3. The Dinner
The dinner scene is always brought up when people like to cut down Temple of Doom. It is too gross, or too silly, or too much of both. But it does have a reason to exist and is quite fun in its willingness to throw anything at the screen - or on the table. The dinner of snakes, spiders, and chilled monkey brains is an attempt by Spielberg to add an extremely sinister layer to the Indian royalty who are behind the kidnapped children and the monstrous cult. Some say this is racism - another quick button to push when discrediting the film - but remember Indy is taking on these evildoers in order to save an Indian village of good people who need help. Calling it racist is shortsighted. And as I said, the dinner scene is campy fun right before the serious nature kicks back into gear. All the food, the eyeball soup included, isn't meant to be taken literally but as an embellishment by Spielberg to spice up these villains.