Subgenre Sampler

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Mountain, The (2024): Dir. Rachel House
Feat. Elizabeth Atkinson, Reuben Francis, Terence Daniel…; A young girl, raised outside of her Maori culture, is determined to fulfil her mission of connecting with her mountain in the hope they can heal her…
Shackleton: The Greatest Story of Survival (2023): The true story of polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and the crew of the Endurance, told by the only man ever to have repeated their incredible…
Lost City, The (2022): Dir. Aaron Nee, Adam Nee
Feat. Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe…; Sandra Bullock plays a brilliant but reclusive author who has spent her career writing about exotic places in her popular romance–adventure…
Marcel: the Shell With Shoes On (2022): Dir. Dean Fleischer-Camp
Feat. Isabella Rossellini, Jenny Slate, Thomas Mann…; Marcel is an adorable one–inch–tall shell who ekes out a colorful existence with his grandmother Connie and their pet lint, Alan. Once…
Uncharted (2022): Dir. Ruben Fleischer
Feat. Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Antonio Banderas…; Tom Holland plays a street–smart thief who is recruited by seasoned treasure hunter (Mark Wahlberg) to recover a fortune lost by Ferdinand…
Jungle Cruise (2021): Dir. Jaume Collet-Serra
Feat. Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Édgar Ramírez…; Good old fashioned fantasy adventure based on the Disney theme park ride of the same name, with Dwayne Johnson playing a steamboat skipper who takes…
Raya and the Last Dragon (2021): Dir. Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada; A sophisticated Disney animated feature set in a re–imagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization known as Kumandra, where a feisty…
Velvet Queen, The (2021): Dir. Marie Amiguet; An incredible nature documentary from France as much about the human animal as the animal kingdom. It follows renowned wildlife photographer Vincent…
Love and Monsters (2020): Dir. Michael Matthews
Feat. Dylan O’Brien, Michael Rooker, Jessica Henwick; After a Monsterpocalypse forces humans into underground colonies, a young man decides against all logic to brave the surface and face the monsters…
Detective Pikachu (Pokémon Detective Pikachu) (2019): Dir. Rob Letterman; Thrilling Pokemon adventure set in Ryme City, a sprawling metropolis where humans and Pokemon live side by side. When a detective goes missing, his…
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (How to Train Your Dragon 3) (2019): Dir. Dean Deblois; The beloved Dreamworks series comes to a fitting close with this third delightful fantasy film following the adventures of Hiccup, who has…
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019): Dir. Jake Kasdan
Feat. Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Karen Gillan …; The cast of the successful, enjoyable reboot return for more jungle fantasy adventure, this time to rescue one of their own through braving parts…
Spread Your Wings (Donne-moi des ailes) (2019): Dir. Nicolas Vanier
Feat. Jean-Paul Rouve, Mélanie Doutey, Louis Vazquez; A gorgeous boys' own eco–adventure from France, based on the true story of a visionary scientist and his 14–year–old son who bond…
Adrift (2018): Dir. Baltasar Kormakur
Feat. Shailene Woodley, Sam Claflin; Romantic survival drama with Shailene Woodley as a courageous and whip smart sailor who steers straight into a completely unpredictable hurricane. In…
Free Solo (2018): Dir. Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi; An astonishing human achievement story that follows 'free solo' climber Alex Honnold as he prepares for the unthinkable: to scale the face of the…
Mia and the White Lion (2018): Dir. Gilles de Maistre
Feat. Daniah De Villiers, Mélanie Laurent, Langley Kirkwood; Adventurous family drama following a young girl who befriends a lion cub when her parents move to Africa from London to manage a lion farm.
