Many people, particularly Indians, find this film offensive and racist. Admittedly, when I first saw it, I, too, found it such. Accordingly, at the time, I wrote a very harsh and angry review. In retrospect, though, I should have restrained myself. So, in fairness to the film, here is my review of it.
This film starts off very well. I particularly liked the introduction of the character of Short Round and I wish I could have seen him in the other Indy films.
That being said, the film soon develops into an adventure story that, quite frankly, could have been so much better. The thrills and "treasure hunt" feeling that we feel in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" or in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" is simply not here. The Nazis, also, make for much better villains than the evil priest, whose performance and wickedness are quite laughable.
I have a relatively strong stomach when it comes to the gross-out factor. I saw "Seven" without flinching, though, admittedly, it is not the most disturbing movie in the world. However, I should warn those of you with weak stomachs to be careful before watching this film. It seems to go out of its way to increase the gross-out factor, with people eating snakes and monkey brains, another scene that lasts a good 5 to 7 minutes with Kate Capshaw surrounded by giant insects (including centipedes very eager to go up her pants), and a man's beating heart being pulled out his chest.
Speaking of which, this film relies much more on the supernatural than the other Indy films. By that, I mean there's the ceremony where the evil priest "magically" opens the guy's chest and pulls out the beating heart (and the man is still alive) and another where the young king uses a voodoo doll against Indy. While the use of the supernatural is interesting, it's a tad bit excessive in this film. The other two do a better job balancing the real with the supernatural.
I realize that my entire review here has been how this film does not measure up against the other two, but that's how most of us judge sequels, whether we admit it or not. It's not possible to really be unbiased when watching a sequel because the other films have already set a standard for us to judge it by. So, in relation to the rest of the trilogy, this film is more like an Indy-wannabe than an Indy film. It does not really fit in with the other two.
This film starts off very well. I particularly liked the introduction of the character of Short Round and I wish I could have seen him in the other Indy films.
That being said, the film soon develops into an adventure story that, quite frankly, could have been so much better. The thrills and "treasure hunt" feeling that we feel in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" or in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" is simply not here. The Nazis, also, make for much better villains than the evil priest, whose performance and wickedness are quite laughable.
I have a relatively strong stomach when it comes to the gross-out factor. I saw "Seven" without flinching, though, admittedly, it is not the most disturbing movie in the world. However, I should warn those of you with weak stomachs to be careful before watching this film. It seems to go out of its way to increase the gross-out factor, with people eating snakes and monkey brains, another scene that lasts a good 5 to 7 minutes with Kate Capshaw surrounded by giant insects (including centipedes very eager to go up her pants), and a man's beating heart being pulled out his chest.
Speaking of which, this film relies much more on the supernatural than the other Indy films. By that, I mean there's the ceremony where the evil priest "magically" opens the guy's chest and pulls out the beating heart (and the man is still alive) and another where the young king uses a voodoo doll against Indy. While the use of the supernatural is interesting, it's a tad bit excessive in this film. The other two do a better job balancing the real with the supernatural.
I realize that my entire review here has been how this film does not measure up against the other two, but that's how most of us judge sequels, whether we admit it or not. It's not possible to really be unbiased when watching a sequel because the other films have already set a standard for us to judge it by. So, in relation to the rest of the trilogy, this film is more like an Indy-wannabe than an Indy film. It does not really fit in with the other two.