Indiana Jones and Harry Potter: Secret Connection

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It’s natural to consider Star Wars as a potential franchise for Indiana Jones to cross over with, given they share Lucasfilm as their production company. Although Dr. Jones never directly interacts with Star Wars characters during his exploits, the Indiana Jones series incorporates several Star Wars references for enthusiasts to spot. For instance, there’s the R2-D2 and C-3PO hieroglyph in Raiders of the Lost Ark or Club Obi-Wan in The Temple of Doom. However, what many avid Indiana Jones fans may not realize is that there’s a connection with the well-known Harry Potter series as well.

Much like how Indiana Jones movies subtly incorporated Star Wars elements, this scenario doesn’t involve an all-out collaboration between Harry Potter characters and Dr. Jones on a joint mission. Yet, they share a common theme, as both franchises revolve around the same mysterious artifact – the philosopher’s (or sorcerer’s) stone.

What is Indiana Jones and the Philosopher’s Stone?

Following the conclusion of the original Indiana Jones trilogy with “The Last Crusade” in 1989, efforts were made to keep the iconic archaeologist relevant. A series of novels by Bantam Books were published throughout the ’90s. One of these, penned by Max McCoy, is titled “Indiana Jones and the Philosopher’s Stone“. The plot revolves around Indiana undertaking a journey to uncover an ancient manuscript containing alchemical secrets about achieving immortality and turning metals into gold. This manuscript is crucial for locating the Philosopher’s Stone. In this adventure, Indy teams up with Alecia, the sister of someone knowledgeable about the Stone’s background. Sallah appears in the book as well, joining forces with them when their travels lead to Libya. True to form, Indiana finds himself in a race against fascists to find the Stone.

It’s worth mentioning that “Indiana Jones and the Philosopher’s Stone” was released in 1995, which means it preceded the introduction of the Wizarding World by two years. This isn’t a true crossover but rather an intriguing coincidence since the stories have many differences. However, they do share one interesting parallel: they both feature Nicolas Flamel as a character. Flamel was indeed a historical figure who lived from 1330 to 1418 and was rumored to be an alchemist who created the Philosopher’s Stone and discovered the secret of immortality. While the veracity of these tales is debatable, they certainly add an intriguing aspect to fictional narratives.

In my perspective as a movie critic, I’d rephrase it like this: In J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, the character of Nicolas Flamel is merely named but woven into the narrative with elements of the legend. As they delve into the mystery of the Philosopher’s Stone, our protagonists Harry, Hermione, and Ron uncover that Flamel was an alchemist and a wizard who held a special bond with Albus Dumbledore and crafted the enchanted artifact. Similarly, in the Indiana Jones saga, the storyline shares some similarities (with the exception of being a wizard, naturally). However, there’s a moment in the novel where our hero Indy encounters the elderly alchemist, Nicolas Flamel, alongside his wife, Perenelle.

Indiana Jones and the Philosopher’s Stone Also Has a Crystal Skull

One unexpected similarity between Harry Potter’s world and Indiana Jones isn’t just a hidden link; Indiana Jones and the Philosopher’s Stone also introduces the first Crystal Skull in the series. The novel starts with Indy chasing down the Crystal Skull of Cozán. Much like Raiders of the Lost Ark, he finds the artifact only to have it snatched away by a rival. In this case, the main villain, Sarducci – an Italian character – is the one who makes off with the Skull.

The main focus of the 2008 film “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” was, as you might guess, the enigmatic Crystal Skulls. In this adventure, Indiana Jones and a group of Russians were on a quest to find the Crystal Skull of Akator. It’s worth noting that the film doesn’t mention Indy’s earlier attempts to locate the Crystal Skull of Cozán, but it’s intriguing to see how deeply rooted this concept is in history, even before the movie was made. Interestingly, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford initially disagreed with George Lucas’ decision to incorporate science fiction elements into the Indiana Jones series, but it seems that this idea had already been firmly established. Much like the Crystal Skulls portrayed in the film, the one from the books is said to possess extraordinary abilities.

Following the flop at the cinema of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, it seems doubtful that there will be additional Indiana Jones films in the future. Nevertheless, the series continues to thrive, as the highly praised video game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle prepares for its launch on PlayStation 5. It’ll be intriguing to observe whether this game’s success could lead to further Indy adventures, and if so, whether they’ll include any surprising connections to well-known franchises. Maybe Indy will chase after a Tesseract in the next installment.

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2025-03-26 01:41