Summary
TheIndiana Jonesseries redefined action and adventure movies when it first premiered in 1981 withRaiders of the Lost Ark.Indiana Joneshimself is an icon, defining how adventurers from the 20th century should dress and act. Indiana Jones has adventured across the globe, fought Nazis, and recovered mystical artifacts in multiple movies, and even other mediums like video games and TV.
The franchise hasinspired the creation of other gamesand movies in the decades since first capturing the imaginations of viewers. While the entire series is worth watching even more than four decades after release, some of its scenes across 5 movies are still a cut above the rest, and fans can’t wait to see how these inspire MachineGames’Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
10Boarding The Airship In Germany
Indiana And His Father Escape Berlin
After Nazis steal his father’s journal, Indiana Jones has to go with him to Berlin to get it back. After recovering the journal and coming face to face with Hitler himself, the duo is more than ready to leave Nazi Germany behind them.
They think they’re in the clear after boarding an airship, but a Nazi officer they previously escaped from boards the airship to search for them. Indiana takes an employee’s uniform in an attempt to blend in, but the pair are recognized. To the horror of the other passengers, Indiana throws the Nazi out the window and then calms them down with the iconic response “No ticket!”.
9The Bridge Fight
Indiana Jones Outmaneuvers The Thuggee Cult
After getting the sacred Sankara stones from Mola Ram and his Thuggee cult, Indiana Jones and his companions are chased to a canyon with a rope bridge leading across it. Indiana gets trapped in the middle of the bridge with cultists on either side of him, so he bluffs that he will drop the stones into the river below unless the high priest releasesWillie and Short Round.
When Mola Ram calls his bluff, Indiana cuts the rope handrail of the bridge away, sending many of the cults falling into the mouths of crocodiles waiting below. Mola Ram manages to hang on and climbs the now-vertical bridge to Indiana. The two struggle and the priest starts to pull Indiana’s heart out of his chest, but is stopped by a powerful punch to the face. After more wrestling between the two, Indiana invokes the name of Shiva to set the stones on fire. Mola Ram grabs one but ends up falling into the river to be eaten by crocodiles.
8Indiana Jones Chases A Nazi Convoy
Indiana Destroys A Nazi Convoy In Egypt
After the Nazis dig up the Ark of the Covenant, they load it onto a truck to be driven to Cairo. Indiana knows that they cannot be allowed to take the Ark, and so he chases after the trucks on horseback. After catching up to the convoy, Indy jumps off his horse and onto the truck carrying the Ark and fights his way into the driver’s seat.
The entire chase scene is full of memorable moments, such as Indiana running one of the Nazi cars off the edge of a high cliff and fighting the soldiers while still driving. The best moment is when he is hanging onto the front of the truck for dear life after being thrown through the windshield. To avoid getting crushed between the truck and the front car, he slides onto his back along the ground and uses his whip to climb back onto the back of the truck.
7The Egyptian Snake Pit
Indiana And Marion Are Trapped With Cobras
Indiana’s rival, Belloq, manages to capture him and Marion Ravenwoodin Egypt. The pair is lowered into an ancient chamber filled with cobras. Belloq and his Nazi compatriots seal them in, thinking that they would starve to death or die by snake venom.
One of the most famous images from the entire series is when Indiana falls to the bottom of the chamber and comes face to face with a cobra. The pair’s dying torchlight, Indiana’s infamous phobia of snakes, and the Nazis' imminent use of the Ark all combine to give this scene gravity and suspense.
6The Sacrifice
Mola Ram Pulls The Heart Out Of A Living Man
The evil priest Mola Ram is the main villain of the secondIndiana Jonesmovie (which is, in fact, a prequel). He leads an evil cult dedicated to the goddess of death and seeks to usher in his deity’s absolute reign over the world.
After finding the cult’s secret cavern temple, Indiana witnesses the priest’s most grotesque and infamous act — pulling the still-beating heart out of a man’s chest. The scene is so vivid and disturbing that many viewers remember it above anything else in the movie. It shows the horrifying magical powers that Indiana Jones and his companions are up against and cement Mola Ram as avillain to be fearedabove many others.
