Would "The Princess Bride" make a perfect double feature with "The Mummy?" What do Robin Williams
and Brendan Fraser have in common? These are the adventure films to watch if you love "The Mummy."
Fans looking to get their adventure fix need look no further than Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones,
as played by legendary actor Harrison Ford; he's been rocking the whip and fedora combo
for the last 30 years! To date, his tenure as the archaeologist-slash-adventurer has
resulted in four films, with a fifth "Indiana Jones" film in the works.
It all kicked off with 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark," in which Indy searches for
the fabled Ark of the Covenant — believed to contain the stone tablets on which the
Ten Commandments were inscribed — which is supposed to have the power to make one's army
undefeatable. Who would be interested in such an ability? Nazis, that's who;
the fascist German regime would appear again as adversaries in 1989's third installment,
"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," which included a quest for the Holy Grail.
The second film, 1984's "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,"
served as a prequel to "Raiders" and was primarily set in India,
with Dr. Jones taking on a Thuggee cult and its chief priest, Mola Ram.
"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" came out in 2008 and swaps the Soviet Union
and its KGB in as Indy's antagonists. It has the distinction of faring the worst with reviewers,
though its 78% critics score and Certified Fresh distinction on Rotten Tomatoes simply reflect
how beloved the franchise is as a whole. By any name, "Indiana Jones" is a classic.
"I like Indiana."
"We named the dog Indiana."
"Sahara" is a fun 2005 action-adventure flick starring Matthew McConaughey,
as late author Clive Cussler's prolific adventurer Dirk Pitt, adapted from the
novel of the same name. In "Sahara," Pitt is searching for some long lost treasure: the
haul of gold that was loaded onto the Confederate ship CSS Texas at the end of the U.S. Civil War.
Despite its talented cast and intriguing plot, "Sahara" was mostly panned by critics,
managing just a meager 38% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Viewers were a bit kinder to the film, though, as evidenced by its 53% audience score. In
addition to its lack of critical success, the film was beset by numerous problems,
including a massive $160 million budget that was doubled from its original $80 million. According
to “The Los Angeles Times,” "Sahara" is believed to have lost the studio $78 million, making it
among the biggest box office bombs of all time. But it's still a fun popcorn movie for date night!
Looking for Indiana Jones, but with a little less swagger and a much bigger brain?
Meet Noah Wyle as Flynn Carsen, the title character of the "Librarian" franchise.
Think of "The Librarian" as the ultimate keeper of knowledge,
in addition to being the protector of the actual Tree of Knowledge.
Over the course of three films — including 2006's "The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines,"
and 2008's "The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice" — the totally bookish and mostly meek
hero tracks down the Spear of Destiny, searches for ancient treasure, and meets the girl of his
dreams while trying to protect the vampire equivalent of the Holy Grail. That's in
addition to inspiring the spinoff TV series "The Librarians," which ran for four seasons on TNT.
You can't compile a list of adventure movies worth watching without including the "National
Treasure" franchise. The 2004 film and its 2007 sequel, "National Treasure: Book of Secrets,"
feature actor and human meme Nicolas Cage, as historian and adventurer Benjamin Franklin Gates.
The first installment sees him steal the Declaration of Independence from
the National Archives in Washington, D.C., but don't worry, it's totally for a good
cause — protecting it from other thieves led by a former friend and colleague.
All parties concerned are in search of a storied treasure trove from the Founding Fathers and
believe the Declaration contains a clue that'll put them closer to their goals of finding it.
The sequel sees Gates setting about defending the honor of his ancestor Thomas Gates,
who was tasked with decrypting John Wilkes Booth's journal; he did so and failed to stop
the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, ultimately dying at the hand of Confederate sympathizers.
Though it's been a decade and a half since the last film, fans have reason to be excited,
as Disney has announced both a third film and a new TV series on Disney+.
The "Mummy" franchise was so successful, it spawned a spinoff film series tied to the
second movie. "The Mummy Returns" sees our hero trying to save his son, who's foolishly put on the
Bracelet of Anubis and will die if they don't get him to a magical locale in a week's time.
There, Rick O'Connell does battle with the equally mythical Scorpion King,
who sold his soul to Anubis in ancient times. In "The Scorpion King" movie, Dwayne "The
Rock" Johnson — in his first lead role — takes on the part of the Scorpion King,
though in the days before he became the legendary ruler. Instead, he’s a mercenary
who’s been hired to kill a sorceress who's conquering tribe after local tribe.
"The Scorpion King" spawned four direct-to-video sequels in its own
right, though it was one and done for Johnson, alas.
When it comes to "Jumanji," nothing beats the '90s original, starring Robin Williams.
The late, great comedic actor took on the role of the adult version of Alan Parrish,
a young boy who gets sucked into the game in the 1960s, literally; he's trapped in the world of
the titular magic board game. A couple of decades later, two kids discover the cursed board game,
unwittingly releasing Alan from its confines, and forcing them to finally win the game… or else!
In addition to the sequel it would later receive,
"Jumanji" was spun off into a slightly more technological direction with 2005's
"Zathura: A Space Adventure." Of course, in 2017, "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" served
as the first direct sequel to the original film and saw the game change media into a video game,
with heavy hitters like Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Jack Black as part
of the cast — and they all reprised their roles in 2019's "Jumanji: The Next Level."
