We revisit the entire Indiana Jones franchise and rank all four films from worst to best, singling out the merits and shortcomings of each.
The inception of the Indiana Jones franchise actually began with the desire to make a film in another, already established film series. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas were on vacation together in 1977 during the opening weekend of Star Wars when Lucas asked Spielberg — who was in post-production on Close Encounters of the Third Kind at the time — what kind of film he wanted to make next.
Some took issue with the fact that Indiana Jones would be dealing with aliens in the fourth Indy film, and while another religion-focused MacGuffin may have been more suitable, it makes sense for Lucas and Spielberg to want to tackle this particular kind of story when moving the series into the 1950s. The problem isn’t aliens; it’s the specific story they choose to tell.
Things begin promisingly enough in Temple of Doom as Spielberg opens the movie with a Busby Berkeley-esque musical number followed immediately by a thrilling showdown and shootout between Indy and Lao Che. But the first hints that we may be in for a bumpy ride arrive with Kate Capshaw’s nightclub singer Willie Scott.
3. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny It may seem like heresy to say Dial of Destiny is better than any of the first three Indiana Jones, but the satisfying conclusion to Indy's story, despite a blandness to the rest of the film, outweighs the shrill, irritating, and extremely questionable aspects of Temple of Doom.
2. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade The brilliance of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is that it’s almost a stealth origin story. You think you’re just watching the next adventure of Indiana Jones, but in fact, the entire film is telling the audience where Indy came from and why he is the way he is.
1. Raiders of the Lost Ark Honestly, The Last Crusade makes a strong case for the best of the Indiana Jones bunch, but ultimately the consistent sharpness and God-tier-level filmmaking of Raiders of the Lost Ark nudges it just ahead to the top spot. There’s not a false note to be found in Spielberg’s buoyant, adventurous thrill ride. Karen Allen’s Marion Ravenwood is just as compelling as Indy himself, but isn’t an attempt to create a female copy of the eponymous hero.
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