Rank the Indiana Jones Films (Spoilers for Indy 4)

[tomalak301]

I've finally seen all the films of this series. Some I haven't seen in ages (Raiders and Last Crusade) but I saw two today for the first time: KOTCS and Temple of Doom.

Given our excitement, how would you rank the movies from favorite to least favorite. Me personally, I love these series of films (I think Back to the Future might be my favorite series but Indiana Jones is right up there) and it's great cool that I've finally seen all of them. Anyway, my rankings, after tonight:

The Last Crusade

I'm not sure if I'm in a minority or not on this one but this is my favorite. I loved Connery in the film as Dr. Jones' father and both he and Ford had great chemistry on screen together. Also, the jokes were funny, and the plot was interesting. Like I said, it's been a while since I've seen this film but will watch it soon enough again.

Raiders of the Lost Ark

I can't say too much about this film. I remember really liking it and the famous running from the ball scene always gets to me. I've definately got to see this movie again.

Kingdom of the Chrystal Skull

Yes, so it was very over the top with jungle superhero scenes and the end scene that felt like Steven Speilburg was getting Nolstalgic for a Close Encounters of the Third Kind remake, but I was entertained. The pace was good, the mystery and hunt for the kingdom was great, and there was some good humor.

Temple of Doom

For anyone who calls KOTCS was cheesy, wow this one took the cake easily. The kid being all superhero knocking out guys like triple his size? Jones still having a beating heart at the end after the guy kind of squeezed it tight. Still, I was entertained by it and the rollercoaster ride chase scene in the rail system was really cool.

So what say you.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

Given our excitement, how would you rank the movies from favorite to least favorite.

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark.
2. The three other Indiana Jones movies.
3. Other adventure movies.

 

[archeryguy1701]

1. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull- An incredible amount of fun. Yeah, it was a bit over the top, but it added to the fun for me. I have never watched a movie, never, and have felt as giddy as I did tonight. I really was a work of art for me. The only thing that would have made it better was Nazis and their tendancy to use vehicles and buildings that explode real nice for no reason.

2. The Last Crusade- A good movie with a good story. I had a good amount of fun, and I loved the Ford/ Connery interaction.

3.Raiders of the Lost Ark- The one that started it all. It set the precedents for the following movies, had a good story, and had its own share of fun.

4. Temple of Doom- Not a horrible movie, but it wasn't anywhere near the others. It was really hokey, and not the fun kind of hokey for me. It was just hokey.

 

[Hitman]

I rank all in the same level. All the ups and downs make them excellent.

 

[EnsignRicky]

1 Raiders Of The Lost Ark

2 The Last Crusade

3 The Temple Of Doom

4 The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I need to see The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull a few more times before can justly rank it amongst the other three, which I've seen countless of times.

 

[Evil Twin]

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark

2. The Last Crusade

3. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

4. The Temple of Doom

 

[Ethros]

I need to see The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull a few more times before can justly rank it amongst the other three, which I've seen countless of times.

Agreed, its hard to place it. All I can see is Raiders is obviously the best, Temple the least best and Kingdom was on the same "very, very good but not as good as Raiders" level as Last Crusade (all IMO)

 

[Kolrad]

1. The Last Crusade - This is a case of a movie just being a sentimental favorite for me. The interaction between Ford and Connery makes every scene they're both in a joy to watch. The movie hits all the right emotional notes from start to finish and has a very satisfying ending. I'm always ready to watch it again.

2. Raiders of the Lost Ark - There's not much more I can say about this one that hasn't been said. It's a true classic in pretty much every frame.

3. The Temple of Doom - It's my least favorite of the old trilogy, but it's not nearly as bad as it's made out to be. It's got plenty of action sequences worthy of the first movie (the opening, the raft, the mine cart chase, the rope bridge); it just suffers from an annoying sidekick and some bizarre representations of Indian culture.

4. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - This really isn't the sort of review I expected to be giving this film. There is nothing obnoxious or distasteful about it, and there are in fact several character moments (Indy and Marian still have great chemistry) and some action sequences (the warehouse scene, most of the jeep sequence in the jungle) that work well. There's just one scene where both elements combine (trying to rescue Indy from quicksand using a snake), and it's inspired.

For those elements, Crystal Skull is worth seeing at least once. But I have to rate it the lowest of the series because it's the first Indy movie to have extended sequences of boredom. The beginning drags terribly between reminding us in every way possible that it's the 1950s and giving us way too much exposition. And the ending is too inaccessible to be satisfying. The idea that the aliens were archaeologists was interesting-- why not reveal a bit more about their purpose rather than leaving everything a mystery in "Close Encounters" style?

 

[davejames]

I've got to go with release order:

Raiders
Doom
Crusade
Skull

And it's probably not a coincidence either that each film gets progressively more campy (and further away from the original, gritty, badass Indy I love) than the next.

And it just boggles the mind that anyone could fine Skull better than ANY of the originals. After a pretty good start, the movie just becomes a slow, dull, talky mess. The dialogue had none of the snap and wit of the other movies, the characters were flat and lifeless, and the crystal skull macguffin had no mystery to it whatsoever (the minute you see the thing you know how the movie is going to end).

Say what you will about Temple of Doom's story, but at least that movie had some energy and LIFE to it.

 

[JacksonArcher]

Say what you will about Temple of Doom's story, but at least that movie had some energy and LIFE to it.