Just like the "Jumanji" franchise, viewers have options when it comes to the adventures
of Lara Croft. The 2001 action adventure film, "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," saw actor Angelina
Jolie bring the title character to life in all her skin-tight glory. Her first outing as the titular
adventurer and star of the "Tomb Raider" video game franchise sees her up against the Illuminati,
joined by a pre-James Bond Daniel Daniel Craig as they race to assemble an object that allows
the person who wields it to control time. Jolie reprised the role in 2003's "Lara Croft:
Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life," with the on-screen sparks this time flying
between her and still-rising star Gerard Butler as the two seek out Pandora's Box.
Jolie declined to take up the role a third time and "Tomb Raider" rebooted the franchise in 2018,
with actor Alicia Vikander [uh-LISS-ee-uh vih-KAN-der] taking up the mantle of Lara
Croft in what amounts to an origin story. The reboot failed to impress critics, managing a
middling 52% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, but Vikander received praise for her performance and
the movie did well enough at the box office for a "Tomb Raider" sequel to get the green light.
"Stardust" springs to life from the brilliant mind of celebrated writer Neil Gaiman.
The 2007 fantasy adventure romp follows the exploits of Tristan Thorn, a bumbling
but romantic young shopkeeper who's so smitten with local beauty Victoria that he promises to
journey to retrieve a fallen star for her hand in marriage. And from there, hijinks ensue!
"Stardust" proved popular with both critics and audiences, earning a certified fresh rating of 77%
from critics, and an even better 86% audience score. If you like your romance with a side
of magical adventure — or vice versa — then "Stardust" is the film for you!
Like "Stardust," "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" came
from the mind of a legendary graphic novel writer, in this case Alan Moore.
"LXG," as the film was marketed, adapts the graphic novel series of the same name and
unites a handful of popular adventure characters as the titular team. Legendary big game hunter
and adventurer Allan Quartermain - played by Sean Connery - is recruited out of Africa to
lead a squad featuring the likes of Dorian Grey, whose immortality is tied to a portrait that ages
in his stead; Mina Harker, whose vampirism is a result of her husband Jonathan's former
employment by Count Dracula; the Invisible Man, Rodney Skinner, a thief who stole the secret to
invisibility from its creator; Nemo, captain of the submarine Nautilus and maybe a pirate as well;
American secret service agent Tom Sawyer; and Dr. Jekyll and his abominable counterpart, Mr. Hyde.
The ambitious adventure film drew characters from the works of Mark Twain, Oscar Wilde, Jules Verne,
Robert Louis Stevenson, Bram Stoker, H.G. Wells, and more, just like its comic book inspiration.
It fared well at the box office — grossing $179 million against a $78 million budget,
though critics weren't as kind to the edgy steampunk romp as audiences,
as the film earned just a 17% critics rating on Rotten tomatoes.
But hey, if you like your dumb fun extra dumb, this should be right up your alley!
Action, adventure, and forces beyond what mere mortals can reckon await viewers in
the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, unquestionably the
most successful cinematic adaptation of a theme park ride that has ever existed.
The swashbuckling adventure series follows the misadventures of Captain Jack Sparrow,
who's simply trying to get his ship back in the first film. In the course of events,
his path crosses with that of pirate-obsessed socialite Elizabeth Swan, and Will Turner,
the blacksmith who's in love with her — so much so that he'll break Jack out of prison
if he agrees to help rescue her from her pirate captors. Who just so happen to be the mutinous
crew that marooned Jack, stealing his ship in the first place. It's like it was meant to be!
The 2003 film "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" spawned a trilogy
that included "Dead Man's Chest" in 2006 and "At World's End" in 2007. Stars Johnny
Depp and Geoffrey Rush both returned for the fourth and fifth installments,
"On Stranger Tides" in 2011 and "Dead Men Tell No Tales" in 2017. Together,
the films have grossed more than $4.5 billion worldwide and a sixth "Pirates
of the Caribbean" movie will reboot the franchise without Depp at the wheel.
"You cheated!"
"Pirate!"
Adventure lovers who haven't seen the cult classic "The Princess Bride"
would do well to resolve that issue as quickly as possible.
It packs in plenty of heart and wit, in addition to danger and excitement.
Adapted from the novel of the same name, "The Princess Bride" follows the
travails of Westley , a young stableboy who serves Princess Buttercup without question,
with the two eventually falling in love. Westley sets out to make something of himself in order to
be worthy of Buttercup's hand in marriage but is waylaid by the Dread Pirate Roberts, well known
for taking no prisoners. Heartbroken, Buttercup is engaged to Prince Humperdinck against her will.
Thankfully — yes, thankfully — she is kidnapped before her wedding by three scallywags,
a thief named Vizzini, a giant named Fezzik, and a swordsman named Inigo Montoya,
who seeks to avenge his father's death and spawn a million memes. They're pursued by
Prince Humperdinck and his soldiers, in addition to a mysterious man in black.
The 1987 film is an enduring favorite among movie lovers of multiple generations. While it didn't
smash any box office records — it grossed $31 million globally against its $15 million
budget — it was a modest financial success. But it's gone on to become a cult classic.
So you want to watch the most fun adventure movie of all time? Well,
"Princess Bride" has just one answer to that request:
"As you wish!"
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