Edie (2017): Dir. Simon Hunter
Feat. Sheila Hancock, Kevin Guthrie, Paul Brannigan; A bitter Octogenarian full of regrets decides to fulfill her largest unrealised dream, to climb a mountain in the Scottish Highlands.…
Mountain (2017): Dir. Jennifer Peedom
Feat. Willem Dafoe; A reflective but adrenaline–fueled documentary exploring our timeless enchantment with mountains, in the unique form of a collaboration between…
Star Trek: Discovery (TV Series) (2017): Feat. Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Shazad Latif…; Another iteration of the enduring STAR TREK series following "Star Trek: Enterprise" set ten years before Kirk, Spock and the Enterprise, the USS…
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017): Dir. Rian Johnson
Feat. Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Mark Hamill…; Refreshing and self–assured entry into the franchise, which pays respectful homage to both the franchise and the expectations of…
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017): Dir. Luc Besson
Feat. Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Ethan Hawke…; Expensive and extravagant space opera set in the 28th Century, where a team of special operatives investigate a dark force that threatens peace in…
Eagle Huntress, The (2016): A 13–year–old nomadic Mongolian girl breaks a 2,000 year–old gender barrier to follow her father and train hunting eagles in this…
Free Man, The (2016): Dir. Toa Fraser; Kiwi filmmaker Toa Fraser examines the life of world–champion freestyle skier Jossi Wells, who travels and trains with a troupe of…
Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016): Dir. Taika Waititi
Feat. Sam Neill, Julian Dennison, Rima Te Wiata…; A feel–good comic misadventure in which a rebellious city kid and his reluctant foster uncle become subjects of a manhunt after they "go bush"…
Moana (2016): Dir. John Musker, Ron Clements
Feat. Aulii Cravalho, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Jemaine Clement…; An epic CGI Disney adventure about a Polynesian girl who sets sail on a daring ocean voyage to find a home for her people. Features Kiwi voice…
Odyssey, The (L'odyssée) (2016): Dir. Jérôme Salle
Feat. Lambert Wilson, Pierre Niney, Audrey Tautou; A shimmering yet unvarnished biopic of pioneering Frenchman Jacques Cousteau, who invented the aqualung and went on to become a world–famous…
Pete's Dragon (2016): Dir. David Lowery
Feat. Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Oakes Fegley…; Inspired Disney remake vastly improves upon its own forgotten 70's adventure that tells the tale of an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend…
Swiss Army Man (2016): Dir. Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Feat. Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe, Mary Elizabeth Winstead; Off–the–wall buddy flick in which a man stranded on a deserted island befriends a dead body and together they go on a surreal journey to…
Endless Night (Nobody Wants the Night) (2015): Dir. Isabel Coixet
Feat. Juliette Binoche, Gabriel Byrne, Rinko Kikuchi…; Serviceable adventure with Juliette Binoche starring as Arctic explorer Josephine Peary searching for her missing husband in remote Greenland.
Life in a Walk (2015): Dir. Yogi Roth; Filmmaker, author and scholar Yogi Roth invites his cancer–embattled father on a life–changing walk along the Camino de Santiago, the…
Long Way North (Tout en haut du monde) (2015): Dir. Rémi Chayé
Feat. Christa Theret, Féodor Atkine; Beautiful hand–drawn animation by the director of THE SECRET OF KELLS, telling the story of a 15–year old Russian aristocrat called Sasha…
Queen of the Desert (2015): Dir. Werner Herzog
Feat. Nicole Kidman, James Franco, Robert Pattinson…; Werner Herzog directs this worthy biopic of British explorer and adventurer Gertrude Bell focusing on her time in the Middle East.
Sherpa (2015): Dir. Jennifer Peedom; Superb doco captures the 2014 climbing season on Everest from the point of view of Sherpa Phurba Tashi, including the tragic avalanche and its…
Survivalist, The (2015): Dir. Stephen Fingleton
Feat. Martin McCann, Mia Goth, Andrew Simpson; In a kill–or–be–killed world where starvation is rife and strangers are always dangerous, one man lives off the grid, and by his…
Walk in the Woods, A (2015): Dir. Ken Kwapis
Feat. Robert Redford, Nick Nolte, Emma Thompson…; Robert Redford and Nick Nolte walk the Appalachian trail together in this lightly comic adaptation of Bill Bryson's memoir, with much of the pleasure…
Walk, The (2015): Dir. Robert Zemeckis
Feat. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Kingsley, Charlotte Le Bon…; The daredevil exploits of French high–wire artist Philippe Petit featured in MAN ON WIRE are re–told by Robert Zemeckis, who duly amps up…
Barbie: The Pearl Princess (2014): Dir. Ezekiel Norton; Entry into the Barbie film series where the fashion doll is a mermaid who has the power to change the colour of pearls and make them dance.
Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder (2014): Dir. Arild Fröhlich
Feat. Kristoffer Joner, Emily Glaister, Eilif Hellum Noraker; From the pen of Norwegian crime writer Jo Nesbo comes this earthy family caper. Two lonely children help an eccentric inventor gain recognition for…
Game of Thrones - Season 4 (TV Series) (2014): Feat. Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey…; Further episodes from the justifiably acclaimed HBO medieval series, with realism and violence dictating its dark hued, anti–romantic take on…
Hobbit, The - Battle of Five Armies (2014): Dir. Peter Jackson
Feat. Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage…; Spectacular concluding chapter of the trilogy has Bilbo and company forced to engage in a war against an array of combatants and keep the Lonely…
Klondike (TV Mini-Series) (2014): Dir. Simon Cellan Jones
Feat. Richard Madden, Abbie Cornish, Marton Csokas…; The Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1890s is richly evoked in this frontier western, which is largely faithful to the history, conditions, and…
Maleficent (2014): Dir. Robert Stromberg
Feat. Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley…; Angelina Jolie plays Sleeping Beauty's iconic villain in this visually striking update of the Disney animated classic.
Monuments Men, The (2014): Dir. George Clooney
Feat. George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray…; George Clooney directs and stars in this stirring WWII adventure based on the deeds of a team of Allied art historians who go behind enemy lines to…
Pompeii (2014): Dir. Paul Anderson
Feat. Kit Harington, Carrie-Anne Moss, Emily Browning…; This inglorious disaster epic from the 'other' Paul Anderson imagines the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in tandem with a hoary Ancient Roman melodrama.
Song of the Sea (2014): Dir. Tomm Moore; From the director and production team behind THE SECRET OF KELLS comes another distinctive hand–made animated feature from Ireland that serves…
After Earth (2013): Dir. M. Night Shyamalan
Feat. Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Sophie Okonedo…; In a constellation of derivative sci–fi blockbusters, this nepotistic father–son vehicle for Will and Jaden Smith crash lands with a…
Age of Uprising: The Legend of Michael Kohlhaas (2013): Dir. Arnaud des Pallières
Feat. Mads Mikkelsen, Mélusine Mayance, David Kross…; Mads Mikkelsen plays a Robin Hood–esque horse trader who rallies against an oppressive regime in 16th century France. A stern medieval tale…
All is Lost (2013): Dir. J.C. Chandor
Feat. Robert Redford; Elegant maritime thriller in which Robert Redford is the sole actor, faced with the challenges of survival aboard his shipwrecked yacht. Helmed by…
Barbie and Her Sisters in A Pony Tale (2013): Dir. Kyran Kelly; Equine–themed inclusion into the Barbie film series, set at a riding academy in the alps.
Beyond the Edge (2013): Dir. Leanne Pooley
Feat. Chad Moffitt, Sonam Sherpa; Thrilling, definitive docu–drama on Sir Edmund Hillary's historic 1953 scaling of Everest with sherpa Tenzing Norgay.
Epic (2013): Dir. Chris Wedge
Feat. Amanda Seyfried, Josh Hutcherson, Beyonce Knowles…; Appealing animated adventure centred on a teenager who is transported to a magical forest kingdom where she must help a band of rag–tag…
Game of Thrones - Season 3 (TV Series) (2013): Feat. Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Michelle Fairley…; Further episodes from the justifiably acclaimed HBO medieval series, with realism and violence dictating its dark hued, anti–romantic take on…
Gravity (2013): Dir. Alfonso Cuaron
Feat. Sandra Bullock, George Clooney; Is GRAVITY the first really new film of the 21st Century? I hazard it may be. It is certainly the first to harness the bleeding edge of the current…
Hobbit, The - The Desolation of Smaug (2013): Dir. Peter Jackson
Feat. Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage…; Chapter two of Peter Jackson's epic adaptation of The Hobbit, which sees the party's quest to reclaim their homeland from Smaug continue. Bilbo…
Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013): Dir. Francis Lawrence
Feat. Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson…; The victors of the Hunger Games must rally at the threat of an uprising in this blockbuster sequel to Suzanne Collins's best–selling young…
Jack the Giant Slayer (2013): Dir. Bryan Singer
Feat. Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, Ewan McGregor…; 'Jack and the Beanstalk' is reimagined for the big screen in this hulking fantasy adventure about a naïve farm boy who attempts to rescue a…
Journey to the West (Conquering The Demons) (2013): Dir. Stephen Chow (Chiao), Chi-kin Kwok
Feat. Shu Qi, Zhang Wen, Bo Huang; Stephen Chow directs this entertaining Monkey legend spoof with imagination and an eye for the ridiculous. Centred on a Buddhist's unpredictable road…
Legend of Sarila, The (2013): Dir. Nancy Savard; Three young Inuits set off in search of a promised land to save their clan from starvation in this snowbound animated adventure.
Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013): Dir. Harald Zwart
Feat. Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, Kevin Zegers…; A teenage girl joins a league of demon slayers in this dark New York–set fantasy, another epic tween franchise in the making. Based on the…
Oz the Great and Powerful (2013): Dir. Sam Raimi
Feat. James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz…; Sam Raimi directs this spectacular re–imagining of the Wizard of Oz legend for Disney studios – an origin story centred on the coming of…
Tarzan (2013): Dir. Reinhard Klooss; The adventures of Tarzan and Jane live on in this new 3D animation.
Tracks (2013): Dir. John Curran
Feat. Mia Wasikowska, Adam Driver; Mia Wasikowska plays writer Robyn Davidson in this sweeping account of her 1,700–mile trek across the deserts of west Australia.
Turning Tide (2013): Dir. Christophe Offenstein
Feat. Francois Cluzet, Samy Seghir, Virginie Efira…; Francois Cluzet stars as an intrepid solo round–the–world yacht racer battling the elements, a crippled ship, and an immigrant boy…
Vikings (TV Series) (2013-2018): Feat. Travis Fimmel, Katheryn Winnick, Gustaf Skarsard…; A vividly mounted historical series inspired by the sagas of the Norsemen of early medieval Scandinavia.
Brave (2012): Dir. Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman
Feat. Kelly MacDonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson…; Pixar's latest winning animation centres on an impetuous Scottish princess torn between her royal duty to the kingdom and her true desire to become…
Game of Thrones - Season 2 (TV Series) (2012): Feat. Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Michelle Fairley…; Further episodes from the justifiably acclaimed HBO medieval series, with realism and violence dictating its dark hued, anti–romantic take on…
Hobbit, The - An Unexpected Journey (2012): Dir. Peter Jackson
Feat. Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage…; Peter Jackson returns to Middle Earth with this epic first chapter in The Hobbit saga, which follows Bilbo Baggins' quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf…
John Carter (2012): Dir. Andrew Stanton
Feat. Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton…; Edgar Rice Burroughs's classic sci–fi novel is the basis for this hulking intergalactic adventure extravagantly financed by Disney studios,…
Kon-Tiki (2012): Dir. Espen Sandberg, Joachim Roenning
Feat. Pål Sverre Hagen; A rousing dramatisation of the 1947 voyage of the legendary Kon–Tiki, a balsa–wood raft lead across the Pacific by Norwegian explorer…
Labyrinth (TV Mini-Series) (2012): Dir. Christopher Smith
Feat. Jessica Brown-Findlay, Vanessa Kirby, John Hurt…; The search for the Holy Grail provides the link between two parallel story lines – one set in medieval France, the other during a modern day…
Life of Pi (2012): Dir. Ang Lee
Feat. Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Tabu …; An Indian storyteller recalls the events of his extraordinary life, beginning as a boy shipwrecked along with animals from his family's zoo, in this…
Mud (2012): Dir. Jeff Nichols
Feat. Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland…; Jeff Nichols (TAKE SHELTER) directs this thrilling backwoods adventure, about two boys who befriend a charismatic criminal in hiding on the…
Rise of the Guardians (2012): Dir. Peter Ramsey
Feat. Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Jude Law…; An imaginative spin on childhood mythology, this excellent animated fantasy casts Jack Frost, The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy, The Sandman, and…
Shackleton's Captain (2012): Dir. Leanne Pooley
Feat. Craig Parker; The Endurance's ship captain, Frank Worsley, is given the spotlight in this searing reenactment of Ernest Shackleton’s troubled expedition to the…
Sinbad (TV Series) (2012): Feat. Elliot Knight, Naveen Andrews, Timothy Spall…; Spiffy swashbuckling version of the Sinbad legend harnesses the best of blockbuster–style action and above–average special effects to…
Standing Up (Goat Island) (2012): Dir. D. J. Caruso
Feat. Chandler Canterbury, Annalise Basso, Radha Mitchell…; Uplifting and morally salient adventure story about a pair of shy 12 year old kids who find strength and confidence together after a cruel prank…
