According to the book The Cinema of George Lucas, the movie was originally supposed to be titled The Adventures of Indiana Smith. Doesn't exactly grab you, does it? (Even without the whole weird Smith/Jones thing.) The powers that be eventually decided on Raiders of the Lost Ark, which is a lot grabbier. And given the film's success, we quickly forget what a strange and kind of awkward title it is. Who are these raiders? Why are they after the Lost Ark? Can you even raid a Lost Ark? How do you go about doing that? Are there classes you can take?

It raises a lot of questions, especially in this day and age when movie titles are as direct and to the point as possible. However, if you can get past the wonkiness, it's actually a very descriptive summation of the story. The "Lost Ark" part is fairly self-explanatory, and even in the barbaric Internet-free days of the early 1980s, you could probably piece together what it refers to with a trip to the local library.

"Raiders" quietly conveys the two-fisted action that the movie does live up to (and then some). "Raiders" is a suitably action-packed word: Someone going where he or she isn't supposed to and running a fair amount of risk in the process. Add to that the "Lost," which suggests unexplored vistas and hidden locations just waiting for some daring soul to find them. When you put them together, they lend a very strong impression of what the film is supposed to be about. Plus, it evokes the phrase "tomb raiders," which would get anyone interested.

The "Ark" part may lead to some scratched heads ("where are the animals?"), but it also acts as a little enticement: a mystery to get you into the theater. Once you're there, the film has you, of course, and a title must make a good marketing tool first and foremost. If it's enough to get us into the theaters, it can be as weird as it wants. And good marketing helps make the title look a lot shorter and less awkward. Beyond the title itself, the logo emphasizes the "Raiders" while making the other words very small. It even has that "whoosh" quality to suggest a lot of action and adventure. No wonder we all just call it Raiders. The title told us to.