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| a weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves |
Treasure hunt movies are kind of cool. Sure, most of them are bad, but they still are kind of cool, and there are some I really enjoyed. That said, the temptation to be lazy and pick the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy was really, really strong this week. But I can't always be lazy so I worked a bit more this time and came up with different films.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
The first Lord of the Rights prequel, it follows Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) as he joins Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and thirteen Dwarves on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug. I'm not going to lie, I don't remember much about this one but I'm pretty sure they were searching for some treasure.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
The third film of the franchise, it follows Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) as he continues his father's (Sean Connery) search for the Holy Grail, which involves finding his father first and then stop the Nazis. Can we all agree that this one is the best of the series? The film is so much fun and entertaining, and the father-and-son dynamics are just wonderful.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
The second instalment of the franchise, it follows Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) as he embarks on an adventure to recover the heart of Davy Jones (Bill Nighty) to prevent his soul from being damned. Did you really think I wasn't going to pick one of these movies? Please! Anyway, this is not my favourite of the series but I still enjoyed it and it's probably the one that fits this week's theme more.
I love The Last Crusade but I think Raiders is the best in the series and this one is a near match for it. Perhaps it's the memory of the excitement I felt when I saw the first film in the theatre and how fresh and exciting it felt that helps bump it up that extra notch (and the presence of Karen Allen's kickass Marian something the other films were missing). But Harrison and Sean Connery have amazing chemistry.
ReplyDeleteI liked but didn't love the first Pirates movie and it's been a downhill slide for me ever since. That first one had a sense of joie de vivre that is totally lacking in the follow-ups which fell like products.
I've made my hatred of the Lord of the Rings movies well known so the thought of ever seeing The Hobbit gives me the heebie-jeebies!
I love treasure hunt movies too and was tempted to use three different versions of King Solomon's Mines (lord knows there's been enough of them!) but that particular story never thrilled me so I went in a different direction with three more obscure titles.
Green Hell (1940)-A group of fortune hunters lead by Keith Brandon (Douglas Fairbanks Jr) including David Richardson (Vincent Price) and Forrester (George Sanders) head deep into the South American jungle in search of rumored Incan treasure. Shortly after Richardson is killed by natives his wife Stephanie (Joan Bennett) arrives. Despite his loss she decides to stick it out and look for the booty but as the months tick by tempers and passions flare as the local heathens become increasingly hostile.
Plunder of the Sun (1953)-Down on his luck and short on funds insurance adjuster Al Colby (Glenn Ford) makes a deal with Thomas Berrien (Francis L. Sullivan), a crooked collector of antiquities to travel by ship to Oaxaca, Mexico smuggling a small package. During the voyage Berrien dies, Colby opens the package finding three parchments and a stone medal. Contacted by rival archaeologist Jefferson (Sean McClory) Colby discovers the parchments are a key to hidden treasure and the search is on!! Filmed in Mexico at the Zapotecan ruins of Mitla and Monte Alban.
Beyond Atlantis (1973)-When a fisherman wants to trade in his pearls for cash pimp Fast Eddie (Sid Haig) smells a fortune to be made and embarks on a treasure hunt to locate more. Joining with scuba driver Logan (John Ashley), adventurer Vic (Patrick Wayne, The Duke's son) and Dr. Kathy Vernon (Lenore Stevens) they head to the island. Upon arrival they are met by a tribe of half fish/half humans led by Neraus (George Nader) and his beautiful daughter Syrene (Leigh Christian) who only seems to possess a skimpy bikini. The gang are looking for loot, but Syrene is looking for a chance to propagate for the good of the tribe! A real piece of Roquet Cheese!!
We match on 2! The Hobbit was entertaining but a bit forgettable. I love Indiana Jones as well. I really loved the first POTC movie. I did like Dead Man's Chest because I love Bill Nighy.
ReplyDeleteDead Man's Chest is my favorite of the Pirates series. I recently re-watched them and that still stands.
ReplyDeleteAll these movies are fun. I do like the Hobbit movies even though they are not near as good as TLOTR. I agree with you that this Indiana Jones film is the best and I can watch this one over again where the others..meh. I don’t mind The Pirates flicks. They are fun and silly.
ReplyDeleteWe match with 2/3 of your picks :-D
ReplyDeleteIndiana Jones is also a brilliant one, I wish I would have thought of that.
I don't remember the bottom two much, but I particularly dislike The Hobbit because it is the first of an unnecessary trilogy.
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