Well, it's an awesome movie to me, but there's this scene in the movie where a bad guy gets squished to death by a stone wheel. Off for 19-, iffy for 10-12, and on for 13+.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
More gore than the other Indy blockbusters.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 11–12
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was written by Randy White
Parents need to know that this installment in the Indiana Jones trilogy is the reason the PG-13 rating was created. So many children had nightmares after seeing it. A man's beating heart is torn right out of his chest and children are worked near to death in the mines. The movie is also a creepfest, with lots of gross-out activities, none more nauseating than the eating of live snakes.
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More on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
What’s the Story?
Set before Indiana Jones tangled with the Nazis over the lost ark, this installment 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 stone -- and their kidnapped children -- from evil Mola Ram and his gang of Thuggees.
Is It Any Good?
Despite superior chase sequences and dazzling stunts, this loud and frenzied sequel is mostly an exercise in excess. It's loud, creepy, violent and, at times, incoherent. While the pacing and tone of the first movie felt spot-on, Temple of Doom never really finds its rhythm. What the movie does have are some of the best stunts of the series, and outstanding chases.
Intrigue quickly disintegrates into endless pandemonium and the antics of two annoying sidekicks who never stop shouting and shrieking. Harrison Ford, so effortlessly heroic in Raiders, just seems mean in this film. Children will probably like Short Round and the movie's silly elephants, but parents should note that PG-13 rating was invented for this movie, after so many children went to see it had the living daylights scared out of them.
Movie Details
Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment, Director: Steven Spielberg
Run time: 118 minutes
Theatrical release: 1/1/1984, DVD release: 10/26/1999
MPAA Rating: PG for violence.
Run time: 118 minutes
Theatrical release: 1/1/1984, DVD release: 10/26/1999
MPAA Rating: PG for violence.
Our Members Say
See all 35 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Good movie, just don't show the squeamish.
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I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Negative role models
OK for tweens
Awsome!
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I rate this title iffy for age 14 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Off For Ages 13 And Under; Iffy For Ages 14-15; On For Ages 16 And Up
Tons of gore: especially the heart-ripping scene.
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I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Maybe a little too mature for young audiences, but a good movie nevertheless.
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I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
this movie is hard, man. its wierd, espesially for kids -10
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I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Too much for my 9-year-old
I showed this movie to my 9-year-old because he has seen the other three Indiana Jones films and loved them. I had held out with this because of how dark it is. He watched it and didn't complain, but was clearly uncomfortable with the darkness of it (including pulling people's hearts out - too much for younger kids). The bad guys are too creepy, in a more demonic way than the other Indiana Jones films. For that reason, in retrospect, I think it was a mistake to let my son watch this. A couple more years would have helped, I think.
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
good movie
this movie has more bad language than commonsense said it had including h..l,d..n,s..t and b.....d. The violence is people getting burned,hung,people getting their heart taken out and people getting eaten by alligators. There is also a scene where people are eating monkey brains snakes and many other gruesome things.
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
Not the best Indiana Jones movie .
Ok movie . Just sort of violent . For example : a guy is sacrificed and his heart is pulled out the entire thing is shown . Language is mild too .
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I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
It realy weighs on maturity. I think many of the reviews are an inflated overreaction.
I watched this movie as a young child. I did know that it was all make believe and was just a story. I saw movies I though was scary (gremlins) but Indiana Jones was not one of the scary. To me, Indiana Jones was a hero. I wanted to help people and be one of the good guys. I looked up to the character and it's really not a bad thing. When it comes to the Violence, again I think intellectually mature children can understand it is not real. Bad guys are out there, they do very bad things. I have no desire to over shelter my children by making them think world is all safe and full of good people. My daughters are 4 and 6. My 4 year old doesn't care much for movies so she doesn't watch it. My 6 year old is a huge fan of Indiana Jones. This series is not scary.
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
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I rate this title on for age 16 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Not recommended for people who are under 16
This film is rated too low by common sense media guys. 13+?? Really? This film is very dark, brooding, graphic and violent. It's ON for people aged 16 and up. This is an Indy film for adults only. Under 16s aren't restricted, but they just need a parent guidance.
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I rate this title off for age 15 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Gruesome violence but good movie
It is a great movie but this should be R rated, a guy is tied up and gets his heart ripped out before being burned alive
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I rate this title iffy for age 7 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom may be very funny for kids like me, but if there's any concerns, please do not be surprised.
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
A movie that stood the test of time.
