One 40-Year-Old Hit Steven Spielberg Hated, but George Lucas Absolutely Loved
There are always two sides to any coin.
When there is a hugely successful action movie, it can sometimes be difficult to match the thrill that the first one gave the audience and create something just as fun and exciting for the second one. Some movies are better left as standalone pieces, but others grow into universally acclaimed franchises, whether the creators like it or not.
Indiana Jones, now a universally beloved franchise that continues to surprise audiences with new installments, was at the center of the conflict with the very second film. It turns out that director Steven Spielberg wasn't too happy with the direction of the story.
Why Did Steven Spielberg Hate Temple Of Doom?
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom premiered in 1984 and followed the journey of Indiana Jones in British India, dealing with a Thuggee cult that has been kidnapping the children of helpless and desperate villagers.
Over the years, both George Lucas, who wrote the film, and Steven Spielberg, who directed it, have admitted that the second installment of the Indiana Jones franchise has become darker than other installments, thanks to the themes and practices of child slavery, black magic, and ritual human sacrifice.
Even though the movie became the highest grossing film of 1984 with $333 million at the box office, that didn't change the way Spielberg felt about it. While the positive reception from critics and audiences must have been nice, the project ended up not being very fulfilling as the director didn't feel connected to it in any way.
Speaking to Sun Sentinel, the director admitted that he essentially traded his own satisfaction for a better overall response. And it worked out perfectly in the end.
“I wasn’t happy with Temple of Doom at all. It was too dark, too subterranean, and much too horrific. I thought it out-poltered Poltergeist. There’s not an ounce of my own personal feeling in Temple of Doom. The danger in making a sequel is that you can never satisfy everyone.”
One of the best things there is about Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom for Spielberg was getting to work with the actress Kate Capshaw, who portrayed Willie Scott in the film. This was just the beginning of a blossoming romance between the actress and the director, who got married in 1991.
If you are feeling nostalgic and want to dive back into the adventures of ruthless archeologist, you can go ahead and stream all Indiana Jones films to date, including Temple Of Doom, on Disney Plus or Paramount Plus.
Source: Sun Sentinel