# Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 10, 2007, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull/418661 "2007-09-10T10:54:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull/418661/21 "2007-09-10T19:39:16Z")
Changing the title of the first completely alters the meaning of the title. In the first film, Indiana is as much a “Raider” of the lost Ark as the Nazis. He may be a “good guy”, but he’s still violating a sacred artifact, and it’s only his last minute gesture of faith that saves him from the fate the bad guys suffer. Imagine if the second film was named “…and the Search for the Missing Stones” or the third “…and the Quest for the Golden Cup.” Both limp, lifeless titles that tell you enough but don’t evoke anything interesting at all. That’s exactly what this new title is like. Ugh. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull/418661/22 "2007-09-10T19:41:42Z")
[QUOTE=Stranger On A Train] It’s just _Raiders of the Lost Ark_; the Indiana Jones bit was tacked on later because Hollywood producers have a such a low estimate (albeit perhaps accurate) of the intelligence of audiences to relate the films together. [/QUOTE] No, that’s not true. They knew that video stores organize their film titles alphabetically. From a pure branding perspective, it made more sense to have all three films collected together on the rental shelves, instead of having the best one over in the R’s and the other two back in the I’s. The change of the title may itself be dumb, but the reason for it makes perfect marketing sense. ---
**Author:** ![AmalgramFour](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@AmalgramFour](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmalgramFour)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull/418661/23 "2007-09-10T19:53:55Z")
[QUOTE=ArchiveGuy] …perfect marketing sense. [/QUOTE] Isn’t that an oxymoron? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull/418661/24 "2007-09-10T20:24:04Z")
[QUOTE=garygnu] I have an Indy box set and _Raiders_ was retrofitted with an “Indiana Jones and the” design to match the other movies. I don’t mind, it gives it the serial feel it should have. Using that as the full title is a bit cumbursome, so I see it as packaging graphics only. The title in the movie itself is unchanged. [/QUOTE] The sad thing is: we have the same box set. I just never noticed. ---
**Author:** ![Lars\_Aruns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Lars\_Aruns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lars_Aruns)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull/418661/25 "2007-09-10T20:26:19Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny Angel] If it’d been up to me, I’d have done Indiana Jones and the Rod of Seven Parts. Or, Indiana Jones and the Hand of Vecna. [/QUOTE] It should be Indiana Jones and the \*[Head](http://www.ninja.co.uk/manar/pics/Vectra/vectra6.html) \* of Vecna. Lots of laffs. Apart from jokes, I feel that Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a bit of a mouthful. Even if it follows the _IJ and the X of Y Z_ structure, it’s a tad heavy. I hope they’ll change it. They should consider _Indiana Jones and the Glass Headed Guys_! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull/418661/26 "2007-09-10T20:34:58Z")
[QUOTE=Lars Aruns] They should consider _Indiana Jones and the Glass Headed Guys_! 🙂 [/QUOTE] Indiana Jones and the Light Bulb Noggin? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull/418661/27 "2007-09-10T21:13:43Z")
Indiana Jones and the Easy KO. ---
**Author:** ![Lars\_Aruns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Lars\_Aruns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lars_Aruns)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull/418661/28 "2007-09-10T21:18:01Z")
Indiana Jones and the New Ageish Bullshit Story, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull/418661/29 "2007-09-10T21:23:54Z")
So far they’ve had the best luck with biblical stuff. It should have been Indiana Jones and the True Cross, or Indiana Jones and the Staff of Aaron. Really, if speculative mythology was admissible, what they should have done was just make a film out of Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. Oooo, even better: Indiana Jones and the Secret of Monkey Island. ---
**Author:** ![AmalgramFour](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@AmalgramFour](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmalgramFour)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull/418661/30 "2007-09-10T21:42:32Z")
[QUOTE=Lars Aruns] It should be Indiana Jones and the \*[Head](http://www.ninja.co.uk/manar/pics/Vectra/vectra6.html) \* of Vecna. Lots of laffs. [/QUOTE] Haven’t laughed so much in ages. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Pithy\_Moniker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8dc957/32.png) [@Pithy\_Moniker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pithy_Moniker)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull/418661/31 "2007-09-10T22:21:52Z")
Indiana Jones and Snakes on a Crystal Skull? Anyone? He did Snake(s) on a Plane way before Sammy J did. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull/418661/32 "2007-09-10T22:41:18Z")
Indiana Jones and the Eye of Argon? ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull/418661/33 "2007-09-10T22:51:46Z")
Re: The Holy Foreskin > [@](#): > > Depending on what you read, there were eight, twelve, fourteen, or even 18 different holy foreskins in various European towns during the Middle Ages". Whoa! Are they saying Jesus had multiple penii … penises … penis? Well, that would make for a much different type of movie. ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull/418661/34 "2007-09-10T23:08:23Z")
[QUOTE=Wile E] Re: The Holy Foreskin Whoa! Are they saying Jesus had multiple penii … penises … penis? Well, that would make for a much different type of movie. [/QUOTE] Why not? If Krishna made a hundred (okay, I don’t remember the exact number) duplicates of himself to give a hundred cowherd girls good loving simultaneously, why wouldn’t JC cut out the middlemen, as if were, and only duplicate the pertinent parts? (Oh, I can’t believe I said that. Nobody tell my mom, okay?) ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull/418661/35 "2007-09-10T23:18:22Z")
[QUOTE=Tapiotar] Why not? If Krishna made a hundred (okay, I don’t remember the exact number) duplicates of himself to give a hundred cowherd girls good loving simultaneously, why wouldn’t JC cut out the middlemen, as if were, and only duplicate the pertinent parts? (Oh, I can’t believe I said that. Nobody tell my mom, okay?) [/QUOTE] I had the good old Catholic Guilt return just for using Jesus and penis in the same sentence. Now I feel better because your’s was much worse. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull/418661/36 "2007-09-10T23:38:09Z")
[QUOTE=ArchiveGuy] Imagine if the second film was named “…and the Search for the Missing Stones” or the third “…and the Quest for the Golden Cup.” Both limp, lifeless titles that tell you enough but don’t evoke anything interesting at all. [/QUOTE] To be fair “The Temple of Doom” is pretty damn cheesy, too. If they gave a movie that title today, we’d make fun of them like crazy. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2007, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull/418661/37 "2007-09-11T01:53:24Z")
These days, a title like “Main Character and the Set of Adjectives and Nouns” sounds too much like a Harry Potter title. I know it’s a standard of the movies but right now it doesn’t really work. ---
**Author:** ![dotchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2007, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull/418661/38 "2007-09-11T02:45:05Z")
Yeah, too bad. _Indiana Jones and the Philosopher’s Stone_ would have worked. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2007, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull/418661/39 "2007-09-11T12:47:06Z")
Or [Indiana Jones and the Call of Cthulu](http://cgi.cs.indiana.edu/~oracle/digest.cgi?N=1163-09#1163-09) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2007, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull/418661/40 "2007-09-11T13:35:00Z")
I don’t mind the new title too much. It’s more or less in keeping with the earlier ones. I’ve got my fingers crossed for the movie - I really really _really_ want it to be good. We’ll see. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull/418661.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull/418661.md?page=3)