Conan the Barbarian (2011): Dir. Marcus Nispel
Feat. Jason Momoa, Stephen Lang, Rachel Nichols…; Meat–axe revival of Arnold Schwarzenegger's B–movie breakthrough, which mashes modern CG effects with a low–rent 80s sensibility…
Game of Thrones - Season 1 (TV Series) (2011): Feat. Sean Bean, Mark Addy, Michelle Fairley…; Justifiably acclaimed medieval series applies the magic HBO touch to the often–ridiculed world of sword and sorcery, with realism and violence…
Grey, The (2011): Dir. Joe Carnahan
Feat. Liam Neeson, Dermot Mulroney, Dallas Roberts…; Liam Neeson plays a skilled huntsman charged with leading a group of plane crash survivors through the remote Alaskan wilderness in this chilly…
Hugo (2011): Dir. Martin Scorsese
Feat. Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley…; A state–of–the–art fantasy and homage to the origins of film and one of its earlier innovators, George Méliès (Kingsley), whose…
Neverland (TV Mini-series) (2011): Dir. Nick Willing
Feat. Rhys Ifans, Anna Friel, Bob Hoskins…; Clever prequel to "Peter Pan" from the producers of TIN MAN and ALICE that gives a fresh, alternative take on the origins of Peter Pan and Captain…
Treasure Island (2011): Dir. Steve Barron
Feat. Eddie Izzard, Toby Regbo, Donald Sutherland…; Eddie Izzard provides plenty of scowl and swagger as the latest incarnation of Long John Silver in this gritty and imaginative adaptation Robert…
War Horse (2011): Dir. Steven Spielberg
Feat. Jeremy Irvine, Peter Mullan, Emily Watson…; Steven Spielberg revives the magic of Old Hollywood with this rousing saga of a plucky farm stallion who goes on to inspire soldiers and citizens…
127 Hours (2010): Dir. Danny Boyle
Feat. James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara…; Vivid, imaginatively conceived reenactment of Aron Ralston’s remarkable true story of survival, in which the adventurer performed the unthinkable…
Alabama Moon (2010): Dir. Tim McCanlies
Feat. John Goodman, Jimmy Bennett, Clint Howard; Simplistic family drama about an eleven year old boy raised in the Alabama wilderness, who is forced out into the modern world when his survivalist…
Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec, The (Adèle Blanc-Sec) (2010): Dir. Luc Besson
Feat. Louise Bourgoin, Mathieu Amalric, Gilles Lellouche…; Luc Besson helms this outlandish female–scented romp, centred on the tomb raiding escapades of a writer (a fetching Louise Bourgoin) whose…
Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove (2010): Dir. Will Geiger
Feat. Bindi Irwin, Beau Bridges, Mike Falkow; Genial revival of the FREE WILLY franchise with Bindi Irwin sent to spend her summer in South Africa with grandfather Beau Bridges and his failing…
How I Ended This Summer (2010): Dir. Aleksey Popogrebskiy
Feat. Grigoriy Dobrygin, Sergey Puskepalis; Two Russian meteorologists isolated at polar station on the Arctic fringes put each other in jeopardy in this tense, slow–burn adventure. An…
White Lion (2010): Dir. Michael Swan; Entertaining and adorable fodder for wildlife lovers follows the journey of an endangered albino lion, destined according to legend to be a messenger…
Avatar (2009): Dir. James Cameron
Feat. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver…; James Cameron’s record–shattering 3D epic is a woozy mix of allegory and special effects (developed at Wellington's Weta studios), set on a…
Big River Man (2009): Dir. John Maringouin; Another in the popular docu–genre of fearless frontierism, Slovenian celebrity figure and swim–a–holic Martin Strel attempts his…
Land Of The Lost (2009): Dir. Brad Silberling
Feat. Will Ferrell, Anna Friel, Danny McBride; Based on the popular TV series, this prosaic adaptation sees a goofy Will Farrell play a scientist who gets sucked through a time warp into a…
Valhalla Rising (2009): Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn
Feat. Mads Mikkelsen; Mads Mikkelsen plays an enslaved warrior drawn into a viking crusade in this gritty, visceral primordial adventure from dir. Nicolas Winding Refn…
Where the Wild Things Are (2009): Dir. Spike Jonze
