King Solomon's Mines (1985)

King Solomons Mines review

This product is really awesome. I used to watch this movie when i was younger and now i can watch it anytime i choose. September 1, 2008

Indiana Quatermain and the Mines of Doom

H. Rider Haggard's King Solomon's Mines is one of those stories where it often feels that only the title and the odd character name have been filmed. If there were a prize for the least faithful version, Cannon's 1985 romp would win hands down. Richard Chamberlain's Great White Hunter Allan Quatermain may be a reluctant guide on a quest for the fabled mines, but this time his only companion is Sharon Stone, eager to save her archaeologist father from Herbert Lom's dastardly and cartoonish Wagner-loving German officer (the plot has been updated to pre-WW1 Africa). No prizes for guessing that this is inspired more by Indiana Jones than H. Rider Haggard (it even co-stars John Rhys-Davies as another Arab, this time on the bad guys' side), with the stunts increasingly outrageous and the tone firmly tongue in cheek.

Shot almost back-to-back with the dire Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold and originally brandishing the how-are-they-ever-going-to-fit-that-on-the-marquees title Allan Quatermain and King Solomon's Mines and the Lost Caves of Death, it's a film almost as overloaded as it's rejected title: for the first half or so it's surprisingly entertaining, but eventually the relentless energy starts to wear you down as you realise that the film's used up most of its best stunts and jokes and is running out of clichés to rehash and lampoon. Certainly there's nothing in the second half to match a comic marketplace chase or a very silly train rescue that sees Quatermain work his way through variations of Indy's truck chase before skiing along the rails as he holds on by his bullwhip... In many ways, DVD is an almost ideal way to see it: a little too much to sit through in one go, a self-created intermission certainly helps.

Chamberlain makes an amiable if overly reliant on dynamite Quatermain, though Stone is an irritatingly screeching heroine and Lom too much of an over the top caricature to provide much threat. J. Lee Thompson keeps it moving, Jerry Goldsmith contributes an enjoyably heroic score and there's enough of a sense of fun to paper over the weak spots. May 17, 2008

Oh the Memories!

I watched this movie with my sister, mother and grandmother many times as a child. My grandma had taped it off of cable. I loved it then and I love it now! Sure it's not as grand and well known as Indiana Jones, but it took me to a new place with a new adventure and I just loved it. The sequel is not as good and a little hoaky, but I loved that too and enjoy the fact that I can have these movies around to watch whenever I feel nostalgic. It's definitely worth watching! May 15, 2008

If only the film had been as good as the music!

I can appreciate a good B-Movie, but this film is more like a D-Movie! I agree with another reviewer that the great Jerry Goldsmith score is actually too good for this film. Herbert Lom is terribly miscast as one of the central villains, and the script seems to have been written by someone who forgot to take their medication.

This film certainly had potential, considering some of the talent at the studio's disposal. But in the end, a horrible script and lackluster direction sinks the entire project. Cannon Films knew they had the makings of something good and tried again by releasing a sequel "Allan Quartermain and the lost city of gold". The sequel is the better film, but not by much.

I would recommend this film to those who derive enjoyment from lower-grade B-Movies. Get ready for some really BAD special effects and absolutely ridiculous stunt work. It took me over twenty years to want to watch this film again, and it'll probably take me another twenty to forget once again how bad it really is. Trust me, watching this film twice in a lifetime is plenty!

SPOILER ALERT

One of the most ridiculous airplane battle scenes you will EVER see. Totally ridiculous stunt sequence on a train! You gotta love that really big stew pot sequence! Ooooh, GIANT SPIDER!

Oh the pain!

JM February 3, 2008

King Solomon's Mines

Good story, has been remade at least once that I am aware of but still relaxing to watch. Arrived in good condition. January 8, 2008

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