Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones has been cracking whips and dodging boulders for over four decades, cementing his place as one of cinema’s most beloved action heroes.
Steven Spielberg and George Lucas created an archaeologist-adventurer who perfectly captured the spirit of 1930s and 40s adventure serials, complete with death-defying stunts, exotic locations and larger-than-life villains.
From the original trilogy that defined blockbuster filmmaking in the 1980s to the later adventures that brought Indy into the modern era, the franchise has influenced countless action films and spawned theme park attractions, video games and an entire generation of fedora-wearing fans.
With John Williams’ iconic score trumpeting in the background, Ford’s rugged professor has taken audiences from the jungles of South America to the deserts of Egypt, battling Nazis, cults, and Soviets while proving that sometimes the best way to preserve history is to steal it first.
Find out how to watch every single Indiana Jones film in the correct order right here.
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The Indiana Jones Movies in Order
There are two ways to watch the Indiana Jones movies: by the story’s timeline (chronological order) or in the order the films were actually released. At first glance, it might make sense to start chronologically — but that can throw off the experience.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) takes place in 1935, one year before the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Despite this technically being the chronological order, general consensus recommends not starting with Temple of Doom, since Raiders was developed by Spielberg and Lucas as an introduction to Indy’s universe. Temple of Doom, with its darker and more intense narrative, is more effective as a sequel, benefiting from audiences already being familiar with Indiana Jones.
So, while the chronological order exists, the “correct” viewing order is by release date:
- Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
- Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
This way, you get Indy’s story in the same progression audiences did when the films first came out, making the adventure feel more natural.
More details about each film are listed below:
1. ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (1981)
Runtime: 1 hour 55 minutes
In Raiders of the Lost Ark, we’re introduced to Indiana “Indy” Jones, a tenured professor of archaeology at Marshall College. Indy is hired by government agents to locate the Ark of the Covenant, a gold-plated chest containing stone tablets Moses used to inscribe the 10 Commandments.
The mission is to find it before the Nazi Germans steal it for themselves. The Nazis have teams searching for religious artifacts and believe that carrying the Ark would make them invincible.
- Story by: George Lucas and Philip Kaufman
- Written by: Lawrence Kasdan
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
- Starring: Harrison Ford, Marion Ravenwood, Paul Freeman, Karen Allen, John Rhys-Davies
2. ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’ (1984)
Runtime: 1 hour 58 minutes
Set one year before the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom opens with Indiana escaping Chinese gangsters led by Lao Che with the help of singer and actress Willie Scott and his young sidekick, Short Round.
Their escape leaves them in India where they come across a Punjabi village whose children have been kidnapped. The villagers ask Indy to find the holy Sankara stones and rescue the children.
They are held by a dangerous cult practicing black magic, child slavery and human sacrifice in an attempt to rule the world.
- Story by: George Lucas
- Written by: Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
- Starring: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan, Amrish Puri
3. ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ (1989)
Runtime: 2 hours 7 minutes
Set in 1938, Indiana and his friend, Marcus Brody, are hired by American businessmen to find the Holy Grail. Indy is also on the search for his estranged father, Henry Jones, a Holy Grail scholar.
Indiana and Marcus team up with Dr. Elsa Schneider and pick up the hunt where Indy’s estranged father left off before he disappeared.
- Story by: George Lucas and Menno Meyjes
- Screenplay by: Jeffrey Boam
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
- Starring: Harrison Ford, Denholm Elliott, Julian Glover, Sean Connery, Alison Doody
4. ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ (2008)
Runtime: 2 hours 2 minutes
Set 19 years after The Last Crusade, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull finds Indy pitted against Soviet KGB agents searching for a telepathic crystal skull located in Peru.
- Story by: George Lucas and Jeff Nathanson
- Screenplay by: David Koepp
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
- Starring: Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent
5. ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ (2023)
Runtime: 2 hours 30 minutes
Jones and his estranged goddaughter, Helena, are trying to locate a powerful artifact before doctor Jurgen Voller, a Nazi turned NASA scientist, plans to use it to alter the outcome of World War II.
- Written by: Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, David Koepp, and James Mangold
- Directed by: James Mangold
- Starring: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Ethann Isidore, Mads Mikkelsen
Indiana Jones Movies Ranked Best to Worst
Based on reviews from critics and fans, here’s how each Indiana Jones movie ranks within the franchise:
1. ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (1981)
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% | IMDb: 8.4/10 | Metacritic: 86%
2. ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ (1989)
Rotten Tomatoes: 84% | IMDb: 8.2/10 | Metacritic: 65%
3. ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’ (1984)
Rotten Tomatoes: 77% | IMDb: 7.5/10 | Metacritic: 57%
4. ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ (2008)
Rotten Tomatoes: 77% | IMDb: 6.2/10 | Metacritic: 65%
5. ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ (2023)
Rotten Tomatoes: 71% | IMDb: 6.5/10 | Metacritic: 58%
How did George Lucas & Steven Spielberg Think of Indiana Jones?
In 1973, George Lucas developed The Adventures of Indiana Smith. While on vacation in Maui, he ran into friend and colleague Steven Spielberg, who said that he was interested in making a James Bond film.
Lucas countered with the idea of something “better than James Bond” and laid out the plot of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Spielberg was on board, calling it “a James Bond film without the hardware.” But he made a point to have the character’s surname changed to Jones.
The first four films were produced by Paramount Pictures and the last was produced by Walt Disney Motion Pictures.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which Indiana Jones movie was most successful?
Raiders of the Lost Ark is widely regarded as the best installment of the beloved franchise. Adjusted for inflation, its domestic box office gross is estimated at $897.9 million according to The Numbers, making it one of the top box office earners of all time in the US.
What is the correct order for the Indiana Jones movies?
While the second film takes place before the first, the "correct" order to watch them in is by release date. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
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