Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
Indiana Jones must navigate a treacherous underground temple to rescue children from a sinister cult in 1935 India.
The story
In 1935, archaeologist Indiana Jones finds himself in British India after a harrowing escape from a crime boss in Shanghai. He is tasked by a local village to retrieve a sacred stone and rescue their children, who have been abducted by a mysterious force. The journey leads him to the Pankot Palace, where he discovers a complex of tunnels and a sinister cult known as the Thuggee. Jones must navigate these underground passages to confront the cult's activities and save the children before they are used as slave labor or fall victim to ritual sacrifices.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After escaping a crime boss in Shanghai, Indiana Jones, along with his companions Willie Scott and Short Round, travel to the village of Mayapore. They are tasked with retrieving a sacred lingam stone and rescuing children abducted by the Thuggee cult. At Pankot Palace, they discover the cult is using the children as slave labor to find other Sankara stones. During a confrontation, Jones is forced into a trance by the high priest Mola Ram. Short Round manages to break the trance, allowing the trio to fight through the tunnels. They eventually reclaim the stones and free the children. In a final confrontation on a rope bridge, Jones severs the bridge, causing many cultists to fall into a crocodile-infested river. Mola Ram is killed by the crocodiles, and the trio returns the stone to Mayapore as the village celebrates their victory.
- First release year
- 1984
- Runtime (minutes)
- 117
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Steven Spielberg
- Writers
- Willard Huyck · screenplay; Gloria Katz · screenplay; George Lucas · story
- Cast and characters
- Harrison Ford · Indiana Jones; Kate Capshaw · Wilhelmina "Willie" Scott; Amrish Puri · Mola Ram; Roshan Seth · Chattar Lal; Philip Stone · Captain Philip Blumburtt; Ke Huy Quan · Short Round
- Genres
- action-adventure; adventure; thriller
- Themes
- bravery; sacrifice; cultural identity
- Tone and mood
- dark; intense; adventurous
- Premise and plot tags
- treasure hunt; cult; prequel
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- Initial critical reviews were mixed, with criticism aimed at the strong violence, darker story elements, and Capshaw's performance, as well as controversy over the film's portrayal of India. Critical opinion has improved since 1984, citing the film's intensity and imagination.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 57 · scale: 100 · review count: 14
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Original Score · nominated; Academy Award · Best Visual Effects · won; British Academy Film Award · Best Visual Effects · won
- Production trivia
- The film's production led to the creation of the PG-13 rating.; Harrison Ford suffered a severe spinal disc herniation during a stunt.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…