The second of the George Lucas/Steven Spielberg Indiana Jones epics is set a year or so before the events in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1984). After a brief brouhaha involving a precious vial and a wild ride down a raging Himalyan river, Indy (Harrison Ford) gets down to the problem at hand: retrieving a precious gem and several kidnapped young boys on behalf of a remote East Indian village. His companions this time around include a dimbulbed, easily frightened nightclub chanteuse (Kate Capshaw), and a feisty 12-year-old kid named Short Round (Quan Ke Huy). Throughout, the plot takes second place to the thrills, which include a harrowing rollercoaster ride in an abandoned mineshaft and Indy's rescue of the heroine from a ritual sacrifice. There are also a couple of cute references to Raiders of the Lost Ark, notably a funny variation of Indy's shooting of the Sherpa warrior. Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Category Costume Adventure
- Theme: Daring Rescues, Obsessive Quests, Race Against Time, Priceless Artifacts and Prized Objects, Treasure Hunts
- Studio: Paramount
- Run Time: 01 hr 58 min
- Language: French, English, Spanish
- Subtitle Language: English, Spanish, French
- Picture Format: widescreen
- Lead Actor: Kate Capshaw, Harrison Ford, Amrish Puri, Roshan Seth
- Supporting Actor: D.R. Nanayakkara, Lorraine Doyle, Mellan Mitchell, Moti Makan, Akio Mitamura, Jonathan Ke Quan, Frank Olegario, Stany de Silva, Michael Yama, Bhasker Patel, Philip Stone, Roy Chiao, David Yip, Ric Young, Chua Kah Joo, Rex Ngui, Dan Aykroyd, Pat Roach, Philip Tann
- Director: Steven Spielberg
awards
- Awards: Academy Awards (1)
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Visual Effects, 1984, Michael J. McAlister, Lorne Peterson, George Gibbs, Dennis Muren
- Nominations: Academy Awards (1)
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Original Score, 1984, John Williams
