Random Reviews: The Bug Scene in Temple of Doom
I’ve watched INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM a lot over the years and it’s recently found it’s way into my weekly rotation thanks to my kids. Some things have remained cool. Others things have developed an alarming amount of suck. Willie has always sucked, so there’s no change there. Short Round’s annoyance, however, has worn me down. Watching as a kid I wanted nothing more than to be Indy’s sidekick and to punch that little Prince cunt in the face over and over. As an adult, I think Short Round should have stayed in the village and found a coloring book to keep him busy.
Let’s watch the clip before I make any judgement though…
The funny thing about that edit is that they take out all the ridiculously stupid shit Short Round does. They’re trapped because of Short Round. The spikes and ceiling collapse is because of Short Round. Look, I can blame everything that goes wrong in this film on the little asshole but I’m not going to. Let’s focus on the good shit for a while.
Indy is awesome here. If only because he’s as pissed off as we’ve ever seen him and he has no problem letting these two idiots know it. “Shut up, Willie.” is the most genuine line of dialogue in the entire film. As a viewer I probably said it a dozen times throughout. I can hardly blame her character for being creeped out considering her surroundings but, for the love of fuck, shut your mouth and pull the lever. “WE ARE GOING TO DIE!” is also fantastic. Here we have a truly screwed Indiana Jones, left helpless and relying on the aid of some dimwit in a nightgown to save his ass. It’s one of the only times we ever find Indy in a position like this and he’s not happy about it. Even Short Round tells Willie to shut up. Classic.
The bugs aren’t half as creeptastic as I once remembered. I used to squirm in my seat while watching this scene, now I kind of giggle at the wooden plainness of them. However, there’s one bug that still makes me cringe just as hard as the first time I saw it. That would be this one:
What the fuck? It’s not only the fact that it’s huge and has a badrillion legs, the thing is burrowing itself in her hair, all around her neck and shit. How does Willie not pass out and die right here? Where does this thing end up? We never see or hear about it again. Is it in her ear? Does it live in her mop of feathered freshness until the end of time. What the fuck?
Anyway, Willie saves the day and then goes into the room and starts it all over again as she proves she’s as useless as Short Fuck. It’s still a frustrating scene, however, some of the frustration comes from different places now. Mainly Willie’s mouth and Short’s inability to stand still.
Rating:
As a kid: 10/10
As a grumpy adult: 7/10