Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a globe-trotting adventure that features thrills, chills, and questionable culinary choices. In the second installment following Raiders of the Lost Ark, Steven Spielberg gifted us with one of the most over-the-top adventures in the franchise. However, even the biggest Hollywood productions are prone to the occasional blunder, and Temple of Doom is no exception. While not always at the top of ranked lists, Temple of Doom has gained its own devoted fans.
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Over the years, upon many rewatches, these fans have noticed continuity errors, visible stunt rigging, and hilarious factual inaccuracies; mistakes that are impossible to ignore once spotted. So grab your whip, check your satchel for snakes, and let’s dive into seven mistakes that will eternally haunt the Temple of Doom.
1) Crew Member in the Mine Shaft
After Willie spits in Indy’s face, the camera cuts to Ke Huy Quan’s Short Round running through the mine. And right as Shorty turns toward the camera… there’s a quick flash of something that doesn’t quite belong in the dark, dingy environment. Look to the right of the screen and you can spot two crew members, one in a solid blue shirt and cap, the other in blue-and-white stripes, standing under a tall spotlight.
It’s a moment of movie magic gone wrong that you might miss even if you don’t blink. In a film filled with chaos, it’s admittedly hard to spot unless you go frame by frame. But for a split second, reality breaks and reminds us: Harrison Ford’s Indy isn’t the only one risking life and limb; the crew members might have gotten whiplash, too.
2) Chen’s Flower Flips Sides
During the shootout with Wu Han, we get a close-up of Chen holding a gun. As the camera pans to his face, you’ll notice the boutonniere on his right lapel, a white carnation. I’s a nice wardrobe detail, however, in the shots immediately before and after, that same flower is on his left lapel.
This is likely to be a simple case of a shot flipped during post, but it’s a funny continuity error that makes you squint and wonder if the wardrobe department had some kind of beef with Spielberg. Did Chen just spontaneously switch his boutonnière for dramatic effect? Or did an overworked Assistant Editor think none would notice? Regardless, it’s a tiny detail that has a big impact once you spot it.
3) Rickshaw Magic Shoe Swap
When Short Round crashes the car into the back of a rickshaw, the next shot shows the driver being lifted into the air, with his right shoe missing, lost in the chaos. However, in the following shots, the shoe magically reappears on his foot.
It’s an innocent continuity mistake, but it’s also hilariously distracting. Imagine being that poor rickshaw driver: one minute airborne and shoeless, the next, perfectly suited for a formal dinner. In a movie that revels in physics-defying stunts, a disappearing shoe is a reminder that reality takes a back seat to the chaos of the fedora-sporting archaeology professor.
4) The Stunt Rig’s Cameo
During Lao Che’s car chase, Shorty floors it behind the rickshaw. In one shot, eagle-eyed viewers have spotted the metal bar under the car, part of the stunt rig, and when the rickshaw crashes, the tiny third wheel at the base of the seat is visible.
This is not the kind of magic we want to see spilling onto the screen. Behind the scenes, the stunt team worked hard to make it look deadly, but the audience gets a peek at the truth: the danger was planned and safety-engineered. It’s one thing to know the actors aren’t in danger, but it’s another thing to see it. It makes the whole sequence less thrilling and more adorable, unless you’re lucky enough to miss it.
5) Alligators Invade India
At the climax on the hanging bridge, the danger is amped up by shots of hungry reptiles waiting below. Problem is, they’re alligators, and technically, alligators are native to North America, not India. Crocodiles would have been the factually correct choice.
Bringing up this fairly insignificant detail means you might be the most annoying guy at the movie theater, but it’s a geographic gaffe nonetheless. It makes the scene unintentionally funny in hindsight, especially when you consider that alligators are far less dangerous than crocs. While Indy and pals are facing peril, us nerds are thinking: “Where is this? Florida?” Sure, cinematic license allows for some creative liberty, but this one feels a little like someone didn’t bother to do their research.
6) The Hanging Bridge Heals Itself
In another climactic bridge scene blunder, Shorty crashes through the rotting wood, leaving a massive hole in the planks. But cut to the nest shot and the hole has completely vanished, as if Shorty was sucked into some kind of invisible portal, or the on staff bridge repair crew is working overtime.
It’s one of the more obvious mistakes in the movie, and one that has caused many fans to halt their rewatch for a quick rewind. It could just be a scenario of filming out of order, but in an adventure full of supernatural happenings, this disappearing hole almost works. Just like many of the other stunts and practical sets in the film, the bridge itself refuses to play by the rules of physics, giving Indy yet another miraculous assist.
7) A Lava Pit Hotter Than a Plot Hole
When Kate Capshaw’s Willie is lowered in the cage over the lava, she hovers just a few feet above the molten surface, and makes it out apparently unscathed. While Willie is a polarizing character, with fans either loving or hating her, some astute viewers have wondered why she wasn’t instantly incinerated, because in our factual reality, she would never have survived being that close.
Creative liberties often take priority over physics in films like Temple of Doom, and that’s fair. But the laws of thermodynamics are usually merciless, and Willie somehow survives in a way that forces the audience to suspend disbelief. Once you realize the actual heat from the lava would have been lethal, you’re left marveling at Hollywood audacity and perhaps your own ability to believe anything they put up on the screen.
Which Temple of Doom goof do you think is the most distracting? We love to engage with our readers, so leave a comment below!
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Image Credit: Marvel Comics
