1>3>2>4
Raiders is far and away best balanced and executed of them all though. Best action scenes too and best ending although Crusade comes closest to match it and has very strong ending too but it's uneven in narrative pacing although Connery/Ford play off each other like a dream so I can see how some might favour it even though critically it's not as perfectly constructed.
Temple remains quite the ride but it's even more uneven and has too little depth to it: it leans too heavily to being non stop thrills and of course it has serious racial portrayal issues. Gotta love the minecart chase though.
Skulls is skulls. Not awful (despite the reputation) but it takes a great cast and the actual good idea of going with Indy's age and making it a old war SF thriller and just doesn't gel. The third act feels particularly weak after a pretty damn good opening.
Raiders though remains sublime. Perfectly executed and lean, lean, lean in delivery with perfect balance of thrills, humour and action with all the core team keen to prove their stuff and out to deliver in a way they've never equalled: Spielberg wanted to prove himself again after 1941, Ford wanted to be more than Han the sidekick to Luke as lead and they had a great, great script and core structure they never bettered and by far and away the film had the most interesting villains and of course Freeman's "dark" Indy giving it surprising depth as he muses on history and the passage of time plus Marion was the best female foil and particularly for the period wonderfully self sufficient. Her scene with Belloq in the tent is a highlight of the series.
