Your Complete Guide to the Indiana Jones Movies

"Raiders of the Lost Ark" is the first-ever Indiana Jones film, and its widely considered the best of the bunch. Set in 1936, in the film, Indy races against a Nazi archaeologist who wants the Ark of the Covenant, believed to make an army invisible. It became the highest-grossing film of 1981. Like the other Indiana Jones films, it features an iconic score from composer John Williams, including the instantly-recognizable Indiana Jones theme.

"Temple of Doom," released in 1984, technically takes place a year before "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and is set in 1935. In the film, Indiana teams up with nightclub singer Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw, who eventually married director Spielberg) and Short Round, played by then-future Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan in his on-screen debut. In the film, the three agree to help Indian villagers who want them to find a mystical stone and rescue their children.

Quan attended the June 14 "Dial of Destiny" premiere and wrote in part on Instagram, "Indy will always be a hero to Short Round and Harrison Ford will always be a hero to me❣️ I wish he could continue in this role forever, but I was happy to be there last night to see him crack that whip one more time."

Fun fact: "Temple of Doom" and Spielberg helped inspire the Motion Picture Association of America to add the PG-13 rating in between PG and R, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," released in 1989, was generally better received than "Temple of Doom" and it seemed this would be the last movie in the franchise. It sees Indiana search for the mythical Holy Grail in 1938, once again trying to keep it out of Nazi hands. He's joined by his father Henry Jones Sr., played by Sean Connery. Rhys-Davies returns as Sallah and Denholm Elliott returns as Marcus Brody; both original characters were absent from the second installment. River Phoenix also appears as a young Indiana in flashbacks. Alison Doody plays Dr. Elsa Schneider, Indiana's love interest.

2008's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" saw Ford and Spielberg return for another go at the franchise. Set in 1957, this time the villains are Soviet agents who are looking for a crystal skull. Allen finally returns as Marion Ravenwood and Cate Blanchett plays the villain, Soviet agent Irina Spalko. Most notably, Shia LaBeouf joins the cast as Mutt Williams, Indy's son with Marion whom he did not know about. Mutt is a greaser who wears a leather jacket and uses a switchblade for his fighting. The movie was, once again, a box office success but divided critics and fans. Most controversially, at the beginning of the film, Indiana hides in a fridge to escape a nuclear bombing and the movie's skull is directly related to aliens. Many fans would not suspend their disbelief quite that far.

"Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" is the only Indiana jones film to not be directed by Spielberg. Instead, Mangold, whose credits include "Walk the Line" and "Logan," takes the wheel. The 2023 movie, set in 1969, sees Indiana team up with his goddaughter Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) to chase down a Nazi scientist played by Mads Mikkelsen. The movie also features cameos from some of Indiana's old friends while adding in new ones played by Antonio Banderas and Toby Jones.