Ranking the Indiana Jones Movies

With the summer movie season quickly drawing to a close, I’ve become a little wistful. It’s been a Hell of a year for Harrison Ford. Not only has he starred (although shone like the sun might be a more apt description) in two excellent television series with Shrinking and 1923, but we’ve also seen him say farewell to arguably his most iconic character—Indiana Jones. Although Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny failed at the box office and underwhelmed with fans and critics (I was NOT one of them), I can’t help but feel a little melancholy that this was the last time we will see Ford don the fedora and whip.

I’ve thought about writing this article dozens of times over the last few months and honestly didn’t know if I wanted to. I adore the entire Indiana Jones franchise and the character himself. Ranking the illustrious films in this series almost feels reductive. Yet with the digital release of Dial of Destiny dropping on Tuesday, now is as good a time as any to finally put keyboard to Word Doc. I won’t say this list belongs in a museum but enough preamble. It’s time to get (whip) cracking.

#5 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

I can already hear the clutching of pearls and the shouts of “The audacity!” from here. Sorry, but Temple of Doom has always been my least favorite of the Indiana Jones adventures. Maybe it’s because of how darker in tone the film is as compared to Raiders or that Indiana Jones goes after a McGuffin in the Sankara Stones that’s not well known, but this specific tale never had the staying power of the others.

Lawrence Kasdan (who wrote Raiders) called the film “horrible” and “mean,” attributing the dark tone to the awful breakups both Lucas and Spielberg were experiencing at the time. Even Spielberg in subsequent years has called the film “too dark, too subterranean, and much too horrific.” The sequences in the temple itself feel like a descent into Hell. There’s also some casual racism and Kate Capshaw’s performance as Willie Scott is absolutely grating. Good God woman STOP SCREAMING.

Having said that, Temple of Doom is still a great thrill ride whether it’s the trio’s escape from a crashing plane, the harrowing railway escape, or the final confrontation on the bridge. Amrish Puri’s Mola Ram proves to be the second-best villain in the entire franchise (next to Paul Freeman’s Rene Belloq) and there are some true horror-like aspects that I appreciated. I even liked the Busby Berkeley-esque dance number at the beginning of the movie. And how can you beat Ke Huy Quan as Short Round, arguably the greatest sidekick in history? He’s funny, passionate, and brave—much like Indy himself. Additionally, Indy cutting the rope bridge down with a machete and telling Mola Ram “Prepare to meet Kali…in Hell!” is one of my all-time favorite movie moments.

#4 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Yeah, yeah, yeah I know. Nuking the fridge, aliens, Mutt swinging through the vines like Tarzan—I don’t freaking care. Granted when I first saw this film in theaters, I absolutely hated it. I mean loathed it with the passion of 10,000 suns. Then I gave it a second look and realized it was actually a pretty great Indiana Jones adventure. Is it perfect? Far from it. There’s way too much CGI and they never filmed outside of the United States, which made Skull feel less like a globe-trotting adventure. The sandpit scene with the rat snake is laughably bad and the alien angle (sorry inter-dimensional beings) almost, but not quite, works. Also, some of the dialogue comes off stilted and clunky.

However, there’s still a ton to love about this movie. The opening sequence in Hangar 51 absolutely slaps as the kids say and I loved the choice to make the Soviets the bad guys. The 1950s vibe really permeates the entire movie and the chase sequences (particularly the motorcycle one at Marshall College) work well. Additionally, some of the set design is top-notch, specifically the alien temple in the third act. The decision to bring back Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood was the right call and even though I know I’m in the minority here, I loved Shia LaBeouf’s character of Mutt. Moreover, the crystal skull McGuffin works surprisingly well, much better than the Sankara Stones. Inter-dimensional space beings or not, I low-key love this movie.

#3 Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

After the financial success of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (people forget it was #2 at the global box office in 2008 behind only The Dark Knight) I was fairly confident a sequel would be forthcoming. Lucas, Spielberg, and Ford were clearly having a blast still and even if the audience reception wasn’t overwhelmingly positive, the box office proved people would still show up for Indy. Plenty of McGuffins remained for Indy to search for and at the end of the day money talks and bullshit walks. Furthermore, Spielberg began discussing concepts for a sequel within a year of Skull’s release and Ford still had plenty of vim and vigor even in his 60s.

So, I waited.

And waited.

Annnnd waited.

By 2018 I had reluctantly concluded a fifth Indiana Jones film wasn’t going to happen. Despite Ford’s passion to still play the role, Spielberg’s interest felt lukewarm and it’s patently obvious now that he’s no longer interested in making big-budget blockbusters. Then James Mangold of Logan and 3:10 To Yuma fame stepped in and reignited my passion.

