With Harrison Ford's last ride with the Fedora and whip, Dial of Destiny, coming out this week, what better time than to look back and rank all five Indiana Jones films?
As a kid, the Indiana Jones films are what made me love movies. Seeing him escape the boulder or fight someone on a conveyer belt took all of my attention. I went through all the phases — superheroes, G.I. Joe, Star Wars, WWE, etc. — but it was Indiana Jones that dominated much of my childhood (I donned a brown fedora almost everywhere I went from the ages of 6-10). So with that said, all of these films mean a lot to me and have their own nostalgia attached. Without further ado, here's my ranking of the five films.
5. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Look, I loved James Mangold's effort of giving Indy his true final sendoff, but it's clear that despite his best efforts, Dial of Destiny is by far the worst film in the franchise. It has its moments, but it occasionally doesn't even feel like it's a part of the same franchise as the previous films (especially the O.G. trilogy). The opening sequence, while fun at times, was also distractingly dark to try and hide Ford's de-aged face which set the whole film off on the wrong foot.
I get it — Harrison Ford is significantly older than he was in the previous films (it has been 15 years since the fourth film) — but Dial of Destiny feels like they wrap him in bubble wrap as he's hardly in danger aside from eating a punch or two. Plus, Mads Mikkelsen feels slightly wasted as the film's antagonist. Sure, he channels the same creepy energy as Ronald Lacey in Raiders of the Lost Ark, but all of his dirty work is done by the likes of Boyd Holbrook and other nameless henchmen.
A fifth Indiana Jones film was never needed, so I'm grateful that we got one, but it reinforced the idea that the entire series belongs in a museum from now on.
4. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
It's clear that there's a clear disparity between the original Indiana Jones trilogy and the latter two entries. That said, seven-year-old me ADORED Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (I still have the special magazine with an ad for a flip-phone tie-in game on the back). I watched the fourth Indiana Jones film over quarantine and was pleasantly surprised at how the cold open may be the second-best in the entire series.
If not for the ridiculous-looking aliens in the third act, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull may have been the perfect sendoff for Indiana Jones. The wedding scene, while ruined in hindsight thanks to Shia LaBeouf's controversies, was a sweet ending that Dial of Destiny then had to try and top. Plus, the motorcycle chase scene (mostly due to its 1950s setting) is so much fun.
3. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
The second Indiana Jones film, which is confusingly a prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark, is the weirdest that the series has ever gotten — and should be applauded for that trait. Indy is tasked with retrieving stolen and enslaved children from a Thugee cult. Upon rewatching, it's surprising just how cerebral the pace of the film is. So much time is spent in India in the palace before the tunnels are discovered.
Perhaps a bit too ridiculous with hearts being grabbed out of the bodies of people, the second Indiana Jones film is still iconic due to its minecart and bridge sequences in the third act. Plus, I don't think I've ever felt like Indy was in more peril than when he was fighting on the conveyer belt whilst being attacked by a voodoo doll.
2. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
The Last Crusade could have been another natural endpoint for the Indiana Jones franchise (I mean, he literally rides off into the sunset), but the third film harkened back to the spirit of Raiders of the Lost Ark after the darker Temple of Doom. Beginning with a great chase sequence as we see the origins of a young Indy (played by River Phoenix) and how he got the signature fedora, the Last Crusade is the pinnacle of adventure films in many ways. The tank chase and even the trials that Indy faces at the end to get to the Holy Grail are top notch and the franchise failed to ever live up to this in the following films.
1. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Sometimes, the saying “the sequel is never as good as the original” is true — and in this case, it's “the sequels are never as good as the original.” Raiders of the Lost Ark is pure bliss when it comes to cinema from the iconic opening to the finale. They just don't make 'em like they used to — Indiana Jones movies or other.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is in theaters now.
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