Yet it has the utterly annoying and useless sidekick Short Round and love interest Willie Scott, whose moaning and screaming make the scenes they're in (and unfortunately they're in a lot) completely unbearable to me. There are a few badass moments in the film that are true Indy moments and are akin to Raiders of the Lost Ark in both style and substance, but a majority of Temple of Doom I can't even watch.

I'd rank Raiders as naturally my favorite, with The Last Crusade in a close second. I'll basically repeat everything that's been said about that film -- the chemistry between Ford and Connery really sells it.

Next is Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. At least it has the interactions between Indy, Marion and Mutt. And some classic Indy moments.

Temple of Doom is obviously and naturally last, for the reasons mentioned above. I will concede that the movies get progressively lighter and campier, but all the badass moments of Temple of Doom can't get me past Willie Scott and Short Round, two truly horrible additions that if removed would make the movie much more tolerable in my opinion.

 

[Goliath]

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

...though Raiders is really in a class by itself. None of the sequels even come close.

A lot of people seem to dislike Temple of Doom, but it's always been my second-favourite, for three reasons:

--I like the historical setting. While far from being an "historical" movie, Temple of Doom's plot makes sense within the context of British India in the 1930s: the mad high priest of the long-outlawed Thuggee cult seeking the supernatural power he needs to throw off the British yoke and cast down Britain's god. And while Pankot itself was fictional, many Indian states were in fact ruled by native princes--albeit with British "advisors". It made sense that Mola Ram would try to use one such native prince as his instrument, and that a nationalistic western-educated "babu" like the Prime Minister would be attracted to Mola Ram's promised shortcut to Indian independence. Finally, while British imperial rule may have been bad, what Mola Ram promised was clearly worse: the mere fact that he would steal the Shiva Linga from Mayapore and condemn its people to famine and misery showed that he cared more about power than the people's welfare.

--second, I like the fact that it's just so dark. The villains are more villainous, and more memorable, than in any other Indiana Jones movie. Even the Chinese gangster at the beginning is memorable--his maniacal laughter as he sprayed bullets from his tommy gun was chilling. And of course, the first human-sacrifice scene was unforgettable. By comparison, I don't even remember the villains from Last Crusade.

--finally, I like the fact that it's just so extreme. Unlike the other films, it abandons any pretence of naturalism, and makes no attempt to seem "realistic" or "believeable": it's sheer fantasy. It's the exact opposite of Raiders, which was very naturalistic--and the last two movies have occupied an uneasy and unsatisfying middle ground between the first two.

There is a lot to dislike in Temple of Doom, but in my opinion, it was the last time Spielberg tried to do something new and different with the series. Every Indiana-Jones film since has just been a retread--much like every James-Bond movie after From Russia With Love and before Casino Royale.

 

[Norrin Radd]

I was watching ToD the other day. One scene I can't stand is when he's awakened by out of his trance by Shortround and then proceeds to save the chick. None of the thugees can get to him because he's on the other side of the chasm.

So why don't they just shoot him?

"Bring out the fucking arrows!!!!", I'm screaming at the television. I mean, he's just running around, completely out in the open. They finally do it during the bridge scene, but not here.

 

[DigificWriter]

If I absolutely had to rank the films, I'd go KotCS, ToD (which has always been my favorite film), TLC, and RotLA. Of course, it's really hard to rank the films because, to me, they're all great. Indy has always been a consistently quality franchise, IMO, primarily because it doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is: an action-filled big-screen serial.

 

[Goliath]

"Bring out the fucking arrows!!!!", I'm screaming at the television. I mean, he's just running around, completely out in the open. They finally do it during the bridge scene, but not here.

Do you usually bring your bow with you to church?

I think the most likely explanation here is that the Thuggee archers were standing guard outside the Temple of Doom, and couldn't get inside quickly enough to stop Jones's escape.

But as I implied above: you probably shouldn't be looking for plausibility in a movie where people use an inflatable raft as a parachute, and a mine cart as a roller coaster.

 

[archeryguy1701]

^Ah, but if I remember the Myth Buster correctly, they did prove the raft parachute as plausible.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

^Ah, but if I remember the Myth Buster correctly, they did prove the raft parachute as plausible.

Interesting you mentioned that, because I thought of them a few times while The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, particularly the car/motorcycle fight and the waterfall drops. Slightly off topic, but I also thought of them when I saw the trailer Wanted before the movie when Angelina Jolie swoops James McAvoy with her spinning car in the parking garage (people who've seen the teaser know what I'm talking about).

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

^Ah, but if I remember the Myth Buster correctly, they did prove the raft parachute as plausible.

No, they completely busted using it the way Indy did. The one that they got results from was the escape slide, and that was only with the weight of one person. Not three.

As for my ranking, If forced I would say this:

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

But that's just an initial recation. KOTCS doesn't have nearly the familiarity for me that the other three do. It may take some time to truly know how it holds up.

 

[Kelso]

1) Raiders/ Last Crusade

2) Temple/ Kingdom

 

[clint g]

If i were to rank it would be

Last Crusade
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Temple of Doom

.Honestly, I think in many ways Raiders and Last Crusade are on par with each other. What pushes Last Crusade over the top though is the Sean Connery/Harrison Ford interaction. The chemistry was just perfect and it made for the best adventure film I had ever seen. As others have said though, tis hard to rate Kingdom since it just came out and Ive only seen it once. I've seen all of the others a bunch of times.