What was the first Indiana Jones film?

The first Indiana Jones film was Raiders of the Lost Ark. Released in 1981, it introduced archaeologist Indiana Jones, played by Harrison Ford, in an adventure involving Nazis, ancient history, and the biblical Ark of the Covenant.

The film was directed by Steven Spielberg and developed by George Lucas, who conceived the character and served as a producer. Its 1936 setting deliberately evokes the cliffhanger adventure serials and action films that influenced both filmmakers. Indiana’s mixture of scholarship, improvisation, and physical daring became the template for the series.

The later films are often confused because their story chronology is not the same as their release order. Temple of Doom was released second but is a prequel set in 1935. The Last Crusade followed in 1989, while Kingdom of the Crystal Skull arrived in 2008. Raiders was initially released under the shorter title Raiders of the Lost Ark; the Indiana Jones name was added prominently later.