The Indiana Jones movie franchise is famous worldwide and has grossed around $1.96 billion at the box office globally. The first film in the series, “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” was released in 1984, followed by “The Temple of Doom” and “The Last Crusade” in 1984 and 1989, respectively. The movies were inspired by 1930s films and have influenced many movies since their premiere.
The Mummy
The Mummy was released in 1999 and starred Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, and Arnold Vosloo. The movie follows the journey of adventurer Rick O’Connell, librarian Evelyn Carnahan, and her elder brother Jonathan as they travel to Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead. Movie enthusiasts drew parallels between this big-screen adventure and the Indiana Jones series thanks to the obvious 1930s film influences.
Tomb Raider
The 2002 Tomb Raider movie starred Angelina Jolie as archaeologist Lara Croft. The story follows her as she attempts to retrieve ancient artifacts while facing competition from the Illuminati. Many suggested that the exploits of Indiana Jones influenced the Tomb Raider video game. You can see the similarities with both main characters being adventurous archaeologists. Additionally, they are both revealed to have missing fathers presumed dead but found alive, causing various problems.
National Treasure
The first movie in the National Treasure franchise was released in 2004. It features Nicolas Cage in the role of historian Benjamin Franklin Gates. With friends Riley Poole and archivist Abigail Chase, he searches for a missing Freemason treasure. A map showing the treasure’s whereabouts is hidden on the back of the Declaration of Independence. The action in National Treasure is reminiscent of the Indiana Jones movies, thanks to the combination of thrills and romance.
Romancing the Stone
Romancing the Stone, starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner, was released in 1984. It was one of the romantic adventure movies that followed in the wake of “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. The story takes the audience on a journey following Turner as a romance novelist who travels to Colombia to save her captive sister. The 1930s adventure feel is similar to that in the Indiana Jones franchise, and it’s evident that the movie aims to capture the same audience.
The Da Vinci Code
In 2006, Tom Hanks took the lead role in “The Da Vinci Code. The movie is based on the book of the same name by Dan Brown. It follows the adventures of Robert Langdon, a professor of religious symbology, who goes on a quest for the Holy Grail assisted by cryptologist Sophie Neveu. The story is different from those in the Indiana Jones franchise. Still, the main hero experiences a similar amount of fun and danger, and both “The Da Vinci Code” and the Indiana Jones movies are great adventures.
Conclusion
When “Raiders of the Lost Ark” first came to the big screen in 1984, few people would have envisioned its effect on entertainment in the coming years. The feature of an adventurous protagonist made popular by Indiana Jones isn’t just influencing filmmakers to produce similarly themed movies, rather it extends to many different industries; like animated series, books, video games and even casino slot games, some of which offer their own small treasure to be claimed, like for example a 10 free spins book of dead promotion. The book of dead slot’s Egyptian theme and featured the main character Rich Wilde clearly call back to the themes of the Indiana Jones franchise.
