Some are missing the point here...

Rating: 10/10 (14 July 2001)

I am not going to say why I think this is the best one in the trilogy because several people here have already done that for me, so I'll respond to what seems to be the most common criticisms by the nay-sayers:
#1 - The opening sequence. So what if the whip, the hat, the scar, etc, are all explained in a 10 minute sequence? I am sure *true* Indiana Jones fans really enjoyed that because it was like celebrating the hero. Who cares if it was unrealistic? This movie is not supposed to be about realism, it's supposed to be about fantasy and fun.
#2 - The similarities with the original. Yes, there are a lot of them, but HELLO, if we take Indiana from his "habitat", he's not Indiana anymore. He's not fun anymore. Indiana has always been about ancient religious objects, and Nazis, and wrath-of-God, and so on. Just look at the failure the second movie was and you'll see what I mean.
I usually don't like Spielberg movies but this time he managed to produce the true masterpiece of fun.