Rank The Indy Movies

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Doomtrooper

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Hey all, I'm new here :) Long-time fan of both SW and Indiana Jones, the latter moreso. I'm big into collecting both among other series. Indy is one of my favorite series ever and I feel alone in loving all of the films. How would you rank all four Indy films in order of preference? My rank is sure to be controversial but for me they go:


Temple Of Doom
Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
The Last Crusade


Bear in mind I think all four are awesome. I think Raiders is the best in many ways but I find TOD the most entertaining. I find I actually tend to go back and forth on Last Crusade and Crystal Skull a lot. Both are really good but I find I tend to like Crusade the least due to being so much like Raiders with the Nazis back, another biblical MacGuffin, etc. and the comedic moments are on the jarring side, but that said it's still a great movie. I'd welcome a fifth but hope they get on it ASAP while Harrison Ford can still do it at his age.
 
To be honest with you, you can't fairly rank them just yet because f the new one coming soon, but here you go.



1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. Temple of Doom
3. The Last Crusade
4. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
 
Raiders.
Last Crusade.
Temple of Doom.
Crystal Skull.

Welcome to the Boards! A lot of great people here!

I think Indy has had more of an influence on me professionally than Star Wars, I am a history teacher!
 
SWDave said:
I think Indy has had more of an influence on me professionally than Star Wars, I am a history teacher!
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Oh, Dave, don't hate me, but here goes:

1. Last Crusade (what a wonderful female villain, Elsa)
2. Raiders (I'm sorry, but I don't like Marion)
3. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (love Cate Blanchett, and yes, her haircut)
4. Temple of Doom (really just took the concept and mythology of Tuggee too far)

And, you're a history teacher?? My BA is in history (European was as precise as they'd let me get, though period of study was England, 1485-1900 - throw a little bit of France and the Habsburg Empire in there too for good measure). I am currently working towards finishing my Master's in art history; my specialty is Tudor portraiture.
 
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Thanks for the welcome :) Indy has had a very profound influence on me since I was almost a baby. The whole series is very near and dear to me.
 
I'd go the same as Lady Macbeth as that would seem like a good order:

1. Last Crusade
2. Raiders
3. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
4. Temple of Doom
 
Lady_Macbeth said:
Oh, Dave, don't hate me, but here goes:

1. Last Crusade (what a wonderful female villain, Elsa)
2. Raiders (I'm sorry, but I don't like Marion)
3. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (love Cate Blanchett, and yes, her haircut)
4. Temple of Doom (really just took the concept and mythology of Tuggee too far)

And, you're a history teacher?? My BA is in history (European was as precise as they'd let me get, though period of study was England, 1485-1900 - throw a little bit of France and the Habsburg Empire in there too for good measure). I am currently working towards finishing my Master's in art history; my specialty is Tudor portraiture.
Click to expand...
No hate!

I teach AP US History, Freshman World History, and Sophomore American History.
 
For me it's

1. Raiders
2. Doom
3. Skull
4. Crusade

Last crusade has always felt a little too... easy going for my like.

Crystal Skull certainly had it's detractors, most of all for me was Mutt's tarzan scene, and I didn't care for the Aliens (shut up George, if it looks like a duck and it sounds like a duck...), and Marion's 'said them before in Raiders' introduction lines made me groan, but over all I liked the Villains, the premise give or take, and the pace and style. Albeit Indy could've fired a gun once or twice and I don't think it would've hurt anything... 'cept those commies!

Doom I've always liked, as Indy's character is closer to himself in Raiders.
 
1. Raiders - Setting the standard for the characters high action hijinks, destinations were intimidating, fighting Natzies.
2. Holy Grail - A natural conclusion. Fun father son dynamic with the contrast of the religious academic vs the more rational modern academic. But also those same two people are the "Old Man" and "Junior" and you get to see Indiana Jones get his ear thumped by somebody he can't really fight.. reminds me of my and my dad. Its a movie i can go back to over & over again.
3. Temple of Doom - a close second. Full of action but come on... no Natzies? Going through all that for 3 busted turn signals for a village full of pacifists? The railcar ride was a highlight... that and the alligator death rolls... I wasn't a fan of the Short Round gimmick either. But focus groups showed that kids would find the movie less scary if a kid were involved in all the danger... so there ya go.
4. Crystal Skull - duh... I was glad they made it, but it was in complete contrast to the growth of character I enjoyed from Last Crusade. Atleast he got to throw down on some Commies.
 
