather romantic representation of that.
Harrison ford and Gorge Lucas.
These motherfuckers are absolute legends! Harrison Ford (on the left) has played some of the most iconic characters in movie history and Gorge Lucas (on the right) has written and directed them.
Harrison Ford is, “Indiana Jones”, “Han Solo: from Star Wars”, and “Rick Deckard: from The Blade Runner” and more! This guy has been the ‘hero’ for millions of people all over the world. It’s hard to imagine one man can accomplish so much in one life!
And Gorge Lucas is the mastermind behind Indiana Jones and the whole of Star Wars franchise. He is perhaps one of the most influential names in cinema, period.
These days, both of them are old as fuck, but they are legends nonetheless. I respect their work.
Conclusion.
So, if you are looking for a classic Hollywood movie from the 80s, that brings all the excitement, romance and adventure one can possibly ask for, then this is just the movie for you. No movie can beat Indiana Jones on that!
Cheers!
= )
Honestblogs 