Indiana Jones film franchise
The Indiana Jones film franchise is a highly acclaimed series of five feature-length films, known for its blend of adventure, archaeology, and fantastical elements. It follows Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Jr., commonly known as Indiana Jones, an archaeologist played by Harrison Ford. The franchise began with "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in 1981 and continued with significant entries like "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" (1984) and "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (1989). The series has been recognized for its cultural impact, earning a place among the most successful movie franchises of all time, with global box-office earnings of approximately $1.08 billion.
The films are characterized by their action-packed narratives, often set against historical backdrops and featuring mythical artifacts. The fifth installment, "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," was released in 2023, marking the continuation of the franchise into a new era. While the earlier films received widespread acclaim, the later entries have sparked mixed reactions among audiences and critics. The franchise emerged from the creative partnership of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, inspired by classic action-adventure serials and real-life explorers. As a beloved part of cinematic history, Indiana Jones remains a symbol of adventure and nostalgia for generations of viewers.
Indiana Jones film franchise
Consisting of five feature-length films, the Indiana Jones franchise ranks among the most popular and profitable movie franchises of all time. The films follow the exploits of Indiana Jones, portrayed in all five films by actor Harrison Ford, an archeologist and adventurer with deep knowledge of ancient civilizations and their mystic traditions. The franchise debuted in 1981 with the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark, while its fifth entry, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, appeared in 2023.
According to Box Office Mojo, the five original entries in the franchise have generated worldwide box-office revenues of approximately $1.08 billion. In a 2005 update of its “100 Years” series commemorating great achievements during the first century of US filmmaking, the American Film Institute ranked Indiana Jones second among the fifty film heroes included in its “100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains” list, behind only Atticus Finch of To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).
Background
The concept for the Indiana Jones franchise was hatched in the late 1970s by filmmakers George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. At the time, Lucas and Spielberg were two of Hollywood’s major up-and-coming talents. Spielberg had just achieved massive success with the release of Jaws (1975), while Lucas was preparing for the initial release of his iconic science fiction epic, Star Wars (1977). During a meeting in Hawaii, where Lucas and Spielberg were both vacationing, the filmmakers began to discuss the possibility of collaborating on a project. Lucas pitched Spielberg on a concept for an action movie set during the 1930s. The concept featured an adventurous archeologist commissioned to stop the Nazis in their pursuit of the mystical Ark of the Covenant, a legendary relic from the Judeo-Christian religious tradition.
Indiana Jones, the moniker of Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Jr., was inspired by Roy Chapman Andrews, a naturalist and explorer whose intrepid expeditions became the stuff of legend during the twentieth century. Andrews’ signature fedora and hatred of snakes were transposed directly onto the Indiana Jones character. The development of the franchise’s debut entry accelerated after the 1979 release of Spielberg’s film 1941. Lucas and Spielberg, who shared a nostalgia for the efficiently produced action-adventure short serials of the 1930s and 1940s, decided to adopt a similar aesthetic for the project, which was initially planned as a three-part franchise.
Casting Ford in the role of Indiana Jones was Lucas’s decision. Ford, who had already appeared in multiple Lucas films including American Graffiti (1973) and Star Wars, was still a relatively unknown commodity in Hollywood at the time. Lucas has stated in interviews that he preferred to work with lesser-known actors.
Raiders of the Lost Ark commenced principal photography in June 1980, with Lucas acting as the film’s producer and Spielberg directing. The film was shot at various locales in England, France, Tunisia, and Hawaii, and was released in the United States in June 1981.
Overview
Raiders of the Lost Ark was an instant hit, becoming a cultural sensation and earning a place as one of the most iconic Hollywood films of the 1980s. The film’s story centers on Indiana Jones’s efforts to prevent a French Nazi collaborator, Dr. René Belloq, from obtaining the legendary Ark of the Covenant on behalf of the German government in 1936, as prewar tensions were rising in Europe and globally. Raiders of the Lost Ark generated $212.2 million in global box-office receipts and earned nine Academy Award nominations, winning in four categories including best art direction, best sound, best editing, and best visual effects.
The film’s runaway success was repeated in 1984 with the release of the franchise’s second entry, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which was also produced by Lucas and directed by Spielberg. In the sequel, Indiana Jones searches for three mystical sacred rocks stolen from a village in India by members of a bloodthirsty cult. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom earned $179.9 million at the global box office while earning one Academy Award win in the best visual effects category. Though Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was a commercial and popular success, critical reaction to the film was mixed.
Originally intended as the final entry in a three-part franchise, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) reassembled Ford in the starring role with Spielberg directing and Lucas producing. Released in the United States during the 1989 Memorial Day weekend, the events of the film take place two years after Raiders of the Lost Ark, and focus on Indiana’s efforts to save his missing father while preventing Nazi forces from obtaining the Holy Grail, which in the Christian tradition is the cup used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade met with overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics and audiences, earning a strong box-office take of $197.2 million.
Lucas and Spielberg went on to revive the franchise in the twenty-first century, with Lucas producing and Spielberg directing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). Set some two decades after the events of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the fourth installment in the franchise engaged Cold War tensions through an action-adventure plot centered around a mysterious supernatural skull belonging to a lost ancient civilization. Despite generating a major anticipatory buzz and becoming the franchise’s most commercially successful entry with $317.1 million in box-office earnings, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull divided audiences and received a lukewarm critical response. Similar reactions greeted Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), which featured an aging Ford in the leading role and marked Spielberg’s ceding of directorial duties for the franchise to filmmaker James Mangold.
Bibliography
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Counter, Rosemary. “The Unbelievable True Stories of the Real Indiana Jones.” Vanity Fair, 30 June 2023, www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/06/real-indiana-jones-roy-chapman-andrews. Accessed 7 Oct. 2023.
“Franchise: Indiana Jones.” Box Office Mojo, 2023, www.boxofficemojo.com/franchise/fr3209137925/. Accessed 7 Oct. 2023.
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” Internet Movie Database, 2023, www.imdb.com/name/nm0003506/. Accessed 7 Oct. 2023.
“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” Internet Movie Database, 2023, www.imdb.com/title/tt0367882/. Accessed 7 Oct. 2023.
“Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” Internet Movie Database, 2023, www.imdb.com/title/tt0097576/. Accessed 7 Oct. 2023.
“Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” Internet Movie Database, 2023, www.imdb.com/title/tt0087469/. Accessed 7 Oct. 2023.
“Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Internet Movie Database, 2023, www.imdb.com/title/tt0082971/. Accessed 7 Oct. 2023.