Search - King Solomon's Mines on DVD

Crazy Adventure Movie

Elijah Chingosho | Nairobi, Kenya | 04/25/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

""King Solomon's Mines" is a hilarious and crazy adventure/comedy movie. The film is action packed, moving from one action scene to another. Some of my memorable adventure scenes include such antics as jumping down waterfalls and mountains, encountering Nazi soldiers, man-eating crocodiles, cannibals and being lost in a mine filled with dangerous animals and booby traps. The adventure has many funny sides to it as you will laugh as Allan Quatermain and Jessie Huston, among other things, have to fight enemy soldiers, fierce animals and reptiles, escape from blood thirsty cannibals.

The storyline is straightforward enough. A famous white hunter Allan Quatermain (played well by Richard Chamberlain) is convinced by Jesse Huston (Played equally well by Sharon Stone) to free her father who is in the custody of some ruthless villains. The father has a map to King Solomon's Mines. From this, an action packed adventure unfolds that should keep the audience not only thrilled by also laughing. Fans of Richard Chamberlain, in particular, will enjoy seeing him playing the uncharacteristic comedian role. John Rhys-Davies plays his role as a thoroughly bad man exceptionally well.

There are some limitations about this movie. The movie significantly departs from the story is the famous book by the same title written by H. Rider Haggard. The producers added various elements that they thought would appeal to the audience and in the process spoiled an opportunity to make a first rate film. There is also an element of ripping off of the Indiana Jones movies. Worse still, the film presents a negative stereotype of Africans. The special effects are not what one would expect. All these spoil an otherwise commendable attempt at making an excellent movie.

Overall an enjoyable movie, particularly for those who enjoy ridiculous humour. Adventure lovers will certainly also enjoy it as the action is non-stop and the suspense is riveting.
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Non-stop action, from the Cannon Group . . .

trebe | 12/06/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Attempting to ride the wave of success created by Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), the good folks at the Cannon Group brought you King Solomon's Mine (1985), an action adventure featuring Richard Chamberlain as the renowned adventurer Allan Quartermain. Based on Henry Rider Haggard's novel published a century earlier in 1885, the character had been featured in films before, with Stewart Granger among those playing Allan Quartermain, who was supposedly one of the main inspirations for the character Indiana Jones.

According to legend, somewhere in Africa, a great treasure in diamonds is to be found in King Solomon's mine. Professor Jediah Huston (Bernard Archard), has been abducted by Colonel Bockner (Herbert Lom), the leader of a group of German troops seeking the treasure. John Rhys-Davis, who was also in Raiders of the Lost Ark, appears here as Dogati, a Turk aiding the Germans. Still mainly working in television, a pre-Basict Instinct Sharon Stone, plays Jesse, who has hired Quartermain to find her lost father.

In the 1980's, the Cannon Group was mostly known for action films, particularly those by Chuck Norris, and Charles Bronson's Death Wish sequels. Cannon's production of King Solomon's Mine features mostly non-stop action, as Quartermain and Jesse, get into and out of a string of tight situations, that includes an extended sequence on a train, a madcap encounter in the air, a rather silly incident in a giant cooking pot, and swinging over a pool of crocodiles. The abundance of action, makes the film seem longer than it is. At the time, Richard Chamberlain was pretty hot, coming from the success of the Thorn Birds. Minus the whip, and with a heavy beard, Chamberlain bears a resemblance to a certain Dr. Jones. His portrayal of Quartermain is kind of aloof, and a little stiff at times. Humor and comedy are apparently not Chamberlain's strong suit. Although mostly smooth and competent in dealing with whatever arises, he often seems a bit detached from the reality of the situation. Quartermain and Jesse get along well enough, but there doesn't seem to be much real chemistry between them, which is unfortunate as Jesse is quite likeable, handles herself well, and is only slightly prone to hysterics.

In this light cartoonish affair, a lack of depth does not matter very much. Lom and Rhys-Davis take their characters over the edge, with plenty of bluster, and dramatic rants. The journey begins to go off to fantasyland when Quartermain encounters a tree dwelling tribe, that hang upside down from branches and vines. Yet another tribe guards the pathway to the mine, where an excitable high priestess takes a dislike to Jesse. Upon reaching the fabled mines, the movie takes a nosedive into silliness. The sets are a little disappointing, and the special effects are rather weak, even for 1985. After a few mildly tense moments, the film ends rather predictably.

Filmed in Zimbabwe, and directed by veteran action specialist J. Lee Thompson (The Guns of Navarone, Cape Fear), the film generally has very good production values. Some of the action and fighting sequences are quite nicely done. With hardly a sign of anything computer generated, most of the stunts are real, and a large number of extras were employed for some scenes. This kind of filmmaking has already become a part of the past. The special effects, and rear screen projection scenes, mostly appear dated.

This release is widescreen, with English subtitles. A commentary track with stars Chamberlain and Stone would have been nice, but perhaps this is a film they would both prefer to forget. An above average effort for Golan-Globus Productions, and The Cannon Group, King Solomon's Mines is a pretty enjoyable adventure, until the fantasy finish in the mines. With some decent action and interesting cinematography in Africa, the film apparently did well enough to justify a sequel, Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold (1987), with Chamberlain and Stone reprising their roles."