Feat. Max Records, Catherine Keener, James Gandolfini…; Expanding on the simple text of Maurice Sendak's modern children's classic, this glorious, visionary adaptation from director Spike Jonze and writer…
10,000 B.C. (2008): Dir. Roland Emmerich
Feat. Steven Strait, Camilla Belle, Cliff Curtis; Beasts, behemoths and flesh–eating emus prowl the prehistoric landscape in another of Roland (INDEPENDENCE DAY) Emmerich's effects–heavy…
Adventures Of White Tuft, The (White Tuft,The Little Beaver) (2008): Dir. Phillipe Calderon; Gentle family drama follows White Tuft, a young beaver, who is separated from his family after the dam they dwell in collapses. Skilfully weaving…
Australia (2008): Dir. Baz Luhrmann
Feat. Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, David Wenham…; Aussie golden boy Baz Luhrmann's larger–than–life epic sees an English aristocrat and cattle driver attempt to save an inherited outback…
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008): Dir. Andrew Adamson
Feat. Tilda Swinton, Ben Barnes, Sergio Castellitto…; This epic–leaning return to the fantasy world of Narnia finds the Pevensie children heading back through the wardrobe to help Prince Caspian…
City Of Ember (2008): Dir. Gil Kenan
Feat. Harry Treadaway, Saoirse Ronan, Tim Robbins…; Dystopian children's fantasy set in an underground city of the future that is threatened by eternal darkness but whose leaders protect their citizens…
Colour of Magic, The (2008): Dir. Vadim Jean
Feat. Sean Astin, Jeremy Irons, David Jason…; A live–action return to Terry Pratchett's 'Discworld,' where an unfortunate wizard, enthusiastic tourist and fierce wooden box with legs must…
Crusoe (TV Series) (2008): Feat. Philip Winchester, Tongayi Chirisa, Sam Neill…; Lavishly mounted, if undeniably corny production of Daniel Defoe’s island classic, with the titular castaway fending off pirates, mutineers and…
Inkheart (2008): Dir. Iain Softley
Feat. Brendan Fraser, Sienna Guillory, Paul Bettany…; An under–rated, imaginative rendering of German author Cornelia Funke's novel about a young girl and her father who have the ability to bring…
Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack (TV Series) (2008): Feisty animated sitcom following the misadventures of Flapjack, a young boy who lives under the sea, and his whale companion Bubbie. Intricate and…
Mummy, The - Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008): Dir. Rob Cohen
Feat. Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello…; Veteran adventurer Rick O’Conner (Fraser) returns with family in tow to battle Jet Li’s ‘Dragon Emperor’ in this bloated third installment of…
Nim's Island (2008): Dir. Jennifer Flackett, Mark Levin
Feat. Abigail Breslin, Jodie Foster, Gerard Butler; Sun–baked family adventure set in the magical land of Nim's Island, where an imaginative bookworm (Abigail Breslin) must enlist the help of her…
Pinocchio (TV Mini-series) (2008): Dir. Alberto Sironi
Feat. Robbie Kay , Alessandro Gassman, Bob Hoskins; Lengthy, live–action adaptation of the children's classic stars Kay as the boy made of wood and Hoskins as his gruff old father, Gepetto. Quite…
Spiderwick Chronicles, The (2008): Dir. Mark Waters
Feat. Freddie Highmore, Nick Nolte, Sarah Bolger…; Enchanting fantasia in the Gothic tradition, centred around three children (including Freddie Highmore as twins!) who move into a dilapidated mansion…
Stargate: Continuum (2008): Feat. Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge…; Second "direct–to–video" sequel to the STARGATE SG–1 series (following The Ark of Truth), sees the team return from years in space…
Tales of the Riverbank (2008): Dir. John Henderson
Feat. Stephen Fry, Jim Broadbent, Steve Coogan…; Based on the classic UK tv series, this tells the story of Hammy Hamster, Roderick Rat and GP the Guinea Pig, who, in the wake of a big storm, embark…
Astronaut Farmer, The (2007): Dir. Michael Polish
Feat. Billy Bob Thornton, Virginia Madsen, Bruce Dern…; Billy Bob Thornton plays a little guy with a big dream – an ex–NASA employee who builds his own space–rocket – in this warm…
Fox and the Child, The (Le renard et l'enfant) (2007): Dir. Luc Jacquet
Feat. Bertille Noël-Bruneau, Isabelle Carré; A visually impressive, curious hybrid from the director of MARCH OF THE PENGUINS that combines nature documentary and a "fairy tale" look at the…