Well, first off, this is definitely not a PG movie. But I don't see why because of this, people are giving it bad reviews. This movie is very violent, and there is much blood shown, so it is a PG-13 movie, but it is a good one. Mature eleven year olds should be just fine watching it, but they might be disturbed at the heart-ripping-out scene. As far as social behaviour, I don't think it was rascist to Asians as much as CSM puts it. I loved the little chinese boy, who added a great character to the movie, throwing in some comic relief where it was needed. This movie is also much funnier than I expected, instead of just being a serious action flick. On the flip side, there are some pretty morbid (for lack of a better word) things shown, such as enslaved children being whipped. Indy and the chinese boy were also whipped, and you see the bloody scratches on Indy's back (think Will Turner in Pirates, only the afflictions weren't actually shown being applied.) As far as other violent material, a man is crushed under a cement roller kind of thing (the same kind of thing as in the first one; a big strong man that Indy can't beat in normal terms ends up being killed by something large... say a propeller.) He isn't actually shown being crushed, but he is shown sucked in when his cape gets caught, and then there is a trail of blood as the roller turns around again. Men are eaten by crocidiles, but you hardly see anything, it basically looks like the crocs are tearing up their clothing. People are also shot, but it is very cartoonish (someone fires a shot, the actors jump backwards or tumble off of a cliff...think powerangers). Blood is shown often on people in fistfights, including on children (there is a fistfight between two children.) Sheltering moms beware! There is a demonic cult in this movie (they are the bad guys) and two of their rituals are shown. A child uses a fully functional voodoo doll on Indy as well, stabbing it with a knife and causing him pain. Indy even uses a spell to his benefit in the end. This really shouldn't be a problem, but I know those moms that don't want their children to know anything about magic and whatnot. So basically, I've noticed that CSM reviews always make things sound worse than they really are, including this one. That is because they just list all of the bad things. I try to explain them a little better, such as the heart-tearing-out scene, the bad guy just reaches in there and somehow magically gets it, and the sacrifice is left unscathed... except he's missing a heart. Of course, then he is lowered into magma, but it doesn't really show him burning or anything. Ok, off of violence, and onto other iffy material parents might want to know about. There is sexual behaviour, BUT nothing happens except for a few kisses. There are only three or four bad words, though I'm pretty sure it's three. This movie is an action-packed adventure, so if your kids want to see it because of the hype surrounding the new movie, then if they are eleven or twelve or older, and you think they could handle a movie like Tomb Raider or James Bond (without the sex) then they should be just fine with this. You may want them to close their eyes during the sacrifice if they are sensitive to that, but seriously, this movie has definitely stood the test of time; watching it now, It almost seems like a movie that could have been made today, with the exception of the crocs. The mine shaft scene was a lot of fun, and the action was very good. I actually enjoyed it more than the first one, because it seemed a bit more Indiana Jones to me, since he spent the majority of his time in a Tomb-like place. I also really enjoyed seing the Hindu culture at the near beginning, such as the Hindu women dancing in the temple. So to wrap it up, this movie is really good, I don't see why the ratings have been so low. The reason there have been so many angry parents is because it was mis-rated; this is a PG-13 movie. So treat it like one, and your eleven year olds should be fine.
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
pretty good movie for preteens
not as violent as the other 3, but a little sexual
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
Okay...
This was an okay movie, but there were MANY creepy things in it. As it is stated, a man's heart is torn out of his chest and lowered into a fiery pit. Loads of punching, some whipping, gunshooting, and other forms of violence. About ten profanities or so, including the Lord's name taken in vain. Jones and Willie plan on having sex, but get interruped by a man trying to strangle Indy in the form of a rope acting as a garrote. A few other creepy things, as well. I recommend an edited version, such as ClearPlay. Ages 14+
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
This is why the PG-13 was invented?
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
The Worst Indiana Jones Movie
Temple of Doom is by far my least favorite of the three Indiana Jones movies. It is too dark, creepy, and gross, and sometimes stupid. Still has some good action and suspense, but feels half baked.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Huh? It wasn't THAT scary
I must admit it is the darkest of the three movies but over here in the U.K it stayed PG and they show it in primetime. To be honest I think the first one has the more scary moments despite it's overall mood not being as dark - the corpses attacking the leading lady in the tomb, the gruesome fates of the three baddies standing next to the ark when it's opened, Indie's first companion impaled on the booby trap. Let's get this straight. It may be the weakest of the three but this is still a very good film with lots of action and excitement and yes they went a litle overboard with the icky moments but the dinner scene is positively hilarious - it's called gross out humour people and Spielberg doesn't often do it so give him a break.
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
The worst one so far... half horror, half action.
Indiana jones and the temple of doom is, without a doubt, the worst in the trilogy. However, it does have some pretty good scenes and action events and all. The violence is very high. In one scene a man takes another man's heart out of him- and the man is still alive. After this, teh amn is lowered, screaming into a burning pit of lava. There is also another scene where a bunch of guys are devoured by crocodiles. There are a couple little sexual scenes and situations and just plain stupid parts. This second installment is also very gross. There is yet another scene where some guests are given monkey brains, bug guts, live snakes and eyeball soup to eat, and I'm serious. There are only a couple little words for language. So, the action sequences are great, but the horrorific violence and thrills take away a whole two stars for my review. This is for only expierenced indy fans.
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| 75% | of parents say it's too violent |
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