This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
Dark Dangers
Plot Overview
Corn-fed Missouri girl Wilhemina “Willie” Scott (Kate
Capshaw) became a famous singer in the states then branched out to
Shanghai to headline at the Obi Wan Club owned by sadistic crime
lord Lao Che (Roy Chiao.) She “had a little house, and a garden.
[She] went to parties in limousines [with her] rich friends.”
Renowned archaeologist Indiana “Indy” Jones (Harrison
Ford) is rumored to be a grave robber. The Sultan of Madagascar threatened
to dismember him if he ever returned to his country. Tonight he's
at a table with Lao Che to exchange a priceless relic for a bag of
diamonds & gold. When Willie comes over to be introduced, a scuffle
ensues and in the melee the girl gets the formula, so Willie grabs
the girl and absconds with her through defenestration, motorcar
chase, and chartered plane.
They bail out of the saboutaged
plane and make their way down mountain slope, through river rapids,
and over jungle terrain to the desolate village of Mayapore in northern
India. There the hospitable folk impose on him a detour to the temple
of Pankot, to recover a magic stone whose loss had triggered misfortune
and missing children.
At the temple
worship of Kali with human sacrifice is taking place. Indy must fight
a restored Thugee cult, its evil priest Mola Ram (Amrish Puri,) and
a voodoo doll wielding, adolescent Maharajah Zalim Singh (Raj Singh.)
He is aided in his fight with the muscular guard (Pat Roach) by his
feisty eleven-year-old sidekick Short Round (Ke Huy Quan.)
Ideology
The
movie opens in a coordinated dance routine, Blonde Willie singing
in front of eight brunette China dolls. Then a second stage of blonde
dancers takes over. Willie herself is wearing a gold sequined
dress with a rouge shoulder piece on one side; she has the alternating
colored gloves to match. It's a subtle setup for the two arenas of
action to follow. It also introduces nicely a scripture lesson,
(Prov. 30:7) “Two things
have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:”
(Prov. 30:8-9) “Remove far from me
vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food
convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD?
or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.”
We hear an oft-repeated refrain of “fortune and glory,”
which are the two temptations facing our protagonists. Willie is given
to vanity, primping and preening herself under adverse circumstances
(“I'm not going to have anything nice to say about this
place when I get back.”) Indy resists the lie that those stones
hold magic properties (“Put in a museum it would be another
rock collecting dust.”) Lest they fall for vanity and lies,
the plot forces them to eat humble pie.
Willie must content herself with eating basic village fare or harvested raw fruits. The priest trying to make up a matching set of five magic stones is in danger of this affluence making him big-headed, enough to forget his Creator—if he ever knew him to begin with. Boasts the priest, “Soon Kali will rule the world. The British in India will be slaughtered. Then we will overrun the Muslims and force their ‘Allah’ to bow to Kali. And then the Hebrew God will fall, and finally the Christian God will be cast down and forgotten.” Being too rich tempts one to forget God.
Being too poor on the other hand can lead one to desperate thieving for food, and when caught to swear falsely that he didn't take it. The Japanese had bombed Shanghai killing Short Round's parents forcing him to live on the street. Indy caught him trying to pick his pocket, and then he took him under his wing.
Either abject poverty or blinding riches can result from pursuing treacherous fortune & glory rather than being content with one's lot in life.
Production Values
“” (1984) is a sequel to “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark,” though it's set a year earlier in time. It was directed by Steven Spielberg. It was written by Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz and George Lucas. It stars Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw—who married the director—and Ke Huy Quan. The acting was decent for an action flick, and the child actor was well directed.
It was certified PG although its intensity helped spur the MPAA to create a new rating PG–13 to warn families against bringing tiny tots to certain shows. It had superlative sets and well choreographed action. There were lots of creepy crawly things in it but no deep kisses. They did not stint on special effects, either. It was filmed on location in Sri Lanka. Runtime is 2 hours.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
Christianity is given first place among the major monotheistic religions being the last expected to fall, but otherwise it is ignored. The protagonists manage to get their priorities straight in the crucible of adventure. This one has its place in an action franchise. It pretty much delivers what you'd expect. I found it breathtaking.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: Edge of your seat action-packed fun. Suitability for Children: Suitable for children 13+ years with guidance. Special effects: Well done special effects. Video Occasion: Good Date Movie. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Overall movie rating: Five stars out of five.
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