Indiana Jones stunts are getting crazier with each movie and believe it or not, 78-year-old Harrison Ford is still doing some of them.
Technology has gotten so much better since the first film, giving production the opportunity to raise the bar a bit more with each movie.
From the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark to the upcoming franchise finale Dial of Destiny, let’s break down the craziest stunt scenes from Indiana Jones.
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Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
From being chased by a boulder to having thousand of snakes on set, things got crazy with the Raiders of the Lost Ark.
For the first movie, Harrison Ford had to learn how to use a ten-foot-long bull whip.
“I got a fella to come by my house and coach me in whip craft, which is harder than it seems,” Ford said.
The whip was also used for the truck chase stunt.
They made Harrison lie down and hold a whip, and then dragged him down a dirt road.
Stunt veteran Gary Powell told Xplained what it takes to pull off a stunt like this.
“You can easily hurt your shoulder, having a carpet underneath it certainly helped,” said Powell.
“It’s like someone punching you in the chest.”
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Harrison Ford had to learn how to ride an elephant for this film and because the movie was a lot more physical with several fights, he had to put on some weight as well.
Filming with an elephant was physically stressful, too.
In fact, Ford ended up injuring his spine discs and had to fly back to LA for surgery.
The fight on the rope bridge was definitely one of the craziest scenes.
After filming the fight, they filled the bridge with dummies, and set it off.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
This movie came almost 19 years after the previous film, and by then, shooting stunts had become a lot safer.
Flying wires were used a lot, and air cannons were used to blast through the crates to create this epic scene.
Fight scenes got even more physical, and despite being much older, Harrison Ford still did most of his stunts.
Stuntman and actor Igor Jijikine says he’s no longer surprised by Ford’s physical skills.
“He’s a really tough cookie. I’m not surprised anymore, how he can handle it,” Igor said.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Harrison Ford was de-aged using digital mining technology that captured all his facial features from previous Indiana Jones movies.
After that, they made Harrison act out the scenes with CGI markers on his face.
The movie is set in 1944 and 1969.
For this reason, you’ll see a younger-looking Ford in the scenes set in 1944, as well as the ‘normal’ version of himself for the scenes set in 1969.
Lucasfilm and Walt Disney Pictures confirmed the movie will be a send-off for the character portrayed by Harrison Ford.
