The Indiana Jones franchise has marked itself as one of the greatest film series in cinema history. It was a series of incredible action-adventure films like no other. George Lucas, who created Star Wars, sought to modernize the classic adventure serial films of the early 20th Century. While the character of Indiana Jones was well-known for his iconic trademarks being the bullwhip, fedora, leather jacket, and satchel, Indy was just an archeology professor when he wasn't on his adventures. Harrison Ford was cast in the role of Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., who quickly became one of Hollywood's most beloved characters.

Update August 4, 2023: This article has been updated following the release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

With the release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny this summer, that brings the total of Indy films to five supposedly wraps up the franchise. It says something about the strength of a franchise when it has produced sequels four decades later and still seems to connect with audiences. Here is every film in the Indiana Jones franchise ranked.

5 Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Dial of Destiny granted fans of the beloved whip-handling archaeologist their wish. They got to see Harrison Ford play the iconic character one last time. In this film, which was released 15 years after Crystal Skull, audience see a much older Jones, who is retiring from teaching, and his antique-dealing goddaughter Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) race against a Nazi astrophysicist (Mads Mikkelsen) set on finding an ancient dial created by historic mathematician Archimedes that has time-traveling capabilities. His goal is to time-travel back to 1939, kill Hitler, and help Germany win World War II.

With Harrison Ford being 80 years of age while filming took place, it was unlikely that fans were going to get a film similar to any of the original films in the 1980s. The movie relied very heavily on CGI, and action scenes simply were not the same as the original films or even Crystal Skull. Also, it was heartbreaking for fans to find out that Indy and Marion are currently separated, and Mutt was sadly killed in war after joining the army to spite Indy.

However, Indy lovers were gifted with the return of beloved characters Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) and Jones' true love Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen). This is the third appearance in the series for each and the second film that both are in together since Raiders of the Lost Ark. The ending also sees Jones and Ravenwood make up after Helena helps Jones realize he has plenty of life to go back to after their adventure. The film was a nice send-off for Ford, who had said this was his last time playing the legendary character. The movie had an underrated touch of comedy and was certainly heartfelt, but it simply wasn't in the same league as the three films from the 1980s.

4 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull by Steven Spielberg
Paramount Pictures

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was the first Indiana Jones movie to be released after a long hiatus of almost 20 years. While fan anticipation was very high, the fourth Indy film ranked as one of the franchise's weaker installments. Many fans generally agreed that Kingdom of the Crystal Skull failed to reach the heights set by its predecessors. However, the film did have some great characters, such as Cate Blanchett's villain, Irina Spalko. It also saw the return of Marion Ravenwood (played by Allen). Again, Marion had always been a fan-favorite character and the one woman Jones deserves to end up with. She was there at the very beginning, and her return was more than welcome. That helped fans get a little taste of the original film, which is always such a delight.

The film additionally introduced Indiana Jones' son in a new character named Mutt Williams, played by Shia LaBeouf. This came after The Last Crusade explored the father-son relationship between Henry Jones, Sr. (Sean Connery) and Indiana Jones. In Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Indiana was now the father to a rebellious greaser who had no passion for school and education. Unfortunately, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull suffered from poor pacing and, like Dial of Destiny, relied heavily on CGI. Its script and story were also weaker than the three films in the original trilogy.

Related: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Is Actually Good

The film ultimately did not connect with audiences on the same level of previous Indiana Jones films, which is not anyone's fault necessarily. Again, the film took place nearly two decades after the last film. The way action movies are filmed continues to change. Fans went to the theater hoping to rediscover the magic of Indy and were a little disappointed. That sometimes happens when you're dealing with one of the great cinematic franchises of all time, and expectations are above and beyond.

