Film

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

The one where Spielberg fixes the father-son gap nobody asked him to fix and makes it the best scene in the movie. Ford and Connery bicker their way across Europe chasing the Grail, the Nazis are gloriously hissable, and the whole thing runs on wit rather than dread. Pure, confident blockbuster craftsmanship — funnier and warmer than Raiders, if a shade less mythic.

TMDb rating7.9

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Raiders of the Lost Ark1981

The one that started it — leaner, meaner, and scarier than Last Crusade, with Ford at his most feral and a sense that anything could go wrong at any second.

But No Sean Connery double act, and the tone is colder and more ruthless than the sequel's warmth.

Raiders of the Lost Ark poster

The Mummy1999

Brendan Fraser channels Indy's swagger into a pulpy, self-aware romp through cursed Egyptian tombs, with practical stunts and a script that knows exactly how silly it is.

But Effects have aged unevenly, and it leans harder into horror-comedy than Indy ever does.

The Mummy poster

Romancing the Stone1984

Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas bicker and swashbuckle through the Colombian jungle chasing treasure, with the same breathless comic momentum as Indy's best set pieces.

But More rom-com than action epic — the stakes feel deliberately smaller and jokier throughout.

Romancing the Stone poster

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail1975

Both films send a hero across Europe chasing the exact same object for the exact same reason — one plays it straight, the other detonates the whole idea.

The same quest, the same medieval Europe, the same fixation on finding the Grail — but run through absurdist British comedy instead of Hollywood adventure. Endlessly quotable.

But Deliberately shaggy and plotless by design; if you want thrills rather than silliness, this will frustrate you.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail poster
More like this (8)

The Man Who Would Be King1975

Connery again, this time with Michael Caine, as two rogue ex-soldiers who con their way into becoming kings of a remote Afghan kingdom. Grand, funny, and eventually devastating.

But Slower and more colonial-era complicated than Indy — it earns its ending the hard way.

The Man Who Would Be King poster

National Treasure2004

Nicolas Cage decodes the Declaration of Independence in a family-friendly puzzle-box adventure that borrows Indy's blend of history, banter, and increasingly implausible clue-chains.

But Broader and goofier, with none of Indy's grit — it's comfort food, not craft.

National Treasure poster

The Rocketeer1991

A gorgeous, undersung 1930s pulp adventure with Nazi villains, art-deco style, and the same period optimism that makes Last Crusade's world so enjoyable to sit in.

But Lower stakes and a simpler hero — this is matinee serial, not archaeological epic.

The Rocketeer poster

Tomb Raider2018

Alicia Vikander's Lara Croft does physical, grubby, trap-dodging adventure in the Indy tradition, minus the wisecracks — a good pick if you want the puzzles without the charm.

But Grimmer and more po-faced than Indy; the humour that makes Last Crusade sing is largely absent.

Tomb Raider poster

Uncharted2022

Tom Holland does boyish, scrappy treasure-hunting nonsense with globe-trotting set pieces clearly modelled on Indy's DNA, if you want something loud and modern.

But CGI-heavy and forgettable next to Indy's practical stunts — a fun watch, not a lasting one.

Uncharted poster

Sahara2005no page yet

Matthew McConaughey hunts a lost Confederate ironclad through the Sahara in a genial, underrated throwback that clearly wants to be Indiana Jones and mostly gets there.

But A flop for a reason — plot's baggy and the villain's forgettable, but the adventure spirit is real.

The Rape of Europa2007no page yet

Last Crusade's Nazis chasing sacred relics for power is a cartoon version of something real: this is the true story of art, faith objects, and history stolen by the Third Reich.

A documentary about the Nazis' real, systematic looting of Europe's art and treasures — the actual history sitting underneath the movie's fictional Grail hunt, and just as gripping.

But No stunts, no jokes — it's a sober historical account, and some of what it shows is genuinely upsetting.

Big Fish2003

Swap the Grail for a fisherman's exaggerations: both are about a son finally understanding his father through the myths the old man built around himself.

Tim Burton's tale of a son trying to separate his dying father's tall tales from the truth, told in lush, fantastical flashback. Funny, sad, and quietly moving.

But Whimsical and unashamedly sentimental — there's no action here, just feeling, and it will hit some viewers harder than others.

Big Fish poster

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Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, The Mummy, National Treasure, The Da Vinci Code, The Mask of Zorro, Captain America: The First Avenger, Angels & Demons, The Castle of Cagliostro, Tomb Raider