All 5 Indiana Jones movies ranked from worst to best

Disney and Lucasfilm are set to release a brand new entry in the Indiana Jones franchise: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, directed by James Mangold.

This is the first new Indiana Jones movie since 2008. It will apparently not only be the last time Harrison Ford dons the fedora and whip, but the last Indiana Jones film ever. With the final film on its way to theaters, let’s take a look back at the first four Indiana Jones movies and rank them from worst to best.

5. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Oh Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, why on earth were you made? I do admit, rewatching this movie made me realize it isn’t as bad as I remember, but it’s still the worst movie of the franchise by a long shot.

What’s mind-boggling is the fact that most of the pieces from the original trilogy are in place. Steven Spielberg directed, John Williams came up with a great score like he always does and George Lucas came up with the story. Everything is there to make a good Indiana Jones film, but it just doesn’t have the right feel.

Maybe it’s that having Soviets as the bad guys just isn’t as satisfying as seeing Indiana punch out Nazis. Or maybe it’s the generally dull side characters, most notably Indiana’s long-lost son Mutt, played by Shia LaBeouf. After spending half the movie getting second guessed by this incapable greaser, Indiana blows a gasket when he finds out that Mutt is his son. I’d be pretty aggravated too if I found out my son willingly goes by the name Mutt.

Another pitfall is that the main plot revolves around aliens. Yes, the other movies involve unrealistic elements like voodoo magic, immortality and the power of god. Still, aliens seem a little far-fetched for this world. The end of the movie sees main villain Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) place the crystal skull on a skeleton made of the same material. An inter-dimensional portal then opens and sucks in all the Soviets. Before Spalko joins them, all the alien skeletons in the room combine into one flesh-and-blood being that gives Spalko all the knowledge she so desperately wanted, killing her. The Peruvian temple turns into a space ship and disappears before the group’s eyes.

There are entertaining parts of this movie, such as the jeep chase scene in the jungle where Mutt and Irina have a fencing match. This part gets a lot of criticism for the CGI monkeys and Mutt tarzaning through the jungle with them, but it reminds me of the speeder chase in Return of the Jedi and I think it works. The return of Marion Ravenwood is also great since she is easily the most iconic female lead from the original trilogy. We also find out that Indy left her a week before their wedding. Not a good look, Indy. But they tie the knot at the very end in a touching ceremony.

All in all, this movie is a bit goofy but I don’t think it warrants the trashing is usually gets and it is worth a watch.