As fans still try to make up their minds aboutIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, one thing’s for sure. The film was the inevitable conclusion to a character that must rest. Hang his hat, the whip, and the costume, and take a break from all the treasure-hunting. In his latest adventure, he didn’t exactly pass the torch, butHarrison Fordproved that there’s only one who can do Indiana Jones.
To celebrate the character, there’s probably no better way than to take a few steps back and revisit his whole run. Everyone will cry out of nostalgia, and as usual, they will laugh at Indy’s silly manners. Let’s count down Indiana Jones' most iconic moments while we highlight some of the worst moments but also spotlight the best the series had to offer. Great movies can have scenes that don’t work, and movies that are seen as bad can do some things right. This is a celebration of Indiana Jones and 42 years of action adventure.
Update June 30, 2025: WithIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destinynow for purchase on PVOD and arriving on Disney+ in December, this article has been updated with more moments from the franchise, including the most recent release.
13Worst - Mutt Becomes Tarzan (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skullis certainly a controversial film, but while some fans might cite the worst element of it as the aliens or the nuking the fridge scene, the true worst part of it was Shia LaBeouf swinging through the forest with CGI monkeys. Obviously, these movies are adventure serials, and it plays off Marion referring to the monkey inRaiders of the Lost Arkas her and Indy’s “baby” to now have their literal baby swinging through the trees, but symbolic callback does not excuse the scene.
The act on its own is ridiculous enough. Add to that some not-so-stellar CGI and the fact that Mutt was a bit of a hard sell to many fans. It’s easy to see why this was one of the most hated scenes in the entire franchise. He just wasn’t Indy, and doing that was only possible in the hands of the iconic archaeologist/professor/raider.
12Best - Motorcycle Chase (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull)
WhileCrystal Skull may get a bad rap from many fans of the franchise, it’s important to still acknowledge where the film succeeds, and one of its biggest successes is the motorcycle chase scene where Indy and Mutt escape from the usual baddies by driving all over the campus of a school, leading to some hilarious interactions that remind us of the mythic figure’s position as a college professor. Great way to meet each other. It also contains one of the most hilarious Akira slides ever put on cinema, turning the classic homage on its head in a unique and true to character way.
11Worst - Child Slavery (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom)
Temple of Doomis not exactly a fan favorite. Many things seem wrong about the film today, and one of those things is how violent it is. Now, violence has always been a part of the Indiana Jones universe. The first film even showeda German dude getting shredded to bitsby the propellers of a plane. But when violence is caused by humans, it just works differently, if it actually works at all.
The child slaves inTemple of Doomand the violence they’re subjected to is just too much for today’s standards, and even back then, was seen as a step too far. There is a reason whyTemple of Doomis Spielberg’s least favorite in the franchise.
10Best - Aliens (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull)
The general discourse on Indy whenIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skullcame out was very negative. It still is, to a point, but the film has its defenders. One of the biggest complaints about the movie was the decision to include aliens as the big end reveal and the main source of the mystery in the movie. This is an incredibly silly thing to be upset about. It’s a franchise that includes a face-melting ark of the covenant, a cup that instantly ages you hundreds of years, and literal magic that allows the user to physically take someone’s heart out of their chest… but including aliens, is when the franchise finally jumped the shark?
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No, the real problem is that the movie does a surprisingly efficient job of creating an alluring mystery surrounding the titular prop, and the big alien reveal is set up immaculately, but then it turns out to be a disappointing CGI-fest that immediately makes the 2008 film feel more dated than most of the original ’80s trilogy. It’s especially a bummer because, prior to the film, the franchise was so infamous for its stunning use of practical effects and fantastic high-quality props.
9Worst - Chilled Monkey Brains (Indiana Jones and the temple of Doom)
Perhaps it read as a simple and silly little joke at the time, but the entire banquet scene inIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doomhas aged poorly. Sadly, the middle child of the franchise suffers from a seemingly endless string of casual racism that can make the film a lot more difficult to enjoy nowadays, especially for newcomers to the franchise.
The concept of stumbling upon a hidden sect of some religion that feasts on monkey brains is an inherently striking idea. However, the optics of a white woman hysterically fainting as she watches several South Asian men greedily slurp up and devour the primate parfait, all while the camera lurches on them, focusing on the grotesque nature of the act—it all just leaves a very poor taste in the mouth, no pun intended.
8Best - Indy Chooses Wisely (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)
The Last Crusadeis, depending on who you’re talking to, the true highlight of theIndiana Jonesfranchise.Raidersmay have more iconic moments, butCrusaderefines and perfects the Indiana Jones formula, all the while making quirky new additions like Sean Connery that liven the trope-y genre. However, this doesn’t mean there aren’t any hardcore signature Indy moments.
Case in point: the beloved Holy Grail scene.
Walter Donovan’s dusty end was a classic effects moment that made audiences around the world reminisce about the ark of the covenant, but add on to that Indy’s triumphant and pulse-pounding wise choice of grail leads to one of his most heroic acts: saving his father’s life.
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7Worst - Jumping Out of a Plane In a Raft (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom)
The nuking the fridge scene in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull but it certainly was not the first time Indiana Jones escaped a insane situation by defing the laws of reality. He survived a plane crash (and a 1000+ foot drop) with nothing but an inflatable raft.
If there’s one momentCrystal Skull haters should look back on, and realize maybe the legacy sequel wasn’t so much of a ridiculous and egregious stain on the franchise, it’s this moment. Surviving the most dangerous and daunting of situations in the most unrealistic ways is just what Indiana Jones does! But for those whose suspension of disbelief only goes so far, thisTemple of Doommoment was likely a major head-scratcher.
6Best - The Bridge Standoff (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom)
Temple of Doommay have its fair share of silly or poorly thought-out scenes, but at its heart, it’s still an Indiana Jones picture; that means there’s no shortage of well-crafted scenes, wholly unique action set-pieces, and tension-filled showdowns. The standoff on the bridge at the end of the film is one of the best examples of all three of these great qualities coming together to create a truly memorable scene. Not only is it likely the best scene in the film, but it’s also a terrific climax that feels a lot more Raiders-esque than the rest of the movie.
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5Worst - CGI Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destinyhas a bold idea to start the film with a scene taking audiences back to Indiana Jones’s early adventures to after the original trilogy, giving them a nice blast from the past. The film usedde-aging technologythat takes Harrison Ford to look like he did during the 1980s…when ever he doesn’t speak.
The problem arises is that Ford’s voice has clearly aged, and sounds at odds with how he looks. The de-aging technology also looks rough in certain scenes. When he is at a distance or moving it covers up the uncanny valleyness of it but in other shots where he is interacting with regular actors, it becomes distracting. It was a nice idea that bites off more than it can chew.
4Best - Indy Brings a Gun to a Sword Fight (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
Raiders of the Lost Arkis so iconic that nearly every scene from it could fill up its very own list of greatest Indiana Jones moments, but one of our favorites comes partway through the movie, as Indy must face off against a giant sword-wielding baddie right after having fought several other goons. Our exhausted hero lazily pulls out his revolver andends the fight before it even beginsin comedic fashion.
Acts like this would define the character of Indiana Jones. It also was one that was not originally scripted. The original idea was for Indiana Jones to engage in a sword fight, but actor Harrison Ford was sick from food poisoning so he suggested the idea of shooting the villain, and history was made. That signature combination of adventurous spirit to go along with a comic cynicism that often helps more than it hurts is what makes Indy really stand out among many of the biggest 80s icons.
