Every Indiana Jones Movie Ranked Worst To Best (Including Dial Of Destiny)
From Raiders of the Lost Ark to Dial of Destiny - which Indiana Jones movie is best?
Well, this is it. 42 years, five movies, and a whole bunch of melted faces later, the big screen adventures of Dr. Henry Jones, Jr are finally drawing to a close with this summer's Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. By the time the curtain has closed, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg's pulpy, adventure serial-inspired series is sure to go down as one of the most iconic to have graced the silver screen, having cemented Harrison Ford's legacy as one of the greatest actors of his generation - and Spielberg one of its greatest directors.
But not every Indiana Jones movie has been met with the same, emphatic reception, and certain installments are stronger than others. The first three entries have all largely been well received (if not without slight controversy), while the two most recent films - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - have been met with a more mixed response.
In any case, there's no taking away from how immortal the Indiana Jones series is. Certainly, those impeccable first three efforts - Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, and The Last Crusade - are among the finest films of the 20th century, and while Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Dial of Destiny aren't universally adored, there's still lots to love in those installments.
With that in mind, here is every Indiana Jones movie, ranked.
5. Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny
Although certainly not unfeasible, the idea of making an Indiana Jones movie without the involvement of either George Lucas or Steven Spielberg is an odd one. While Spielberg and Lucas were initially involved in the making of the fifth Indiana Jones, both stepped aside at various points during pre-production, with Ford v Ferrari director James Mangold stepping in to direct as well as rewrite David Koepp's screenplay with Jez and John-Henry Butterworth in 2020.
The end result, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, lacks any of the charm or drive of Spielberg and Lucas' originals. Worse still is that it ends the franchise on an oddly dispiriting note.
Dial of Destiny is arguably the most introspective Indiana Jones installment yet, starring a near-80-year-old Harrison Ford as the character reckons with his twilight years and - surprisingly, given Kingdom of the Crystal Skull's uplifting ending - the rubble of a life he has been left with. Much of the runtime is spent with Indy having suffered a grave emotional burden, and it's one he never truly overcomes despite the ostensibly happy note it leaves the character on. Mangold's film undoes Kingdom's affectionate conclusion and leaves Indy with nothing but ruins to sift through.
There are some positives; the ever-reliable Mads Mikkelsen turns in a great performance as the spectre of Nazism Jurgen Völler, and there are moments where the film finds a compelling footing by diving into Operation Paperclip (the US scheme that recruited Nazi scientists following the conclusion of WW2). But any fun or narrative intrigue to be derived from this setup is crushed by the weight of Dial's depressing approach to growing old, as well as a frustratingly smug turn from Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Indy's goddaughter, Helena Shaw.
Closing the book on one of cinema's most beloved ever series was always going to be a tall order. It's just bizarre that, out of all the different approaches that could have been taken, Dial of Destiny opts to be miserable instead.