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Mikhail Skoptsov's avatar

So, I 'd argue 'Temple of Doom' is indeed a prequel but one that is not at all explicit about it. What it basically shows is how Indiana Jones became the Indy we meet in Raiders. Because he starts out the movie as a much darker, far more selfish character, someone more in the vein of Belloq.

That opening sequence where Indy is trying to get that Diamond is quite illustrative of the fact that he doesn't have the 'it belongs in a museum' mantra yet. It is through his experience with the blood of Kali cult that he transforms into the more chivalrous and noble figure that legitimately wants to do the right thing. I strongly recommend reading the following aintitcoolnews article, which makes the case that 'Temple' is the best prequel movie ever made: http://legacy.aintitcool.com/node/67383

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Omar Khalid's avatar

Whether intentional or not, I also think setting it before Raiders gives the series a kind of comic book serial feel, where you might pick one up after another without checking where it sits chronologically. It might be a stretch, but it does seem related to the idea of SW being episode IV for that reason (I don't buy that Lucas had the other episodes in mind at the time, despite what he might claim).

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