Then COVID hit. And I waited some more.

Thankfully, the fifteen-year hiatus was well worth it. Dial of Destiny is every ounce an Indiana Jones movie from the jump. The opening train sequences made me feel ten years old again. Indiana Jones facing down and punching Nazis is my spirit animal. It was a rollicking, globe-trotting adventure made with passion and energy. The punches, the Wilhelm screams, Indy outracing a subway train on a horse—I loved it all. Even cinematographer Phedon Papamichael seemed to be channeling Douglas Slocombe. And nothing beats John Williams’ score.

While there were plenty of callbacks to the original films, Dial of Destiny also felt fresh and unique. The McGuffin of Archimedes Dial was scientific rather than supernatural, we got a stellar underwater sequence, and even a Tuk Tuk race in Tangiers. Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Helena Shaw was a standout and someone who I would 100% watch a spinoff about. Yet Mangold and company weren’t afraid to explore Indiana Jones’ humanity and how time takes a toll on all of us. Yet despite that, Indiana Jones remained first and foremost a hero and reminded us all not to live in the past and that you’re never too old for an adventure.

#2 Raiders of the Lost Ark

Raiders of the Lost Ark is my all-time favorite movie. Full Stop. (I know what you’re thinking right now. We will get there.) If you’ve read my previous film reviews, you know that I consider a ten to be a “must-see.” It doesn’t mean it’s a perfect film, just that it’s a “must-see.”

Raiders of the Lost Ark is a perfect film.

Why is it perfect? Douglas Slocombe’s next-level cinematography, the perfect pacing, Spielberg’s flawless direction, Lawrence Kasdan’s superb screenplay, Michael Kahn’s Oscar-winning editing, John Williams’ iconic score, Harrison Ford and Karen Allen’s brilliant performances—take your pick.

From the opening boulder scene when Indy retrieves the fertility idol, this movie grabs you by the throat and never lets go for two hours. Indiana Jones is a modern-day warrior poet, an intellectual who isn’t afraid to use violence and fight tyranny when needed. He’s a romantic who values and appreciates history.

This movie just never stops giving. It’s dopamine hit after dopamine hit. An attempted kidnapping in the streets of Cairo? Coming right up. Escaping a snake-filled Well of the Souls? Message received. A fistfight with a giant Nazi next to a rotating plane followed by the best practical car chase ever? Your wish is our command. The Abrahamic power of God melting people’s faces? Excellent dessert choice. What a freaking movie!

In fact, Raiders of the Lost Ark is so iconic that it’s become the benchmark for every single adventure film for the last forty-two years, including its own sequels. That alone puts it in the pantheon of all-time films like Stagecoach, Casablanca, and The Godfather. There’s having a cinematic legacy and then there’s Raiders of the Lost Ark.

#1 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

So, here’s a weird realization I came to this summer. While Raiders of the Lost Ark is my all-time favorite film, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is my all-time favorite Indiana Jones movie. I know that seems paradoxical, but light is apparently a wave and a particle, so it is what it is.

There’s a multitude of reasons why Last Crusade is my favorite Indy adventure. For one, at ten years old, it was the first one released in theaters that I really gravitated towards. Its release was a core memory but sadly, I did not get to see it in the theater. Also, once it hit cable it seemingly was on TV every other day. Constant exposure just increased my love. The McGuffin of the Holy Grail is absolutely my favorite because of my own Christian background and my reverence for the Arthur legend. The Indy origin story with River Phoenix rivals Raiders’ opening. Sean Connery absolutely crushes it as Doctor Henry Jones Jr. and proves endearing, funny, and the perfect foil for Indiana Jones. Indy’s sojourn through the Grail gauntlet is maybe my favorite thing in any movie ever. And how can you beat the iconic final shot of Indy riding off into the sunset with his father and closest friends?

In many ways, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade comes off as a retort to Temple of Doom. In fact, an argument can be made that Last Crusade doesn’t elevate to its level of greatness without the darker nature of Temple of Doom. Last Crusade feels like Raiders’ fraternal twin. A two-hour propulsive movie trailer that never stops. Boats getting chopped up, a search through tombs underneath Venice, escaping a dirigible, and even a confrontation with Adolph Hitler himself. It’s also arguably the funniest film in the franchise. “No ticket!” still lives rent-free in my head. What a phenomenal adventure that never disappoints or ceases to entertain.

While one can debate how many films in the franchise belong in a museum, there’s no debate that this franchise has provided audiences with plenty of fortune and glory over the last four decades. Farewell Indiana Jones. Thank you for the years.

And the mileage.