So, you want to watch the Indiana Jones movies in order. Simple, right? You just start with the first one and work your way through. Well, sort of. If you’re a casual fan, you probably think Raiders of the Lost Ark is the beginning of the story. It isn't. Not chronologically, anyway.
The timeline of Dr. Henry Jones Jr. is a messy, beautiful disaster of 1930s pulp, 1980s blockbuster magic, and a 2023 swan song that literally bends time itself. Honestly, if you watch them just by the year they hit theaters, you're missing the "origin" story that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg tucked into the second film.
Let's break down how to actually watch these things without getting lost in the weeds.
The Chronological Order: Starting with the Prequel
If you want the story to flow like a real person’s life, you have to ignore the release dates. Most people forget that Temple of Doom actually takes place a full year before Raiders.
1. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1935)
This is where the confusion usually starts. Release-wise, it was the second movie (1984). Story-wise? It’s a prequel. Set in 1935, we see a slightly more mercenary, "fortune and glory" version of Indy. He hasn't quite become the guy who cares about "putting it in a museum" yet. He’s hanging out in Shanghai, escaping gangsters, and crashing a plane into the Himalayas with a lounge singer named Willie Scott and a 12-year-old kid named Short Round.
Why make it a prequel? George Lucas basically didn't want to use Nazis as villains twice in a row. By jumping back to 1935, he could shove Indy into a dark, cult-heavy horror-adventure in India without having to explain why Hitler's guys weren't crawling all over the place. It's the darkest entry—literally led to the creation of the PG-13 rating because it was too gross for kids but not "R" enough for adults.
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2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1936)
The 1981 masterpiece. This is 1936 Indy. He’s a bit more weathered, a bit more principled, and he’s back in the classroom when he isn't dodging giant boulders in Peru. This is the definitive Indiana Jones experience. You’ve got the Ark of the Covenant, the desert chases, and Marion Ravenwood—who, let's be real, is the only person who can actually keep up with him.
3. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1938)
We jump to 1938. The Nazis are back, and they’re obsessed with the Holy Grail. This movie is secretly a father-son therapy session disguised as an action flick. Sean Connery plays Henry Jones Sr., and their chemistry is basically the reason this movie works so well. We also get a flashback to 1912 at the beginning, showing a teenage Indy (River Phoenix) and explaining where he got the hat, the whip, and the snake phobia.
4. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (1957)
A massive time jump. It’s now 1957. The world has moved from the dusty 30s to the atomic 50s. Instead of Nazis, we have Soviets led by a very cold Cate Blanchett. Indy is older, grumpier, and finding out he has a son named Mutt. People love to hate on the "nuking the fridge" scene or the CGI monkeys, but it’s a vital part of the timeline that shows Indy aging out of his era.
5. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (1969)
The final chapter. Most of this takes place in 1969 against the backdrop of the Moon Landing. Indy is retiring. He feels like a relic in a world that’s looking at the stars instead of the dirt. But the movie also features a massive prologue set in 1944 (using that "de-aging" tech on Harrison Ford) that bridges the gap between the classic trilogy and the modern era. It’s a bittersweet ending that tackles the one thing Indy can’t outrun: time.
The Release Date Order: The Way We All Saw Them
If you aren't a timeline nerd and just want to experience the franchise the way the world did, here is the list of all the indiana jones movies in order by theatrical release:
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- Raiders of the Lost Ark (June 12, 1981)
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (May 23, 1984)
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (May 24, 1989)
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (May 22, 2008)
- Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (June 30, 2023)
Watching them this way is actually pretty rewarding. You get to see the filmmaking evolve. You watch Spielberg move from the gritty, practical stunts of the 80s into the digital playground of the 2000s. You also see Harrison Ford age in real-time, which adds a layer of "meta" sadness to his final performance in Dial of Destiny.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Timeline
There’s a huge misconception that these movies are a tight, serialized narrative. They aren't.
For the first three films, they were designed as "serials"—like the old Saturday morning matinees. They were meant to be standalone adventures. That’s why Indy seems to forget he saw literal magic at the end of every movie. In Raiders, he calls the Ark "hocus pocus," despite the fact that a year earlier (in Temple of Doom), he saw a guy rip a heart out with his bare hands using dark magic.
It’s not a plot hole; it’s just how they wrote movies back then. Indy is a skeptic by nature. He has to be. If he believed in everything he saw, he’d stop being a scientist and start being a wizard.
The "Secret" Middle Ground: The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
If you’re a completionist, there’s an entire TV show from the 90s called The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. It covers his life from age 9 to 21. It’s actually pretty wild—Indy meets everyone from Tolstoy to Picasso to Al Capone.
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Most fans skip it because Harrison Ford isn't the lead (though he does cameo in one episode with a beard), but if you want the full context of his relationship with his father, it’s worth a look. It fills in the gaps between the 1912 flashback in Last Crusade and the 1935 start of Temple of Doom.
Actionable Insights for Your Rewatch
If you're planning a marathon, don't just hit play. Here’s how to get the most out of the series:
- Watch Temple of Doom first if you want to see Indy’s character arc go from "greedy treasure hunter" to "protector of history." It makes his transition in Raiders feel earned.
- Pay attention to the scars. The scar on Harrison Ford's chin is real, but the movies actually gave it an "origin story" in Last Crusade.
- Look for the Star Wars Easter eggs. Lucas and Spielberg were best friends. There are hidden images of R2-D2 and C-3PO in the hieroglyphics in Raiders, and the club at the start of Temple of Doom is literally called "Club Obi-Wan."
- Skip the "nuke the fridge" logic. Just accept it. The movies are tall tales. If he can survive a submarine ride by hanging onto a periscope, he can survive a lead-lined fridge.
The best way to experience the saga is to embrace the messiness. Whether you go chronologically or by release date, the core is the same: a guy with a whip, a hat, and a really bad attitude toward Nazis.
To get started, track down the 4K remasters of the original trilogy. The color grading on the newer releases finally fixes some of the blue-screen issues from the 80s, making the stunts in Raiders look like they were filmed yesterday. Turn off the motion smoothing on your TV, grab some popcorn, and start with 1935. It's a hell of a ride.