Here is Always Somewhere Else (2007): Dir. Renee Daalder; Director Daalder pays tribute to fellow Dutch emigrant and artist Bas Jan Ader, whose daring conceptual performances culminated in 1975 when he…
Into the Wild (2007): Dir. Sean Penn
Feat. Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt…; With his trademark earnestness, Sean Penn adapts Jon Krakauer's nonfiction book about a 22–year–old who dropped out of society in the…
M.I. High (TV Series) (2007): Feat. Rachel Petladwala, Chris Stanton, Bel Powley; Light–hearted kids series following three secondary school pupils who work as undercover spies working for the British government.…
Monkey Puzzle (2007): Dir. Mark Forstmann; A camping trip in search of a rare tree goes pear–shaped for a group of Aussie twenty–somethings as they lose their bearings and their…
Sovereign's Servant, The (2007): Dir. Oleg Ryaskov
Feat. Dmitriy Miller, Aleksandr Bukharov; Two French aristocrats are sent by Louis XIV to observe the Swedish and Russian armies just before the Battle of Poltava in this sweeping Russian…
Stardust (2007): Dir. Matthew Vaughn
Feat. Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer…; An elaborate and wildly entertaining fairytale adventure from the imagination of British fantasy maestro, Neil Gaiman (MIRROR MASK), this tones down…
Stranded - The Andes Plane Crash Survivors (2007): Inspiring first–hand account of the devastating ordeal suffered by members of a Uruguayan rugby team whose plane famously crashed in the Andes…
Apocalypto (2006): Dir. Mel Gibson
Feat. Dalia Hernandez, Rudy Youngblood; Dir. Mel Gibson’s oft–enthralling action adventure follows a young tribesman living in a jungle village who is taken prisoner by Mayan…
Crusade: A March Through Time (Kruistocht in spijkerbroek) (2006): Dir. Ben Sombogaart
Feat. Stephanie Leonidas, Joe Flynn, Emily Watson…; From the popular Dutch children’s book, this biblical fantasy follows a young boy who accidentally travels through time back to the 13th Century,…
Everest: Beyond the Limit (TV Mini-Series) (2006): A gruelling Discovery Channel mini–series following a group of ambitious mountaineers, led by Kiwi climber Russell Brice, on their quest to…
Golden Door, The (Nuovomondo) (2006): Dir. Emanuele Crialese
Feat. Charlotte Gainsbourg, Vincenzo Amato; Award–winning Italian drama from the dir. of RESPIRO follows the fortunes of a family of dirt–poor Sicilian peasants, from their homeland…
Guardian, The (2006): Dir. Andrew Davis
Feat. Ashton Kutcher, Kevin Costner, Sela Ward; Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Costner get wet as trainee coast guard and salty swim legend respectively in this broad–chested adventure about an…
Lost Children, The (TV Series) (2006): Feat. Hudson Mills, Beatrice Joblin, Rhys Castle-Hughes…; Well–crafted adventure series follows three children washed ashore from a shipwreck as they search for their parents..
Merlin's Apprentice (2006): Feat. Sam Neill, Miranda Richardson; Fantastical sequel to the popular mini–series version of MERLIN, this also stars Sam Neill as the legendary wizard, now mentoring a young…
Stormbreaker (2006): Dir. Geoffrey Sax
Feat. Alex Pettyfer, Ewan McGregor, Bill Nighy…; A British–oriented spin on the kid super–agent premise, with gadgets and evil masterminds galore, based on the popular Alex Rider series…
Tom's Midnight Garden (2006): Dir. Willard Carroll
Feat. Greta Scacchi, James Wilby, Joan Plowright; A handsome screen version of children's novel by Phillipa Pearce, in which a young boy in the 1950s is sent to live with his aunt and uncle because…
Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl, The (2005): Dir. Robert Rodriguez
Feat. Kristin Davis, David Arquette; Colourful fantasy involves a 10–year old boy, who to escape parental neglect and the attentions of school bullies, invents his own…
Beowulf and Grendel (2005): Dir. Sturla Gunnarsson
Feat. Gerard Butler, Stellan Skarsgard, Sarah Polley; A rousing medieval adaptation of the Anglo–Saxon epic poem in sweeping fantasy tones. Filled with constant action in a strange, otherworldly…
Everything is Illuminated (2005): Dir. Liev Schreiber
