He might make a living digging up ancient artifacts that have been lost to antiquity, but it’s hard to imagine Indiana Jones ever fading into history as Harrison Ford’s iconic action/adventure hero is truly one of the great cinematic characters. In 2023, Indy returned for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the much-fabled fifth entry in the archaeologist’s saga that finally materialized after 15 years.
While Dial of Destiny has yet to arrive on Disney Plus (although we can hazard a guess that it’ll premiere sometime around September or October), the good news is that the first four movies starring the fedora-adorned, whip-cracking, snake-fearing fellow are yours to stream if you have an account on the platform. While the adventures of Indy are not as complex to watch through as, say, the MCU or Star Wars, they still require a bit of foreknowledge if you wish to binge them in chronological, rather than release, order.
So, if you want to relive the life and times of Dr. Henry Walton Jones Jr. the correct way, here’s how. Oh, and if you don’t happen to have a Disney Plus subscription, you can always rent or buy the movies on the likes of Amazon Prime, Vudu, Apple TV Plus, YouTube, and Google Play.
Extra homework: The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992-93)
For those completists out there, the most appropriate place to start watching the Indiana Jones franchise is with the largely unsung spinoff TV series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. This early-’90s show ran for 28 episodes and four TV movies, exploring the equally exciting adolescence of the future hero. Sean Patrick Flanery took over the role of teen Indy from Last Crusade‘s River Phoenix, with Ford himself even turning up for a couple of cameos in flashforwards. The series has enjoyed renewed appreciation recently following news Disney is developing a rebooted TV show. It can be found on Disney Plus in the U.S.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Co-starring: Kate Capshaw (Willie Scott), Ke Huy Quan (Short Round), Amrish Puri (Mola Ram), Roshan Seth (Chattar Lal), and Phillip Stone (Captain Blumburtt).
Temple of Doom is the second entry in the original Indy trilogy in release order, but if you’re wanting to approach the franchise chronologically then you should watch it first, as it’s actually set one year before the events of Raiders in 1935. This isn’t explicitly referenced in the plot, though, so it can be enjoyed in either order. Assuming, that is, you can get past both the dark tone, (which even Spielberg admits went too far), and the pretty offensive depiction of Hinduism and Indian culture.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Co-starring: Karen Allen (Marion Ravenwood), Paul Freeman (René Belloq), Ronald Lacey (Arnold Toht), John Rhys-Davies (Sallah), and Denholm Elliot (Marcus Brody).
Indiana Jones first cracked his whip onto our screens in Raiders of the Lost Ark. From the minds of director Steven Spielberg and screenwriter George Lucas, both at the height of their powers, this original adventure for the globe-trotting tomb raider is still widely regarded as the finest in the franchise. It certainly contains the most moments that have achieved pop culture immortality — yes, this is the one with the opening boulder chase and the ending where the Nazi’s face melts.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Co-starring: Sean Connery (Henry Jones Sr.), Denholm Elliot (Marcus Brody), Alison Doody (Elsa Schneider), John Rhys-Davies (Sallah), and Julian Glover (Walter Donovan).
Five years after Temple of Doom, what was supposed to be the final ever outing for Indy was released in the form of the now laughably titled Last Crusade. Thankfully everything else about the 1938-set movie still holds up, with the pairing of Ford’s “Junior” with his father, Dr. Henry Jones Sr. (the one and only Sean Connery) proving to be a stroke of genius. It may not strike quite the perfect tonal balance as Raiders but Crusade remains easily the second-best Indy flick.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
Co-starring: Cate Blanchett (Irina Spalko), Karen Allen (Marion Ravenwood), Ray Winstone (“Mac” MicHale), John Hurt (“Ox” Oxley), Jim Broadbent (Dean Stanforth), and Shia LaBeouf (Mutt Williams).
After a break of 19 years, Ford, Spielberg, and Lucas dared to revisit the franchise with the now-notorious Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, taking place in 1957. There’s so much that’s hated about this one, from the inclusion of Shia LaBeouf as Indy’s estranged son to the decision to switch from mysticism to aliens (apparently Lucas forgot this wasn’t a Star Wars), that most fans were happy to never see another new entry in the saga ever again. But, of course, Disney didn’t get that memo…
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Co-starring: Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Helena Shaw), John Rhys-Davies (Sallah), Mads Mikkelsen (Voller), Shaunette Renee Wilson (Mason), Toby Jones (Basil Shaw), and Boyd Holbrook (Klaber).
Yes, in the second longest gap between movies, Dial of Destiny finally hit theaters this June, 15 years after Kingdom of Crystal Skull. Near sacrilegiously, this was the first Indy film not to be directed by Spielberg, with James Mangold (Logan) stepping into his enormous shoes. Likewise, Lucas is no longer involved on the writing side. After Kingdom jumped forward to the Cold War scene of the 1950s, Dial revolves around the Space Race in 1969, although thanks to its time travel twist, segments of the movie technically take place before any other entries in the Indiana Jones saga.
