Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom

Last year I got to revisit the greatest action/adventure film ever made on the big screen. This year I had the chance to see its sequel.
The first time I saw 'Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom' it was by accident. My brother and I were staying with my grandparents in Port Stephens for our holidays. My grandfather decided to take us to the cinema to see 'Supergirl'. It was not until 'Indiana Jones' started that we realized we were at the wrong film. We found out after that my grandmother who had looked up the times in the newspaper had got the times mixed up. This was in the days of single cinema complexes so when my grandfather asked for tickets you did not need to specify a film as it was assumed you'd be going to the next movie screening. My brother and I managed to talk my grandfather into letting us stay and watch the entire film. Something I think he later regretted due to the scary nature of the film's violence.
Steven Spielberg has spoken often about how he was going through a very dark period when making this film because of his divorce from Amy Irving at the time. It is definitely much darker than 'Raiders'. Which is why I think it is such a great sequel. To be more accurate the film is a prequel because it is set before 'Raiders'. 'Temple' begins with a brilliant musical sequence of the Cole Porter song 'Anything Goes'. It is not the typical way to begin an action/adventure film but that is what I loved about it. Unlike his other adventures Indiana stumbles into this one rather than get asked to help out. This also makes a much different approach to the story. It is also a decidedly dark story with scenes of hearts being ripped out of chests and children being employed as slave labor. Despite that it is still a really fun film with lots of brilliant action sequences. My favourite being the mine cart chase near the end. This is probably one of my all time favourite chase scenes in a movie.
I think that if they ever decided to reboot Indiana Jones or remake it that they will have to wait for the memories of Harrison Ford to be long gone. There is definitely no one else who could play this role. I admit that Kate Capshaw is saddled with what is probably the most annoying character in films. Willie is merely baggage for Indiana and not very proactive in the story. Kate does a decent job with the role (which is mostly just screaming) but it would have been better if she had more to do. Amrish Puri makes a really scary bad guy, even if the does take half the film to be revealed. His wide-eyed looks are frightening. Jonathan Ke Quan as Short Round is probably one of the best things in the film. On the surface he is another annoying side-kick but Jonathan is able to bring a great deal of charm to the role and his comic timing is perfect. 
Another example of how great some sequels can be if done properly. It may not realize the brilliance of 'Raiders' but is still an excellent action/adventure film.