Comics add to Temple of Doom


© Lon Mills
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This is part three of an ongoing series that focuses on the comic books that have extended the adventures of Indiana Jones into print. Since the early 1980s up until the mid-1990s, the comics medium have given us another outlet for movie adaptations and new tales of the archaeologist.

As with the Marvel Comics adaptation of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom offers different points of view on certain scenes, explains continuity better, and fleshes secondary characters out more.

One key sequence that is in the shooting script of Temple of Doom is Willie taking a bath during the trek through the jungle enroute to Pankot Palace. Originally Willie bathed in a jungle pool and is attacked by a boa constrictor. The snake wraps itself around her nude body. Of course we know Indy is afraid of snakes and won't go near the water to help her, so he keeps his distance while he talks her out of the sticky situation. Had this scene been shot for the final film it would have explained why Willie walks around with wet hair and a towel at the jungle campout. Instead the film portrays the snake slithering down to Willie's shoulder and she mistakes it for an elephant's trunk. Reasons for cutting the scene have been rumored to being Indy too cowardly in the sequence, Willie's nudity, Kate Capshaw terrified to have a boa constrictor wrapped around her nude body, etc.

Another scene included in the comic adaptation the clears up an issue of continuity in the film is Willie's escape from the Temple of Doom. In the film we can see her running down a tunnel after the Thuggee guards have captured Short Round. In the script she gets out and runs into Chattar Lal who reveals his involvement in the Thuggee cult. In the film he's just part of the sacrificial ceremony where Willie comes out in the gown. There really isn't the sense of betrayal there compared to if she ran into him outside in the palace.

The comic adaptation still keeps the kinetic pacing of "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" while giving the reader different things to appreciate about the plot, characters, and sequences. This film is usually considered the weakest of the three among fans and critics, but not to me. I like that it stays true to the character but takes Indy in a completely different direction than what "Raiders of the Lost Ark" did. "Temple of Doom" is more of a personal journey for Indy and the comic adaptation helps portray that.

Willie takes a bath
Willie escapes
     

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