Yahoo Movies The Indiana Jones movies ranked from worst to best
Harrison Ford is back for his final outing as Indy
There are few franchises as iconic as Indiana Jones, which premiered in full on Disney+ on Wednesday, 31 May ahead of the release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
Created by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, the franchise follows its smart-talking, whip-wielding archaeology professor — played by Harrison Ford — as he heads out on various adventures in search of ancient artefacts from the Ark of the Covenant to the Holy Grail.
It made a star out of Ford, who has portrayed the character in five films: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and, soon, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
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Everyone has an opinion on the franchise, but what can definitively be called the best Indiana Jones film?
To find out, Yahoo polled internally to try and find an answer to the question. Did we choose wisely? You be the judge.
4. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Spielberg gave the Indiana Jones franchise the reboot treatment when he decided to return to the iconic character in 2008 with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Ford, then 64, reprised his role as the iconic hero for the first time in almost two decades, but he wasn’t alone in coming back as he was joined by Karen Allen who returned as Marion Ravenwood.
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The film sees Indy go up against the Soviet spy Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) and her team of KGB agents as they set out in search of a telepathic crystal skull. The archaeologist tries to find the item first, with Marion and their son Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) giving a helping hand.
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was largely panned by critics and viewers alike when it was released, unfortunately. So as rankings go, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the film came in last place amongst Yahoo’s team with only two choosing not to rank it in fourth place.
3. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom finds its titular character trying to rescue children from the Indian village of Mayapore who have been captured by a cult and are being used as human sacrifices for the goddess Kali, as well as retrieving Sankara stones.
Ford’s Indy achieves this thanks to the help of 11-year-old sidekick Short Round (played by now Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan) and nightclub singer Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw). The second Indiana Jones film has, arguably, aged poorly compared to the other films in the original trilogy because of its depiction of Indian and Chinese culture, and religion.
At Yahoo, the film received a varied response with some ranking it at number 1 and others at number 4, meaning that ultimately it came in at number 3.
2. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
The Indiana Jones franchise originally ended with the Last Crusade, a thrilling adventure that saw the titular hero go up against the Nazis for a second time in a bid to find the Holy Grail.
In the film, Indy looks for his father Henry (Sean Connery) who went missing during his search for the religious artefact. Indy decides to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, by looking for his father and the Grail.
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The adventure, which was a lot more lighthearted than its predecessors, comes in second place amongst Yahoo reporters, coming a very close second to Raiders of the Lost Ark after several people named it their favourite film of the franchise.
1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
On that note, it was Raiders of the Lost Ark that came out on top of Yahoo’s poll about the adventure franchise.
The film introduced the world to Indiana Jones, the archaeology professor with a penchant for adventure and a strong desire to bring ancient artefacts to museums, where he feels they rightfully belong.
Raiders sees Indy head out across Europe to recover the Ark of the Covenant, an item thought long lost but has since found its way into the hands of Nazi German forces. It marked the first time that Indy was pitted against Nazis in the franchise’s history.
Almost unanimously, Raiders of the Lost Ark was voted in first place by Yahoo.
The Indiana Jones film franchise is out on Disney+ now. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will be released in cinemas and IMAX on 30 June.
