Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981) - *****
Arguably the greatest adventure movie of all time, Raiders of the Lost Ark marks the beginning of the Indiana Jones series. Harrison Ford is perfectly cast as the charismatic Indiana Jones as he battles with crazed Nazis hell-bent on seizing the 'Ark'. Easily the strongest of the series, Raiders combines humour, thrills and what have now become classic cinematic moments (the rolling ball, the sword fighter, the truck chase) as well as a highly memorable theme tune, to full effect.
Indiana Jones and The Temple Of Doom (1984) - ****
A little known fact is that this movie is actually a prequel, set a year before Raiders. Once again, we have rollicking action and adventure, Harrison Ford in the role he was born to play, amazing locales and an interesting choice to darken the tone of the film in comparison to the first. Kate Capshaw as Willie, is very annoying, whiny, stupid and miserable (think Britt Ekland in The Man With The Golden… more »

Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981) - *****
Arguably the greatest adventure movie of all time, Raiders of the Lost Ark marks the beginning of the Indiana Jones series. Harrison Ford is perfectly cast as the charismatic Indiana Jones as he battles with crazed Nazis hell-bent on seizing the 'Ark'. Easily the strongest of the series, Raiders combines humour, thrills and what have now become classic cinematic moments (the rolling ball, the sword fighter, the truck chase) as well as a highly memorable theme tune, to full effect.
Indiana Jones and The Temple Of Doom (1984) - ****
A little known fact is that this movie is actually a prequel, set a year before Raiders. Once again, we have rollicking action and adventure, Harrison Ford in the role he was born to play, amazing locales and an interesting choice to darken the tone of the film in comparison to the first. Kate Capshaw as Willie, is very annoying, whiny, stupid and miserable (think Britt Ekland in The Man With The Golden Gun), a lot like Marion in the Raiders, but somehow Karen Allen did it better. What's great about Temple Of Doom is the scene in Shanghai, the famous rollercoaster chase and the rather heart-stopping moment during the ritual. Spielberg really manages to darken the mood without losing Indy's charisma. However, Temple Of Doom places too much faith in mediocre slapstick which was done well in Raiders, but less often. Much like the difference between Curse of the Black Pearl and Dead Man's Chest. But not that extreme. Overall, thrilling and nostalgic and most of all, incredibly lovable.
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989) - ****
For me, this just beats Temple Of Doom for second best Indy film. It combines all the wonderful aspects of adventure, mythology and humour, and throws in Sean Connery. Connery really makes this film, and rather miraculously manages to play up Indy without being irritating. On the contrary, Connery provides some of the funniest lines ("She talks in her shleep") and does a great (but too brief) double act with Denholm Elliot. In places, Crusade falls into the same simple gags as Temple of Doom and the story is a bit simplistic in parts. But a cracking finale and some fine performances from Julian Glover and a young River Phoenix as well as a geek-quenching prologue make The Last Crusade one of the top modern adventure movies.