5Raiders Plane Fight Scene
Indiana Uses A Plane To Kill A Giant Nazi
Once the Nazis regain the Ark, they plan on using a supply plane to transport it out of Egypt. Indiana and Marion plan to commandeer the plane so that they can steal the Ark back, but their plan goes awry when Indy is spotted. A tall burly soldier challenges the adventurer to a fistfight that is clearly in the Nazi’s favor. The two exchange punches, with Indiana clearly taking the lion’s share of the pain.
Meanwhile, the pilot is aiming his gun at Indiana and waiting for an opening to fire. Marion knocks him unconscious, inadvertently pushing a lever and causing the plane to start turning as a result. In the confusion, Marion gets trapped in one of the plane’s turret which she uses to take out the soldier’s reinforcements. Oil is spilled on the ground, which will soon explode the plane. Indiana gets in a few solid punches against the burly Nazi, dazing him just long enough for the plane’s propeller to kill him. Indy uses his revolver to break the latch and free Marion, and the pair escape just before a huge explosion destroys the plane.
4Gun Vs. Scimitar
Indy’s Revolver Can Beat The Best Swordsman
While searching the streets of Cairo for Marion after the Nazis kidnapped her, the crowded street suddenly empties to reveal a man wielding a giant scimitar. He spins the sword around and shows off his prowess with the weapon. This will be a tough fight for Indiana to win.
Instead of fighting, however, Indiana gives the swordsman a tired look pulls out his revolver, and simply shoots the man in the chest. The crowd now fully disperses and Indiana gets back to his search for Marion. Despite all the action sequences inRaiders,this is the most well-known fight in the movie.
3The Ark of the Covenant Is Opened
The Nazis Have Their Prize
The Ark of the Covenantis described in the Old Testament as the container for the spirit of God. Stories that the Hebrews used it to defeat their enemies inspired the Nazis to search for it, believing they could use it as a weapon. Despite all his efforts, Indiana Jones actually failed to stop the occult-obsessed Nazi agent from bringing it to a secret island base.
Indiana’s rival Belloq, allied with the Nazis, opens the Ark as a demonstration of the artifact’s power. Indiana knows the myths better than anyone and urges Marion to keep her eyes shut, keeping the pair safe as ghosts launch from the Ark to kill everyone who dares to look at them. The scene turns Indiana’s defeat into victory as the occult-obsessed Major Toht’s face melts away and Belloq explodes.
2You Have Chosen Poorly
A False Holy Grail Is
The Holy Grail has been sought after for centuries.Indiana’s father Henryspent his entire career puzzling out its location. At last, with his son’s help, the pair find its location in the desert. However, their friend Walter Donovan has betrayed them and sided with the Nazis out of greed. To motivate Indiana to fetch the grail for him, Donovan shoots Henry so that the only way to save him is with the magic of the Grail.
Using Henry’s journal, Indiana navigates traps that have no doubt killed previous explorers and then encounters a crusader. He is immortal within the temple’s confines thanks to the Grail’s power and has been guarding the Grail’s location for centuries. Donovan, following Indy now that the traps are disarmed, reaches the chamber and wants to drink from the Holy Grail to gain immortality. The cup he drinks from is ornate, but that is not the kind of cup a carpenter would have had. Instead of making him immortal, Donovan swiftly ages away and is blown away as dust just a few seconds later. This final scene is a great way to cap Indiana Jones' adventures since nobody knew that more movies would come decades after this one.
1Indiana Jones Takes The Golden Idol
The Most Famous Scene From The Franchise
The way that Indiana Jones is introduced to the audience is brilliant. The movie opens in a dense jungle, whereIndy is leading a team to some ruinsto retrieve an artifact. The stakes of his adventures are shown by the fear of the native people as well as the bodies of previous would-be adventurers who did not survive. Indiana’s skills are also fully on display as he avoids all the kinds of traps that a modern audience would expect to see in such a place. Finally, he gets to the idol and cleverly swaps it out for a bag of sand so that the change in weight does not trigger the final trap.
Unfortunately for him, this trick does not work and the ruins' doors start to close as the ground beneath Indiana starts to shake. Just when he thinks that he is safe again, a giant boulder rolls out from a hidden chamber in the roof and he has to outrun it to survive. The scene ends with him in the dirt, prize in hand, but outgunned by his rival Belloq. He is forced to give up the idol, which will be a running theme for the titular character. With so many things established in one action-packed opening, this scene is quintessential Indiana Jones.
