A lot of the negative reviews for this film harp on it for its cheesy effects, the over-acting, the simple story, and the lackadaisical nature of its structure, but this is actually a really entertaining movie.
King Solomon's Mines follows Allan Quartermain and the young daughter of a historian in search of King Solomon's Mines. What starts as a rescue mission turns into a daring escape from an evil baron and his evil German allies, which then turns into a search for hidden treasure deep into the mountainous jungles.
The highlight of this film is that it never stops.
The only downtime in the film is late in with the upside down villagers, but even then the downtime is used to move the plot along and give the characters their next clue. Before you know it they're at the mouth of peril once once more!
Yes, the effects are oftentimes cheesy, and the stunts ridiculous, there are no really memorable or engaging fight scenes, but the movie is a classic adventure flick with a lot of fun to be had, and Sharon Stone didn't seem to mind hamming it up with Richard Chamberlain, which certainly helps make it worth the watch. Stone also looks drop dead gorgeous in this, and the increasing amounts of fan-service as the movie wears on certainly helps retain attention even if the action scenes don't.
The locations look great here, and the film feels exotic and hopeful, boasting a great feeling of trekking across hazardous but beautifully foreign land. It's a shame we don't get films like this anymore, even though a lot of reviewers here seem to hate it.
The violence isn't gratuitous, the plot isn't hard to follow, and in some ways it feels like a more mellowed out version of Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom.
King Solomon's Mines follows Allan Quartermain and the young daughter of a historian in search of King Solomon's Mines. What starts as a rescue mission turns into a daring escape from an evil baron and his evil German allies, which then turns into a search for hidden treasure deep into the mountainous jungles.
The highlight of this film is that it never stops.
The only downtime in the film is late in with the upside down villagers, but even then the downtime is used to move the plot along and give the characters their next clue. Before you know it they're at the mouth of peril once once more!
Yes, the effects are oftentimes cheesy, and the stunts ridiculous, there are no really memorable or engaging fight scenes, but the movie is a classic adventure flick with a lot of fun to be had, and Sharon Stone didn't seem to mind hamming it up with Richard Chamberlain, which certainly helps make it worth the watch. Stone also looks drop dead gorgeous in this, and the increasing amounts of fan-service as the movie wears on certainly helps retain attention even if the action scenes don't.
The locations look great here, and the film feels exotic and hopeful, boasting a great feeling of trekking across hazardous but beautifully foreign land. It's a shame we don't get films like this anymore, even though a lot of reviewers here seem to hate it.
The violence isn't gratuitous, the plot isn't hard to follow, and in some ways it feels like a more mellowed out version of Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom.