Over the past year, I’ve been on an Indiana Jones kick. I rewatched all four films, as well as played through LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures, a childhood favorite of mine. And as of late, the franchise has been in the spotlight for three main reasons. This year is the 40th anniversary of the series. The fifth film is set to be released in 2022. And most recently, a new video game was announced to be in development by Bethesda (the studio behind the Fallout and Elder Scrolls games). So, now’s a great time to look back at the four existing films and rank them from worst to best. These are my  opinions, so don’t take them as objective facts. Art is subjective. With that out of the way, let’s begin!

4. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

After a nineteen year hiatus, Indy returned to the big screen in a big fashion. However, this fourth adventure pales in comparison to the trilogy that preceded it. I don’t think it’s as bad as other people say, though. The film is set in 1957, during the Cold War. I love the 50s vibe the film has. A lot of people hate the fact that aliens are in the film. I don’t mind it that much, as Indy is no stranger to the supernatural. The callbacks to the older films are fun, and the soundtrack by John Williams is fantastic as always. Unfortunately, Crystal Skull lacks a lot of the charm and soul that made the prior three films so great. An overreliance on CGI also hinders the film, and makes it feel more like a generic action movie than Indiana Jones. That being said, I don’t think Crystal Skull is bad by any means- it’s perfectly serviceable- but fails to hold a candle to its predecessors. I rate Kingdom of the Crystal Skull a 7/10.

3. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

When I first saw Temple of Doom, I didn’t really like it. The main reason being that it’s much different from the other films. However, on repeat viewings, it’s really grown on me. The film takes place in 1935, making it a prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark, which took place a year later. After an action-packed escape from Shanghai, Indy, his young companion Short Round, and club singer named Willie find themselves in India, where they must retrieve a sacred stone for a local village from the nearby Pankot Palace. In the palace, they find the horrors of the Thuggee cult. This film is, by far, the darkest in tone of the entire series. In fact, Temple of Doom is single handedly responsible for the creation of the PG-13 rating. Perhaps the most infamous scene is when the villain Mola Ram rips the heart out of a living human sacrifice. Despite this, the film still has many humorous and endearing moments. The action sequences are exhilarating. The reason why I didn’t like Temple initially is the same reason I like it now: it’s uniqueness. Compared to Raiders and The Last Crusade, Temple of Doom stands out. But it’s definitely a good time and is much better than Crystal Skull. I rate Temple of Doom a 7.5/10.

2. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

This is the film that started it all. Released 40 years ago as simply Raiders of the Lost Ark, taking place in 1936. The Nazis are searching for the Ark of the Covenant, to aid in their goal of global domination. Indiana Jones travels to Cairo in order to stop them. Along the way, he meets up with his old flame Marion Ravenwood, who assists him in his quest. From the moment the film begins in the jungles of Peru, to the ending sequence with the opening of the Ark, the film is an absolute blast. With many iconic moments, great writing, and an excellent soundtrack, Raiders of the Lost Ark was the perfect way to start a beloved series. I rate Raiders of the Lost Ark a 9/10.

1. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

For years, Raiders was my favorite. However, that changed somewhat recently when I rewatched all four films. Now, I consider 1989’s The Last Crusade to be my favorite Indy film. The film took everything that was great about Raiders specifically, and turned it up to ten. The film opens with a flashback sequence, showing us Indy’s first adventure. This scene transitions perfectly into the present (1938, to be exact) where Indy learns he has to rescue his father, Henry Jones Sr., who vanished while looking for the Holy Grail. Crusade is probably the funniest film in the franchise, no doubt due to Indy’s father. Harrison Ford and the late Sean Connery bounce off each other so well, and the scenes they share together are golden. With great humor, action, writing, music, The Last Crusade ends the original trilogy of films perfectly with the main characters riding off into the sunset. Just writing about this movie makes me want to watch it again, it’s that good. I rate The Last Crusade a 9.5/10, making it an easy favorite for me.

The Indiana Jones franchise is my second favorite film series of all time, the first being Star Wars. These four films each hold a special place in my heart, some much more so than others. I look forward to the future of the franchise, especially Indiana Jones 5 and the upcoming video game. All four films were available to stream on Netflix, but unfortunately they left the service this month. However, they can be found on DVD and Blu-Ray via Amazon, and can be streamed on Prime Video.