What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this installment in the Indiana Jones trilogy -- along with Gremlins -- is the reason the PG-13 rating was ultimately created. In addition to the fights that marked the first Indy movie, this one also has potentially nightmare-inducing scenes of things like a man's beating heart being torn right out of his chest. Children are also worked near to death in the mines, and there are lots of gross-out activities -- none more nauseating than the eating of monkey brains and live snakes. There's also a bit of language and some flirting/sexual banter.
- Families can talk about stereotypes in movies. Do you see any stereotypes in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom? How can a stereotype be fun -- and how can it be offensive? Where do you draw the line?
- What does Indiana Jones stand for? If he's a good guy, why does he break the rules? Is that OK? What separates him from the "bad" guys? Are real-life bad guys as thoroughly evil as the ones in movies?
- Talk about the history behind the PG-13 rating. Do you think it was a good addition to the rating system? Why do you think this movie contributed to that decision?