The problem with making a film that is perfect is that any sequel has a lot to live up to. With that in mind, there are two things I'd like to get out of the way up front:

1. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is not anywhere near the level of greatness that was achieved by Raiders of the Lost Ark.

2. Before the hate mail starts, Temple of Doom is still many, many times better than most other action films out there.

Temple of Doom is like the middle child that has to work twice as hard to get half the recognition. IT is a great film, there's no doubt about that, but in some ways it seems to be trying just a little too hard. Raiders of the Lost Ark seemed effortless in its execution; whereas with Temple of Doom, you can almost see the beads of sweat from the strain of trying.

The biggest stretch in the film is the character of Short Round (Ke Huy Quan). I have to admit that the kid character works, within the context of the film, and it's great that the younger audience members get someone to identify with, but he almost seems like a cheap insurance policy. It's almost as if Hollywood has an unwritten rule: When in doubt, toss in a cute kid.

Nevermind the huge continuity gap Short Round creates. Temple of Doom takes place before the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones has such a strong bond with the boy that his complete absense in Raiders makes the second film seem even more out of place.

What I do like about Temple of Doom is that it effectively tells a completely new story in the Indiana Jones saga. One of the easiest cop-outs for a sequel is to simply put a new coat of varnish on the first script and hope no one will notice (or care). Here, however, we get the same Indiana Jones, the same high adventure and the same sense of wonder and magic, but the packaging is brand new.

The film opens with a musical song and dance number that is so ludicrous that you can't help but love it. There mere fact that the very last place you would ever expect to see a dance number is in an Indiana Jones flick makes it even more appropriate. It tells us instantly that, no, we are not going to get a rehash of the first film.

Following an ill-fated trade of a diamond in exchange for an urn full of ashes, Indiana Jones, Short Round and singer Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) find themselves in a plane, presumably heading from China back to the United States. Instead, the pilots bail out and dump the fuel somewhere over the middle east and leave our trio of adventurers for dead.

Of course, they don't die. Such a notion is preposterous. Instead, they find themselves in a small Indian villiage, where the well has dried up, the crops are dead and all of the children have been stolen. The rumor is that a nearby, once abandoned palace now has a new maharaja and his evil is spreading. As fas as the villiagers are concerned, the arrival of Indiana Jones is no coincidence and he is destined to save them.

And so he sets out to do just that.

Temple of Doom is filled with a lot more humor than the first film and this is necessary because the story itself is much darker. This film deals with torture, death and evil cults and the humor is required to maintain the sense of fun that we expect from an Indiana Jones adventure. The action is also much more intense, with breakneck stunts that will leave you breathless long before the end credits begin their crawl.

Based on my earlier comments, you might expect me to end this review by saying how disappointed I was in this film, but that's not the case at all. As good as Raiders? No. But I still liked Temple of Doom very much and I think it's a great, fun piece of escapism.