Indiana Jones at the Oscars: How did the first 4 films fare?

Jacob Sarkisian
·5 min read
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“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” has hit theaters already and the movie is a nostalgic blast back to the days of a young Harrison Ford cracking his whip as one of cinema’s greatest-ever characters.

The new movie follows the iconic archaeologist Indiana Jones as he races against time to find an ancient artifact that can change history. The movie, which does indeed deal with time travel, also features Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, Toby Jones, Mads Mikkelsen, and returning players Karen Allen and John Rhys-Davies. Directed by James Mangold instead of Steven Spielberg, who helmed the first four movies, the picture will be hoping to compete at this year’s Oscars.

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But what are its chances in that respect? There are going to be plenty of big hitters this year with Martin Scorsese‘s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Bradley Cooper‘s “Maestro,” and Blitz Bazawule‘s “The Color Purple” all in the mix. Let’s take a look back at Oscars history to see how much academy voters like Indy, and what that might tell us about this new flick’s hopes this year. Here’s a breakdown of Indiana Jones and the Academy Awards.

“Raiders of the Last Ark” (1981)
“In 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.”

Four Oscar wins, eight nominations, and one special achievement award.

This film, released in 1981 but competing at the 1982 Academy Awards, took home a healthy haul of four Oscars. It won Best Visual Effects (Richard Edlund, Kit West, Bruce Nicholson, Joe Johnston), Best Sound (Bill Varney, Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker, Roy Charman), Best Film Editing (Michael Kahn), and Best Art Direction-Set Direction (Norman Reynolds, Leslie Dilley, Michael Ford). However, it also amassed four more Oscar nominations on top of that — Best Original Score for John Williams‘ iconic music, Best Cinematography for Douglas Slocombe, Best Director for Spielberg, and Best Picture for producer Frank Marshall. “Reds” won for cinematography and directing (Warren Beatty) while “Chariots of Fire” took home Original Score and Picture. While both of those films are fine movies, are either as iconic as “Raiders,” or have they stood the test of time as well as “Raiders?” Hardly. Hindsight is 20-20, after all. “Raiders” did take home a special achievement award, however — for Ben Burtt and Richard L. Anderson for their sound effects editing work.

“Temple of Doom” (1984)
“In 1935, Indiana Jones is tasked by Indian villagers with reclaiming a rock stolen from them by a secret cult beneath the catacombs of an ancient palace.”

One Oscar win, two nominations.

Sadly, it was only downhill in terms of Oscars for the Indy franchise after “Raiders.” This prequel (that’s right, prequel) was reviewed less enthusiastically as “Raiders” but still earned a little love from Academy voters at the 1985 Oscars. It again won Best Visual Effects (Dennis Muren, Michael J. McAllister, Lorne Peterson, George Gibbs) while Williams was nominated again for Best Original Score. He lost this time to Maurice Jarre for “A Passage to India.”

“The Last Crusade” (1989)
“In 1938, after his father goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail, Indiana Jones finds himself up against the Nazis again to stop them from obtaining its powers.”

One Oscar win, three nominations.

This picked up a little as the reviews were much better for this than they were for “Temple of Doom,” plus the addition of Sean Connery as Indy’s dad was, frankly, inspired. At the 1990 Academy Awards, the film won Best Sound Effects Editing (Burtt, Richard Hymns) while Williams completed a hattrick of nominations for Best Original Score. This time, he lost to Alan Menken for “The Little Mermaid.” “The Last Crusade” also earned a bid for Best Sound (Burtt, Gary Summers, Shawn Murphy, Tony Dawe), losing to “Glory.” It’s a shame that no room could be found in the Best Supporting Actor category for Connery, although the Scottish actor was nominated in this category at the BAFTAs (losing to Ray McAnally for “My Left Foot”).

“The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (2008)
“In 1957, Indiana Jones becomes entangled in a Soviet plot to uncover the secret behind mysterious artifacts known as the Crystal Skulls.”

Zero Oscar wins, zero Oscar nominations.

Yep, that’s right. This long-awaited return to the hat and the whip garnered absolutely no love from the Academy Awards — not even for its sound, visual effects, or music. It was nominated for one BAFTA — Best Special Visual Effects (Pablo Helman, Marshall Richard Krasser, Steve Rawlins), losing to “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

In total, the “Indiana Jones” film series has won six Oscars and been nominated 13 times across four movies. The last entry failed to reap any nominations at all from the Academy — and that, like “Dial of Destiny,” was a nostalgic sequel released decades after the previous movie. That doesn’t bode well for “The Dial of Destiny.”

Two big takeaways from this exercise are this: Firstly, it’s a great shame that Ford, one of the most iconic movie stars of all time, has never been nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of cinema’s most iconic character. It would be swell if Ford could land a bid this year for “Dial of Destiny,” particularly as he’s only ever been nominated for one Oscar (in 1986 for Best Actor for “Witness”), but that feels unlikely. Secondly, it’s criminal that Williams has never won an Oscar for his “Indiana Jones” music. Williams has won five Oscars, yes (for “Fiddler on the Roof” in 1972, “Jaws” in 1976, “Star Wars: A New Hope” in 1978, “E.T.” in 1983, and “Schindler’s List” in 1994), but his Indy score is one of the most famous sounds of cinema. He deserves a bid for his work on “Dial of Destiny,” which seems much more realistic. Here’s hoping!

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