Ian Nathan, Empire 105
Although not one for sequels, continuing the adventures of the frenetic field archaeologist was almost a requisite for Spielberg. With its Bondian winkage - topping the new turn with the tail-end of the last whip-crack away - Indy was back by popular demand. Ironically Doom (in fact a prequel) was to recieve a critical buffeting (deemed overviolent, too dark, and undernourished in the plot department). Though underwritten (it needed a proper villain, a cooler macguffin), this still bears testament to Spielberg's grasp of what really moves an audience: visual thrill, constant surprise and tons of yuckiness. Doom is all about direction. And squeal.
Played at a blistering pace (only 1941 comes close), the film rattles from the opening Busby Berkeley pastiche at Shanghai's Obi-Wan Club - possibly Spielberg's finest stand-alone sequence - to the barmy magical stone/child slavery hokum set in a subterranean Hindi temple complete with lava dunking, rollercoaster mine shafts and crackling stuntwork. Cinema as joyride. And pretty much unrivalled at that.
That said, Capshaw makes the most impact of any of Indy's dames, generating a frothy sexual chem with Ford's plum role. And the diminutive sidekick Shortround (Huy Quan) is less galling than you would imagine.
Doom is dark, it is violent (perhaps squeezing out hearts and squishing turbaned brutes in rock crushers are too much for the tots to stomach) and all the better for it. It is Spielberg at his most devilishly exciting - train your itching eyeballs on a tunnelful of squirming bugs; jellied monkey brains; and the nudge-nudge playfulness of Indy faced with not one but two swirling swordsmen about to pull his Raiders' pistol gag (we know it's a sequel) only to find, whoops, no gun. Brilliant. ****
Alan Jones, Radio Times 12-18 January 2002
In retrospect, the least interesting episode of the rousing Raiders series so far. Steven Spielberg's tribute to the classic cliffhanger serials of his youth is a trifle overblown and unsubtle, but it still has great sets, fun performances and terrific action - the stand-out is a wild ride through an Indian mine. Harrison Ford is consistently engaging as Indie and goes a long way in making up for the inferior story and often gruesome gags. ****
