This is very much a father/son type of bond, with Indy clearly having a soft spot for the young orphan. In Temple of Doom, one of the first aspects of Indy that audiences see is his relationship with Short Round. The film hints at a past that involves some complex relationships, but overall, Indy’s character takes second place to the task of stopping the Nazis and recovering the ark of the covenant. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, audiences are introduced to Indiana Jones first as a steely-nerved explorer and later as a professor of archeology. This isn’t to say that films in this genre are lacking strong characters, but rather that these are films in which edge-of-the-seat thrills are expected first and foremost. Over the years, the action-adventure genre hasn’t typically placed a major emphasis on character development. These are very implausible scenarios, but Temple of Doom was the template for the series and Indy films continued this trend beyond the simple escapes Raiders of the Lost Ark offered. Whether using a rolling gong as a shield or jumping from a crashing plane on an inflatable raft, Indy has to rely heavily on his ingenuity to escape certain death throughout Temple of Doom. This is a different side to Indy, and it’s clear that Spielberg understood that after the success of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the ante needed to be upped in terms of action. Temple of Doom delivers arguably the strongest opening sequence of the series. It’s fun stuff indeed, but Temple of Doom took a different approach. The film continues to offer numerous high-octane moments, the likes of which quite typically require Indy to physically fight his way to freedom. While this sequence has obtained a legendary status over the years, it really just involves Indy fleeing as fast as he can after everything has quite literally collapsed around him. Every minute unfolds breathlessly into the next, captivating viewers with a sense of intrigue that isn’t often found in modern action-adventure films. Watching the opening moments of Raiders of the Lost Ark is undoubtedly a true cinematic treat. In retrospect, it is Raiders of the Lost Ark that comes off as the most serious of the franchise, a fact that keeps some Indy fans only interested in that initial entry. This recipe, albeit honed to a greater degree, can also be seen in Last Crusade and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Regardless of how these attempts land - the dinner scene in the palace is downright racist – there are far more efforts to make Temple of Doom comedic. Temple of Doom continues this trajectory, but the film is far more willing to play with the material in hopes of mixing lighter fare with the daunting task Indy faces. The franchise’s willingness to not take itself too seriously is briefly seen in Raiders of the Lost Ark, but overall the tone of that film remains serious with an emphasis on Indy’s commitment to a very significant task with far-reaching consequences. At the same time, however, Indiana Jones fans are well familiar with the ability that the films have to add in the odd quip or goofy moment. These two elements are first and foremost at the start of every entry in the series and harken back to the movie serials of 1930s and 40s Hollywood. There’s little doubt that the primary focus of the Indiana Jones series has always been action and adventure.
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