The three Indiana Jones films were inspired by both the James Bond (see entry under 1960s—Film and Theater in volume 4) series and the "cliffhanger serials" popular in American theaters during the 1930s and 1940s. Directed by Steven Spielberg (1946–) and produced by George Lucas (1944–), the enormously successful films helped define popular moviemaking in the 1980s. Thanks to the combination of state-of-the art special effects, nonstop action, and a touch of religious mysticism, the original film resulted in several spinoffs that kept interest in Indiana Jones alive well into the 1990s.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) introduces Indiana Jones (played by Harrison Ford, 1942–), globetrotting archaeologist and treasure hunter. Set in 1936, the film finds "Indy" competing with Nazi agents to locate the Ark of the Covenant, a powerful religious artifact. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) strands the hero in rural India, where he helps...