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1. Raiders
2. Temple
3. Crusade (in a distant third)

oh and I try to forget that last one! :D
 
1) Raiders-still one of the more impressive chase scenes in a movie. Indy getting dragged underneath the truck. Just an amazing stunt in this day where everything it seems is done with CG.

2) Last Crusade-familiar format of the first one which was a proven winning format. It's a little more refined but a little less gritty.

3) Temple of Doom-has its cheesy moments but kept a lot of grittiness. Really upped the "gross" factor which makes it standout.

4) Did they make a 4th movie? I remember something about a fridge getting nuked and launched in the air but that couldn't have been an Indy movie. Indy gets beat up in his movies.
 
1) Raiders- probably my third favorite movie of all time, right behind Star Wars and Empire. A perfect film in every way.

2) TOD- a little darker, but still fun. Willie was a little annoying, but unlike most people I think, I actually like Short Round. Mola Ram was a really creepy villain. Chilled monkey brains!!!

3)Last Crusade- a little more comedic than the others, but still great. Connery was perfect, he and Ford worked amazingly well together. Plus, the return of Sallah and Marcus!

4)KOTCS- Eh....they get SOMETHING for effort by finally getting together and making a new Indy film, although it was probably 10-15 years too late. I always thought '92-93 would have been a perfect time for a new Indy film. I actually LIKED the nuke the fridge scene, Russians as the antagonists (although they were even more comical than the Nazis in ROTLA/LC) was a good natural progression, and the chase around the college was amusing. Mutt Williams sucked in all ways imaginable, the dialogue was really bad/awkward in many parts, the Mac double-crosses were confusing and lame, and the alien premise, while I didn't have a problem with it being too far-fetched or out of character for an Indy film, was poorly conceived. Also, the whole LOOK of the film is weird...it has an odd dream-like glow/blur that I can only imagine is the side effect of Lucas/Spielberg's infatuation with CGI/modern lighting and cinematography. Either that or my eyes just start to go out whenever I try to watch it.

Where does the "Young Indiana Jones" tv show fit in for everyone? Anyone a fan? I skipped it when it originally aired but watched a bunch on Netflix the last few years (now it's no longer available). It ranged from "bah, that's terrible" to "ehh, that was cute, I guess" to "well, that was fun" but none of the episodes really blew me away.
 
1. Raiders - Still the best but not as watchable for me as it used to be
2. Kingdom - I know I should be ashamed of myself but I really liked it!
3. Temple - Always seemed a little silly - Kah-Li Ma, KA LI MAH!!!
4. Last Crusade - Meh. The Knight scene is the only really cool part.

Now how about for Indy 5? I like Chris Pratt for the new Indy, I think he carries himself with that kind of silly aloof-ness the Indy character has as an undertone. I don't think he is necessarily the best choice for the new Han Solo though.
 
I wouldn't put Kingdom last either. I'd reserve that for Temple of Doom. I enjoyed it, but don't think of it as an Indiana Jones movie. Indy just could have been any random adventurer. Honestly had not idea that it was actually a prequel until I looked it up the other day when thinking about this question.
 
That soft glow that the 4th film has is a common modern day movie thing. They color correct the entire film to the orange spectrum which is more pleasing to the eye. It's also easier to integrate the CGI. The problem is the CGI starts looking fake because the whole movie doesn't look natural. This works in a fantasy type environment but when you are going for a realistic look it just looks weird.

There's a good article about how the CGI in the first Jurassic Park is actually superior to Jurassic World simply because of the post lighting shift.
 
I'm amazed that I'm not the only person who enjoys KOTCS more than TOD o-o

Here's my list, surprisingly identical to a lot of others:

1) "The Last Crusade." Sean Connery, the story, its always been my favorite since I first saw it as a kid.
2) "Raiders of the Lost Ark." It's so hard sometimes not to say this is my favorite, because its *so* close - its a bit darker overall, but still has its light-hearted moments, and it was the perfect introduction to Indy and the Indiana Jones universe.
3) "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." Say what you will, but the excitement of a new Indy movie and a storyline that WASN'T about some religious artifact (refreshing) made for a pretty fun movie IMO. Plus, its set in the 50's and I've always loved all things 50's since I was a kid. The cars and motorcycles, the music, the culture…love it. Sure it had its ridiculous moments like Mutt swinging in the vines, but TOD had a ridiculous mine cart chase scene. At the end of the day, they're movies!
4) "Temple of Doom." As a kid I really liked this movie, and I still do. But the story and the fact that its a prequel and the character of Willie (portrayed perfectly as an overly annoying) make for a film that I don't have the desire to watch all too often.
 