3 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in a scene from Temple of Doom
Paramount Pictures

While Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was the second Indiana Jones film, it was actually a prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark. The prequel moved away from featuring the Nazis as its villains and replaced them with a cult practicing black magic. Indiana Jones set out on a mission in India to recover a mystical stone and rescue children from the cult. Accompanying him was the young, lovable sidekick, Short Round, and a nightclub singer named Willie Scott. The film was not as well-received as the two other films in the original trilogy but still managed to provide new thrills following Raiders of the Lost Ark. It was also surprisingly dark, featuring gore and people being killed in the most brutal of ways. Those who watched the film will remember a man having his heart removed from his chest as part of a human sacrifice.

However, there is one man standing in the way of the cult from trying to take over the world by finding all five of the mystical stones know as the Shankara stones. That man is Indiana Jones. What is most powerful about the movie is that Jones ends up overcoming being poisoned and put in a trance to save the children and return them, along with the stones, to the village where they were taken from. That is the power of Indiana Jones. He fights for good and goes above and beyond to save historic artifacts and people in danger.

The villains in the film successfully raised the stakes, brought a sense of danger, and pushed Indiana Jones into more of a heroic role. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was yet another exciting action adventure in the franchise. It did get overly goofy at times, but Temple of Doom was still fun and a solid piece of Hollywood entertainment.

One last interesting fact about the movie is that it ended up changing the movie rating system. It was rated PG, but because of the gory scenes, violence, and black magic scenes, it felt a little bit like a horror movie at times. People complained about it, so that marked the creation of the PG-13 rating. Red Dawn, starring Patrick Swayze, ended up actually being the first film to use the PG-13 rating.

2 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Harrison Ford and Sean Connery in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Paramount Pictures

It's hard to imagine a better film to conclude the original Indiana Jones trilogy than Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The third Indy film cast Sean Connery, the first film actor that portrayed James Bond, as Indiana Jones' father. The father-son relationship between Henry Jones, Sr., and Indiana Jones was a pure joy to watch. Their chemistry injected the franchise with new energy and also showed audiences a side of Indy they had not seen before. Fans could say that they were illuminated by the pairing of Ford and Connery. If you're looking for a film to watch on Father's Day, The Last Crusade is one of the films that needs to be on the list.

Related: Indiana Jones: The Entire Timeline, Explained

The Last Crusade showed that for how smart Indy is, there was still much he had to learn, especially when it comes to family. After being absent from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the Nazis returned as the film's main villains. In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, they searched for the Holy Grail, believing that it would grant them eternal life. Once again, Indiana Jones was back to fighting Nazis. The film shifted to a much lighter tone after Temple of Doom and doubled down on the charm and effective comedy that has been part of the franchise since Raiders of the Lost Ark. Aside from Nazi sympathizer Walter Donovan (Julian Glover) being poisoned by drinking from a false grail and turning to dust, fans likely have nothing gory to be afraid of when they watch the film, unlike the previous two films.

1 Raiders of the Lost Ark

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark
Paramount Pictures

Raiders of the Lost Ark started the Indiana Jones franchise with a bang. The film even began with the iconic sequence of Indy being chased down by a rolling boulder while holding on to a golden idol. That sequence was only the first in a film jam-packed with memorable cinematic moments, including an annoyed Indy easily defeating a master swordsman with his pistol, Indy and Marion breaking out of The Well of the Souls (resting place of the Ark of the Covenant) just for Indy to get into a brawl with a big Nazi mechanic, and even one of the greatest chase scenes in cinematic history with the famed archeologist going after the Ark of the Covenant that sits in a truck full of Nazis. Dr. Jones was the one man that stood in the way of the Nazis gaining world power, and he stopped them. Again, that is the greatness of Indiana Jones. Odds stacked against him? It doesn't matter.

It was no surprise that Raiders found its way onto many "greatest movies of all-time" lists. Everything about the film, from the score to the casting and script, was done with such excellence. Rarely is a movie as well-made as Raiders of the Lost Ark. It made people want to be Indiana Jones and made archeology the coolest thing in the world. When you have the direction of Steven Spielberg, a screenplay by Empire Strikes Back writer Lawrence Kasdan, a story from George Lucas, and music by John Williams, you get the definitive action-adventure blockbuster.