History Franchise / IndianaJones

''Indiana Jones'' is a multimedia franchise that started with the team of Creator/GeorgeLucas and Creator/StevenSpielberg, which were [[GenreThrowback inspired by 1930s cliffhanger serials]], and which [[GenreRelaunch (re)popularized]] the concept of the AdventurerArchaeologist. Armed with little more than a bullwhip and attitude ("little more" in this case meaning a [[RevolversAreJustBetter .455 Webley]]), archaeologist Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr. (Creator/HarrisonFord) discovers long-lost {{MacGuffin}}s, fights ThoseWackyNazis and DirtyCommunists over them and makes love to the GirlOfTheWeek. The films are produced by Creator/{{Lucasfilm}} and distributed by Creator/{{Paramount}} (for the first four movies) and Creator/{{Disney}} (for the fifth).

* CoolHorse: Ridden by Indy. The white one from ''Raiders'', the black one from ''The Last Crusade'' and another white one from ''Dial of Destiny''.

* TrilogyCreep: The RidingIntoTheSunset was meant to close the trilogy as well. But fans insisted on a fourth -- which only started production after Lucas, Spielberg and Ford agreed to.
* TruthInTelevision: In the first, third, and fourth films, the Nazis (and in the case of the Fourth film, the Soviets) attempted to harness various mythological artifacts to take over the world. Records have shown that the Nazis and the Soviets were both fascinated with the supernatural/the occult, although the latter was more focused on trying to harness psychic abilities than magic.

* ThoseWackyNazis: The villains of the ''Raiders'' and ''The Last Crusade''. Incidentally, this almost partly killed the franchise. After the harrowing and humbling experience of filming ''Film/SchindlersList'', Steven Spielberg decided he could no longer in good conscience use Nazis as stock pulp villains as in ''Raiders'' and ''The Last Crusade''. It is also the reason he decided not to make a prequel to ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit''. Nazis have been confirmed to be making a return in the fifth film, however, as Creator/JamesMangold is helming that one instead.

*** Each movie features what is called a "phobia scene" (snakes, bugs, rats, and killer ants).

*** Voler and the remaining Nazi soldiers are burnt alive in a plane crash.

%%** ''Fate of Atlantis''

* CoolHorse: Ridden by Indy. The white one from ''Raiders'' and the black one from ''The Last Crusade''.

** In the films alone, Indy has personal experience with an active Judeo-Christian God, active Hindu gods, [[spoiler:extraterrestrials]],psychic phenomena [[spoiler: and time travel.]]

** Indy himself in''Crystal Skull'' and ''Dial of Destiny'' almost to the point where he would pass the torch.

** Indy himself in the ''Crystal Skull'' almost to the point where he would pass the torch.

** In the films alone, Indy has personal experience with an active Judeo-Christian God, active Hindu gods, [[spoiler:extraterrestrials]], and psychic phenomena.

* CharacterNameAndTheNounPhrase: With films 2, 3 and 4 fit this format, also fitting PrepositionalPhraseEqualsCoolness.

* ArbitrarySkepticism: Practically a RunningGag in the series. Even after his encounter with the Sankara stones, he still dismisses the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, the Crystal Skull and the Archimedes Dial as mere stories.

* ArtifactOfDeath: The main [=MacGuffins=] in three of the four films: TheArkOfTheCovenant, the HolyGrail if you take it from its resting place, the false Grails, and the CrystalSkull. However, it's worth noting that having pure motives, or at the very least, respect for the artifacts and the rules governing their use, appears to get you out of being harmed by any of them: Indy uses the Grail [[spoiler:to cure his father, and suffers no ill effects, while Elsa tries to leave with the Grail and dies for it]]. With the Ark, Indy knows what ''not'' to do, and his deference is what protects him and Marion. [[spoiler: Belloq and the Nazis gaze upon the power of God within and are incinerated for their hubris.]] The Shankara stones are similar: [[spoiler:they only actually do harm to Mola Ram, while they bring the Indian village to its former life.]]

* ArbitrarySkepticism: Practically a RunningGag in the series. Even after his encounter with the Sankara stones, he still dismisses the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, and the Crystal Skull as mere stories.

* ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheDialOfDestiny'' (2023) -- Set in 1969 (shortly after the Apollo 11 Moon landing), the film tells the story of [[GrandFinale the last big adventure of Dr. Jones]], with the adventurer working alongside his old friend Sallah and his goddaughter Helena (Creator/PhoebeWallerBridge). They come into conflict with Jürgen Voller (Creator/MadsMikkelsen), a former Nazi scientist who the American government hired for NASA's space program -- who now sets his sight on an artifact that he believes will allow him to correct some of history's mistakes.

There are five films in the series, the first three of which are set before UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, while the fourth and fifth films are set during the UsefulNotes/ColdWar. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas initially planned to make five movies, but capped things off at three... [[SequelGap Before revisiting the franchise with a fourth movie decades later.]] Once Disney purchased Lucasfilm, it was quickly confirmed that a fifth film will be made like Spielberg and Lucas had originally planned. The first four were directed by Spielberg and produced by Lucas, while Creator/JamesMangold took over for directing the fifth, and Spielberg and Lucas remained onboard as executive producers.

** ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'': In the opening flashback, young Indy tries to escape the thieves on top of a circus train. Within the train cars, he encounters alligators, a rhino, a lion, and, of course, snakes. Falling into a pit of snakes turns out to be the origin of his phobia.* Creator/LaurelAndHardy: In the 1932 short ''The Chimp'', the boys are out-of-work circus performers who end up in possession of a gorilla named Ethel, who they try to hide from the landlord of their boarding house.

* SurpriseCreepy: These are fun action-adventure movies for the most part, but it seems like a nightmarish moment out of nowhere is required at least OncePerEpisode:
** ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'' has a few moderately disturbing scenes scattered throughout, like the [[https://youtu.be/rmf6DdaWmSA gruesome]] [[https://youtu.be/aADExWV1bsM booby traps]] in the temple, the [[https://youtu.be/ClwIj3x24Q4 snake-infested]] [[https://youtu.be/ft-JkKhYHb8 Well of Souls]] (WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes), and any time Major Toht appears. But the ultimate SurpriseCreepy moment comes at the end, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0APF3SO9tqE when the Nazis open the Ark of the Covenant]].

*** Incidentally, ''Temple of Doom'' was one of the movies that inspired the creation of the PG-13 rating, since at the time, the [[UsefulNotes/MediaClassifications MPAA rating system]] went directly from PG to R without anything in between. Thus, in TheEighties, the PG rating covered a wider spectrum of "some material may not be suitable for children," ranging from a few cuss words in ''Film/Annie1982'' to...well...a guy getting his heart ripped out in ''Temple of Doom''. After the controversy surrounding movies like ''Temple of Doom'', ''Film/{{Gremlins}}'', and ''Film/{{Poltergeist|1982}}'' (all of which got PG ratings despite violence and scares), Creator/StevenSpielberg himself took the initiative to propose an intermediate rating between PG and R, which would clarify more precisely just how mature a movie was in the hopes of defying the SurpriseCreepy trope with future movies.

* CharacterInTheLogo: When Creator/{{Kenner}} had the toy license for the franchise, they created [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/indiana_jones_logo.jpg a logo]] featuring Indy's silhouette, which was framed by the shape of his [[IconicItem iconic]] [[WhipItGood bullwhip]].

* WhipItGood: Indy's iconic weapon/general utility tool is the bullwhip.

* ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom'' (1984) -- A {{prequel}} set in 1935. After a misadventure in China leaves himself, singer Willie Scott (Creator/KateCapshaw), and sidekick Short Round (Creator/KeHuyQuan) marooned in India, Dr. Jones is tasked with recovering the Sankara Stones and uncovering the whereabouts of hundreds of missing children to a nearby village. Along the way, the group finds themselves at odds with a group of Thugee cultists who worship the goddess Kali.

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Not in terms of their evilness so much, but both the Nazi's and the Soviets get this in terms of seeking out powerful religious / alien artefacts that would enable them to TakeOverTheWorld, as well as greatly expanding their scope and influence (such as the Nazi's in the mid-1930s having secret submarine bases in Greece or being able to carry out archeological expeditions in then-British Egypt).

''Indiana Jones'' is a multimedia franchise that started with the DreamTeam of Creator/GeorgeLucas and Creator/StevenSpielberg, which were [[GenreThrowback inspired by 1930s cliffhanger serials]], and which [[GenreRelaunch (re)popularized]] the concept of the AdventurerArchaeologist. Armed with little more than a bullwhip and attitude ("little more" in this case meaning a [[RevolversAreJustBetter .455 Webley]]), archaeologist Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr. (Creator/HarrisonFord) discovers long-lost {{MacGuffin}}s, fights ThoseWackyNazis and DirtyCommunists over them and makes love to the GirlOfTheWeek. The films are produced by Creator/{{Lucasfilm}} and distributed by Creator/{{Paramount}} (for the first four movies) and Creator/{{Disney}} (for the fifth).

* In January 2021, Creator/{{Bethesda}} Studios announced they were publishing a new game developed by VideoGame/MachineGames based on the franchise under the new Lucas Film game label but didn't disclose any details upon announcement.

* ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom'' (1984) -- A {{prequel}} set in 1935. After a misadventure in China leaves himself, singer Willie Scott (Creator/KateCapshaw), and sidekick Short Round (Creator/JonathanKeQuan) marooned in India, Dr. Jones is tasked with recovering the Sankara Stones and uncovering the whereabouts of hundreds of missing children to a nearby village. Along the way, the group finds themselves at odds with a group of Thugee cultists who worship the goddess Kali.

The franchise is also fondly remembered for the two Creator/LucasArts adventure games it spawned: an adaptation of the third movie, ''VideoGame/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'' in 1989, and an original [[AdventureGame cinematic adventure]] story, ''VideoGame/IndianaJonesAndTheFateOfAtlantis'', in 1992. The latter had the FanNickname of ''Indy 4'' for many years, creating speculation that it would be [[WhatCouldHaveBeen made into a film]].

Three platformer-style adventure games followed, ''Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures'' in 1994, ''Infernal Machine'' in 1999, and ''Emperor's Tomb'' in 2003. In 2008, ''VideoGame/LEGOIndianaJones'' was released, covering the events of the entire film series, but using [[BuiltWithLego characters and settings made entirely of virtual LEGO blocks, of course]]. Another VideoGame, ''VideoGame/IndianaJonesAndTheStaffOfKings'', was released in 2009.