The film received mixed reviews upon its release, but over the years the film's reception has shifted to a more positive tone. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a "Certified Fresh" 84% rating, based on 69 reviews, with an average rating of 7.19/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "It may be too 'dark' for some, but "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" remains an ingenious adventure spectacle that showcases one of Hollywood's finest filmmaking teams in vintage form." On Metacritic the film has a rating of 57 out of 100, based on reviews from 14 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".