Put on your fedoraA low felt hat with a curled brim., crack your whip and pass the popcorn. Indiana Jones is back. The legendary hero returns to the silver screenAn idiom that just means a television screen. today for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the fifth and final instalment in the film series. 

It is a historic moment for fans of the character as well as his long-time actor Harrison Ford. Since debuting in Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, the globetrottingTravelling often to far-flung corners of the globe. Jones has become one of the most recognisable characters in cinematic history.

Jones was created by Star Wars filmmaker George Lucas as a tribute to the classic heroes of his childhood. Set from the 1930s to the 60s, the films see the archeologist Jones hunt for mythical treasures. Along the way, he gets into jeep chases, fights deadly duels, evades dastardlyWicked and cruel. traps, and confronts villains hoping to use the power of the treasure for their own diabolicalDevilish or reminiscent of the Devil. ends.

This formula has proved spectacularly popular. The franchise has a worldwide total box office of $1.99bn (£1.57bn). It has also entertained critics. Raiders of the Lost Ark enjoys a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

This praise has come for its sense of fun, rather than any intellectual or storytelling depth. In The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw praised the new film for being "wildly silly and entertaining", while The New York Times Manohla Dargis celebrated its "disposable pleasures".

Yet some think Indiana Jones is more than an action-packed thrill ride. It holds a hidden meaning. "Is it possible," writes pastorA minister in charge of a Christian church or congregation. Dwight Longenecker, "that the popular Indiana Jones trilogy is a cleverly-structured, well-thought-out, theologicallyRelating to the study of God and religious belief.-astute analogyA comparison between one thing and another. of the Christian spiritual quest?"

Longenecker suggests that the films parallel Jones' personal growth with the religious development of humanity. When Jones's story is watched in chronological order,¹ he evolves from a selfish adventurer seeking "fortune and glory" to a wise hero who finds the Holy GrailSomething that is eagerly sought after. The real holy grail was the cup that Jesus used at the Last Supper, for which Christians searched fruitlessly for centuries. to save his dying father.

Indiana Jones would be far from the first famous franchise to contain allegoryA story or poem that has a hidden moral or political meaning. . C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia novels, for instance, feature clear Biblical echoes. In a famous scene, the talking lion Aslan sacrifices himself to save a human. Then he is brought back to life with new power. Parallels to Jesus are unavoidable.

Others caution against finding meaning where it may not actually exist. Lucas modelled Indiana Jones on the heroes of pulpAn inexpensive type of fiction popular in the first half of the 20th Century. Pulp fiction was known for its poor writing and sensational subject matter. magazines, Old HollywoodUsed to describe the golden years of the film industry, from the 1920s to 1950s. films and VictorianThe era when Queen Victoria was on the British throne, from 1837 to 1901.  adventure novelists like H. Rider Haggard.² Any Christian elements might be accidental. Longenecker himself admits that his Christian analogy is "very unlikely to have been intentional".

Indeed, some think there are only a limited set of stories available to us. In 2004, writer Christopher Booker argued all stories are one of "seven basic plots".³ A recent University of Vermont survey found just six. If all the tales we tell draw on the same basic elements, it is unsurprising that we see parallels and patterns.

Yes: The echoes are undeniable: the Holy Grail, the battle between good and evil, Jones's journey from selfishness to sacrifice. Indiana Jones is both a fun story and a symbolic Christian fable.

No: Lucas invented the films to be a rip-roaring blockbuster success - and that is all they are. We need to stop looking for deeper meaning in entertainment and just enjoy the ride.

Or... It is the reader, not the writer, who decides the real meaning of a story. So if viewers see allegory in the Indiana Jones films, then they can be an allegory, whatever the writers intended.

Fedora - A low felt hat with a curled brim.

Silver screen - An idiom that just means a television screen.

Globetrotting - Travelling often to far-flung corners of the globe.

Dastardly - Wicked and cruel.

Diabolical - Devilish or reminiscent of the Devil.

Pastor - A minister in charge of a Christian church or congregation.

Theologically - Relating to the study of God and religious belief.

Analogy - A comparison between one thing and another.

Holy grail - Something that is eagerly sought after. The real holy grail was the cup that Jesus used at the Last Supper, for which Christians searched fruitlessly for centuries.

Allegory - A story or poem that has a hidden moral or political meaning. 

Pulp - An inexpensive type of fiction popular in the first half of the 20th Century. Pulp fiction was known for its poor writing and sensational subject matter.

Old Hollywood - Used to describe the golden years of the film industry, from the 1920s to 1950s.

Victorian - The era when Queen Victoria was on the British throne, from 1837 to 1901.