More gore, gross-outs than the other Indy blockbusters.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 11+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a lot
A very scary human sacrifice scene includes torture and ripping the beating heart from a man's open chest. Indy takes a woman hostage, using a knife to threaten and lightly cut her, and tries to reach into her dress to get an antidote. Children are nearly worked to death in mines. Hand-to-hand combat and gunfights. Indy frequently uses his whip and is severely scourged. Gross-out scenes with bugs, unusual foods (such as monkey brains), and more.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Flirting, kissing, sexual banter. Indy comes to Willie's bedroom to initiate sex by saying he's a scientist who wants to do research on "certain nocturnal activities" and "mating customs," etc. She replies, "Primitive sexual practices?" Cleavage and short/suggestive outfits. Indy must push on a statue's breast to open a secret passage. He also reaches into Willie's dress without her consent (details in Violence & Scariness).
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
Perseverance, teamwork, and courage are ultimately rewarded, though some of Indy's methods are iffy.
Positive Role Models
a little
Indy and Short Round are both brave, resourceful, loyal, and smart. They form a great partnership through mutual respect and smooth communication. That said, Indy's not always the best role model, given his preference for violence over peaceful methods of resolution and problem-solving.
Diverse Representations
Flagged for concern
Chinese characters in minor roles are clichéd street gangsters who exist to make the White male lead look better. Racist portrayals of Indians and Hindus depict them as barbaric villains who perform a human sacrifice and eat live animals and organs in their worship of the Hindu god of death. The only female character of significance, Willie Scott, is portrayed as mostly weak and jittery and is constantly put down by Indy. A lone bright spot is Ke Huy Quan, a Vietnamese-born Chinese American actor who plays Short Round, a smart 12-year-old Chinese boy depicted as Indy's equal who saves the day in a pivotal moment, but his presence doesn't make up for the movie's problematic elements.
Parents need to know that Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is the second film in the Indiana Jones series. In addition to the expected fight scenes, this one has potentially nightmare-inducing scenes like a man's beating heart being torn right out of his chest. Children are also nearly worked to death in mines, and there are lots of gross-out moments, including the eating of monkey brains and live snakes. Language includes one "s--t," "bastards," "oh my God," and "for Christ's sake" (as an exclamation). There's flirting, sexual banter, and kissing throughout the film, including a scene where Indy (Harrison Ford) initiates sex with a woman by referring to it as "research" into "nocturnal activities." (She responds by calling it "primitive sexual practices.") Depictions of Asians -- especially Indians and Hindus -- are alarmingly racist, though Chinese American actor Ke Huy Quan's positive portrayal of Short Round is a bright spot. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
This one is more intense then the first one it still has lots of violence violence 6%10 gun fights hand to hand combat swords someone is tortured in the temple and his heart is ripped out but the camera films far away people eat monkey brains chases people fall of a bridge and are eating by crocodiles there is some language but I can’t remember I think one or two uses of s—t one use of barst—- d and probably damn my rating pg 13 violence some language and some scary scenes
With any Spielberg movie, you are wise to add one rating level, especially before 1985. This movie is in competition with Beastmaster for most violent PG movie ever made. If it were any other director, the infamous heart scene alone would have made it a solid R. The special effects gore hasn't aged well, but don't let the nostalgic swashbuckler vibe fool you. This movie is extremely dark, disturbing, and gory.
What's the Story?
Set before Indiana Jones tangled with the Nazis over the Ark of the Covenant, INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM finds the archaeologist-adventurer on a mission to recover another priceless artifact and rescue enslaved children. After a narrow escape from Chinese gangsters, Indy (Harrison Ford), nightclub singer Willie (Kate Capshaw), and precocious 12-year-old Short Round (Ke Huy Quan) are asked by humble villagers to take on the Thuggees, an evil cult that practices human sacrifice. Indy and his friends face trained assassins, mind control potions, enormous bugs, and a wild ride in a mining cart as they try to retrieve the village's sacred stones -- and their kidnapped children -- from evil Mola Ram (Amrish Puri).
Despite entertaining chase sequences and dazzling stunts, this loud, frenzied sequel is mostly an exercise in excess. It's creepy and violent and, at times, verges on incoherent. While the pacing and tone of the first movie felt spot-on, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom never really finds its rhythm. What the movie does have are some of the best stunts of the series, letting 12-year-old Quan shine in his breakout role. But intrigue quickly disintegrates into pandemonium. Indy, so effortlessly heroic in Raiders, is frequently mean in this movie. While its classic Hollywood action remains a spectacle to watch, other aspects of the movie -- notably, its racist portrayals of Indians and Hindus, plus the franchise's weakest female lead -- take away from its enjoyment level.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about stereotypes in movies. What kinds did you notice in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom? How are they harmful?
What does Indiana Jones stand for? If he's a "good guy," why does he break the rules? In what situations is that OK, if ever? What separates him from the "bad guys"?
How do the scares and gross-out factors of the movie compare to those of others in the series? Do you think they're appropriate for kids?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
