Definitive Ranking of All Five Indiana Jones Movies
From Raiders of the Lost Arc to the Dial of Destiny
Way back in 1981 the Hollywood dream team of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created one of the greatest action films of all time, Raiders of the Lost Arc. Hot off their successes (Star Wars and Jaws respectively), Lucas and Spielberg, both of the men had enough cache in Hollywood to do whatever they wanted. What they wanted was to recreate the serials they were so fond of as children for the cinema.
Funny enough, Lucas had the idea for Raiders of the Lost Arc before Star Wars! Right after he made the coming-of-age classic American Graffiti, Lucas was eager to make it happen, but it would be almost a decade later when Indy would take over multiplexes. There were plenty of actors considered for the role of Indiana Jones— Tom Selleck, Jeff Bridges, etc. Selleck almost got the part, but he had to drop out due to conflicts with the TV show, Magnum PI. Apparently, a few days later, Spielberg was watching Empire Strikes Back and he thought that the actor playing Han Solo would make a perfect Indiana Jones. That actor, Harrison Ford, would become synonymous with two of the biggest movie franchises in cinema history.
The success of Raiders of the Lost Arc launched a franchise around Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones. The first three movies (Raiders, Temple of Doom, and The Last Crusade) all captured Ford in his late-30s through his 40s. When he shot The Last Crusade, Ford was actually 46 and Sean Connery (who played his father), was 58. The original trilogy became a beloved franchise and that was it for Ford as Indiana Jones.
That was all until 2008 when most of the primary players geared up for one more go with the iconic hero. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull premiered in 2008 and would represent the last movie in the series directed by Steven Spielberg. Ford was in his mid-60s by the time this one launched and if the script didn’t make it painfully obvious, he was old to be doing this! Ford hasn’t aged as gracefully as some of his older action star contemporaries (Keanu Reeves, Tom Cruise), and the action in this movie looks labored. That makes it all the more surprising that Ford would return once again.
Now in 2023, Indiana Jones has returned for one last dance in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. How does the movie measure against the other entries in the franchise? Did this franchise run out of gas years ago? Having watched all five movies within the last two weeks or so, I honestly don’t believe there is a bad movie among these. There are some that are obviously less good than others though and that’s what I’ll rank below.
Want to listen to this list instead of reading? Listen to the latest It’s the Pictures Podcast that sees John Gilpatrick and I rank the first four Indiana Jones movies and discuss their merits and our experiences with them.
5. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
For the longest time, I believed that I preferred this one to Temple of Doom. I’m not sure what that says about Temple of Doom or my tastes in general, because despite being directed by Spielberg, Crystal Skull isn’t all that memorable. Worse still is that the things people remember about it (the fridge sequence, Shia LaBeouf swinging with CGI monkeys, the MacGuffin being aliens), don’t help it at all! If, and I know for some of you it’s a big If, you can put those silly things aside there’s a neat adventure here. The motorcycle chase with LaBeouf and Ford at the beginning is expertly choreographed and watching Ford reunite with his Raiders costar Karen Allen is well worth the price of admission. Perhaps now that Crystal Skull isn’t the last time audiences will see Indiana Jones it can be seen for what it is—an underwhelming sequel with some memorable action sequences. Let’s face it, nothing was going to live up to that almost twenty-year wait.
4. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Temple of Doom had the unfortunate task of following Raiders of the Lost Arc. Instead of trying to do a sequel, Spielberg and Lucas did a prequel instead! On top of that, Temple of Doom is a bizarre movie. After an incredible opening sequence filled with dance, intrigue, and falling out of a plane, Temple of Doom begins in earnest. Indiana Jones is joined by performer Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) and a friend of his in Short Round (future Academy Award-winner Ke Huy Quan) to retrieve some magical stones. Watch as people get their hearts ripped out of their chests, Kate Capshaw screams for two hours, and Indiana Jones turns into a zombie. You almost have to admire Temple of Doom for how far it goes from what audiences expected from an Indiana Jones sequel.
3. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
I’m not sure whether the best Indiana Jones entries are the odd-numbered ones or simply that he’s at his best when he’s punching nazis in the face. Fate, it seems, has brought Indiana Jones back into action. Retiring from teaching and separated from his wife, Marion, Indiana’s best days are behind him. One of those earlier adventures saw Jones and his friend retrieve an artifact from the nazi regime known as the Antikythera. Now his friends’ daughter, Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) is looking for the artifact, as well as, the nazis he stole it from (Mads Mikkelsen). Is it any good? Absolutely. While it isn’t as inventive as some of the other entries (perhaps due to Spielberg sitting this one out), director James Mangold makes a solid feature for Indy’s last outing. I really appreciate that the action of this movie takes place in 1969 when the world started looking at the Moon instead of having an interest in what was here. Indiana Jones has to wrestle with the possibility that time has passed him by.
2. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
This is definitely the sequel that Spielberg and Lucas avoided making when they decided to do Temple of the Doom. The nazis were once again the villains of the movie and the action centered on a MacGuffin people could get behind, the cup of Christ, the Holy Grail. From people who aren’t really fond of it, The Last Crusade can almost be considered lesser Raiders. I like the movie for exactly those reasons. This was really the last time audiences got to see Ford in his prime (I use prime loosely because he was already in his mid-40s), and he was still up to the task of some of the more demanding stunts. His relationship with his father (Connery) is a lot of fun too, as both men grapple with their relationship to each other and to the artifacts they so treasure.
1. Raiders of the Lost Arc (1981)
The best Indiana Jones movie is the only one that doesn’t have his name in the title. It’s the culmination of a lot of magical happenstance and was created by one of cinema’s greatest dream teams. It’s had to even imagine what two directors could team up today and come close to making something like this. Taken by itself the intro to Raider of the Lost Arc is one of cinema’s most iconic sequences. Even if you’ve never seen the movie, you’re likely familiar with the monkey artifact Jones is chasing or the giant boulder that he runs away from.
It certainly doesn’t hurt that the chemistry he has with Karen Allen is the stuff actors dream of. Her character Marion is simply a lot of fun, and although she falls prey to being the damsel in distress plenty in this movie, there’s a feeling that she can hold her own when she needs to. Raiders of the Lost Arc isn’t simply the greatest Indiana Jones movie, but also one of the greatest movies of all time. It was obviously very difficult to match since the four sequels don’t really come close. I’ve seen it countless times and each time I put it on again I remember just how much fun it is. Even if you don’t watch any other movie included on this list, turn on Raiders of the Lost Arc again. It’s tough to beat.
Big fan of Indiana Jones here. Raiders has always been my favorite Indy movie and my ranking of the original three would be Raiders > Last Crusade > Temple of Doom. Crystal Skull was profoundly disappointing when I saw it in 2008, and it's my least favorite in the franchise. I'm probably due for a rewatch of it, but I doubt its spot would change in the ranking. I'm pleasantly surprised to see Dial of Destiny show up on your list ahead of Temple of Doom. Makes me all the more curious to watch it.