I actually forgot about Mac in KOTCS. I like the actor and I thought he did the role fine, it's just you can literally remove him from the story and it doesn't interrupt anything (ignoring the trackers he dropped, the russians could've just...followed them).
 
Here's my ranking;

Raider- Yes, great action scenes, chases and everything else
Last Crusade- Another great film in the series. Loved Sean Connery as well. I also like Donavon as well too. I met Julian Glover at C5 and that was his favorite role.
TOD and Crystal Skull are tied for last place. TOD- The heart ripping out was a bit much. Willie was annoying but it had its moments same with "Skull" but it too had problems.
 
DarthPete said:
For me it's

1. Raiders
2. Doom
3. Skull
4. Crusade

Last crusade has always felt a little too... easy going for my like.

Crystal Skull certainly had it's detractors, most of all for me was Mutt's tarzan scene, and I didn't care for the Aliens (shut up George, if it looks like a duck and it sounds like a duck...), and Marion's 'said them before in Raiders' introduction lines made me groan, but over all I liked the Villains, the premise give or take, and the pace and style. Albeit Indy could've fired a gun once or twice and I don't think it would've hurt anything... 'cept those commies!

Doom I've always liked, as Indy's character is closer to himself in Raiders.
Click to expand...


Pretty spot-on as to my feelings for the series. I still like Crusade a lot but I find it's lighter, goofier tone and how it basically tries to be Raiders 2.0 put it at the bottom for me. But it and Skull are always close for me.
 
1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. The Last Crusade
3. Temple of Doom
4. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
 
Crystal Skull has grown on me a great deal since the initial viewing but back in 2008 I definitely shared the disappointment.
 
Raiders
Last Crusade
Crystal Skull
Temple of Doom
 
I've seen some rank the Young Indy show in with the movies. It's been so long since I watched them.
 
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Temple of Doom
Last Crusade and Crystal Skull are pretty much a tie for me

I'm a huge Indiana Jones fan, so I really enjoy all of them. I had a blast seeing KOTCS in theaters. It was great to have Indy back on screen. But Raiders is definitely my favorite, followed closely by Temple of Doom. I also collect Indy gear, down to the Alden 405 boots Harrison wears in the movies.
 
Raiders - Nothing can beat the first one
Last Crusade - Loves the story line. Can't go wrong with Sean Connery
Temple of Doom - Great movie. It was very hard to pick between this one and Crusade as my number two. Loved the scene where everyone sits to eat
Crystal Skull - I enjoyed in the first 15 minutes of the movie then the story just didn't hold my interest. Shia LaBeouf is just one big jack*ss and should never have been involved in these movies.
 
IndyMOS said:
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Temple of Doom
Last Crusade and Crystal Skull are pretty much a tie for me

I'm a huge Indiana Jones fan, so I really enjoy all of them. I had a blast seeing KOTCS in theaters. It was great to have Indy back on screen. But Raiders is definitely my favorite, followed closely by Temple of Doom. I also collect Indy gear, down to the Alden 405 boots Harrison wears in the movies.
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That reminds me how I really need to step up my Indy collection.
 
Doomtrooper said:
There is actually, came out back in 2008 ;)
Click to expand...

I don't acknowledge the existence of that movie. It goes into the trash bin in my memory along with the SW prequels & special eds, the Matrix sequels, the Terminator sequels (after T2), and X-Men the Last Stand.

Life is just better this way :)

Phil
 
1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. The Last Crusade
3. The Temple of Doom
4.The Crystal Skull
 
1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. The Last Crusade
3. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
4. Temple of Doom
 
Seeing how awesome Harrison was as Han in TFA and still has it as that character, there's no doubt at all to me he has it in him for one last go as Indy.
 
Slightly off-topic but R.I.P. to Douglas Slocombe, the director of photography on the first three IJ films. Recently passed away at 103. Lived a long life and captured some of the most iconic imagery ever with his work on the original trilogy.
 
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