Ranking The Indiana Jones Franchise!

Hi all!

With the release of The Dial of Destiny hitting cinemas last month, I thought it was time to finally rank an incredibly iconic franchise: Indiana Jones. If you didn’t know, this series follows an archaeologist/university professor, played by Harrison Ford, who goes on adventures to find important historical relics and save them from falling into the clutches of his greedy enemies. I’ve loved these movies since I was a little girl. From the legendary theme music to the whip and fedora, I feel plenty of nostalgia and happiness every time I re-watch them. I work in historical collections now and like to believe I’m the female Indy. Without further ado, from best to worst, let’s get into it!

Spoilers Ahead! 

1.) Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom 

Temple of Doom is without a doubt, the best Indiana Jones movie and you cannot change my mind. It is the second film in the franchise and what a worthy sequel! In this story, desperate villagers in India beg Indy to find a mystical stone and rescue their children from a Thuggee cult that practices child slavery, black magic and ritual human sacrifice. He teams up with nightclub singer, Wilhelmina “Willie” Scott and Chinese boy, Short Round (Everything, Everywhere, All At Once) and together, they enter a temple of great horrors. There are so many iconic scenes to mention here. The monkey brains, the eyeball soup, the heart being ripped out, the chase scene at the beginning, the bugs in the walls and so much more. It’s a wild ride from start to finish and I never get tired of it. 

2.) Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark 

In second place, we have the very first Indiana Jones film: Raiders of the Lost Ark. This movie ties in with the fourth and fifth, so you may want to watch it first, before you see Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Dial of Destiny. In 1936, Indy is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before Adolf Hitler’s Nazis can obtain its awesome powers. In case you were wondering, yes this is the one with the giant rolling rock. We learn just how much our hero hates snakes and swoon when he and Marion finally kiss aboard the ship. Also, let’s not forget just what happens when the Ark is finally opened! It’s a journey across land and sea that you won’t want to miss.

3.) Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade 

Next, we have The Last Crusade, which is the third film in the franchise. In 1938, Indy discovers his father (played by the late Sean Connery) is missing whilst searching for the Holy Grail. He must once again race against a group of Nazis before they find it and his dad first. As a young girl, I remember the ending completely terrified me. I’m referring to the scene inside the temple at Jordan, with the wrong cup being drunk. If you know, you know. It’s a classic but I don’t re-watch it as often as the other two mentioned above.

4.) Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny 

In fourth place, we have the latest film: The Dial of Destiny. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It was definitely a movie for the fans, considering the amount of Easter Eggs I picked up on. It follows Indiana Jones and his colleague, Basil Shaw, as they attempt to stop a Nazi villain from using a mysterious artifact called the Antikythera, which is said to be a time-travel device created by Archimedes. For the flashback scenes in 1945, they de-aged Harrison Ford, so he appeared younger. In the ‘present’ day, he is a crotchety old man in the 1960’s-1970’s, forced to pick up his whip and fedora again in pursuit of the dial. As always, there is plenty of action, adventure and priceless artifacts to save. I thought they did a good job with it, considering how many years have passed since the last one.

5.) Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

In last place, we have The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I think it’s safe to say this is most people’s least favourite film in the franchise. In 1957, Indiana Jones becomes entangled in a Soviet plot to uncover the secret behind mysterious artifacts known as the Crystal Skulls. Led by the brilliant Irina Spalko, the Soviets tail Jones and Mutt Williams, (who is revealed to be Indy’s estranged son by Marion from Raiders of the Lost Ark) to Peru. Firstly, I hated the ending. It went in a science-fiction direction I didn’t care for. Secondly, the addition of Shia LaBeouf as a long-lost child felt unnecessary to me. I had no care or connection to him. It was a bit of an unforgettable instalment and one I haven’t re-visited since.

Thank you so much for reading! How would you rank this franchise? 

Peace & Love xoxo