Feat. Elijah Wood; An ambitious debut for dir. Schreiber, telling the deadpan, yet wistful tale of an earnest NYC Jew (Wood) who travels to the Ukraine to find the…
Grizzly Man (2005): Dir. Werner Herzog; One of dir. Herzog's (AGUIRRE) true classics, this is a devastating glimpse into the life of a self–styled naturalist, whose obsession with…
King Kong (2005): Dir. Peter Jackson
Feat. Naomi Watts, Adrien Brody, Jack Black…; Peter Jackson's colossal remake lavishes one of the cinema's greatest legends in 21st century technology and ratchets up the emotional stakes to…
Mangal Pandey (2005): Dir. Ketan Mehta
Feat. Aamir Khan, Toby Stephens; Accomplished and stirring Hindi epic based on the life and times of Mangal Pandey (Khan), leader of the 1857 'Indian Mutiny' which severely…
MirrorMask (2005): Dir. Dave McKean
Feat. Gina McKee, Stephanie Leonidas; Inventive fantasy drama in which a teenage girl – born into a circus family – is traumatised by her mother's sudden illness and retreats…
Mysterious Geographic Explorations Of Jasper Morello, The (2005): Dir. Anthony Lucas; Visually accomplished short animation, set in a 'Victorian–style' future where steam–powered airships navigate across polluted skies and…
Once You're Born (Quando sei nato non puoi più nasconderti) (2005): Dir. Marco Tullio Giordana
Feat. Alessio Boni, Adriana Asti; Frank Italian adventure by acclaimed director Marco Tullio Giordana (THE BEST OF YOUTH) telling the coming–of–age story of a wealthy…
Serenity (2005): Dir. Joss Whedon
Feat. Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk; Thoroughly enjoyable sci–fi romp based upon the cult TV series FIREFLY, in which the ship 'Serenity' cruises a future solar federation of human…
Exils (Exiles) (2004): Dir. Tony Gatlif
Feat. Romain Duris; Possibly dir. Gatlif's most exuberant and personal film yet, this observes a bohemian French couple's journey southwards to their family's respective…
King Solomon's Mines (TV Mini-series) (2004): Feat. Patrick Swayze, Alison Doody, Roy Marsden…; Two–part miniseries based on H. Rider Haggard's timeless tale of Allan Quartermain's quest to find the fabled mines of King Solomon, and the…
Masai - The Rain Warriors (2004): Dir. Pascal Plisson; Simple and visually–sweeping, this African epic follows a group of teenage warriors from their drought–stricken village out into the…
Michael Palin: Himalaya (TV Series) (2004): Dir. Roger Mills, John-Paul Davidson
Feat. Michael Palin; Michael Palin continues his globe–trotting in this 6–part series in which he travels to the wild places of the Himalayan region. Filled…
Motorcycle Diaries (Diarios de Motocicleta) (2004): Dir. Walter Salles
Feat. Gael Garcia Bernal, Rodrigo De la Serna, Mercedes Morán; Sumptuously filmed two–wheeled road trip across 1950s South America with the youthful, asthmatic Ernesto "Che" Guevara (Bernal), and friend…
Pride (2004): Dir. John Downer
Feat. Kate Winslet, Helen Mirren, Sean Bean…; Quaintly original and rather winning BBC production about a lionness who rebels against her home 'pride', first, by thinking of becoming a…
Shoebox Zoo (TV Series) (2004): Dir. Justin Molotnikov
Feat. Vivien Endicott Douglas, Jason Connery, Rik Mayall…; An imaginative British fantasy series for children, has a Canadian exchange student (Douglas) living in Edinburgh inherit a box of toy animals, that…
Treasure Island Kids (2004): Dir. Gavin Scott; Hearty adventure series for kids, based around an island and its most interesting inhabitant: the wacky inventor Conrad Dawson, who has spent his…
Two Brothers (2004): Dir. Jean-Jacques Annaud
Feat. Guy Pearce, Jean Claude Dreyfus; One of the most compelling 'wildlife' films of recent years proffers the tale of two Bengal tiger cubs, orphaned and separated by a remorseless…
Without A Paddle (2004): Dir. Steven Brill
Feat. Seth Green, Matthew Lillard, Dax Shepard…; Three modernday 'city slickers' enthuse over a treasure–seeking canoe trip to Oregon, before falling comic victims to the flora, fauna, hairy…
Beyond Borders (2003): Dir. Martin Campbell
Feat. Clive Owen, Angelina Jolie, Teri Polo…; An underrated romantic drama in which a bored American woman (Jolie) falls in with a compassionate aid–worker who works in war ravaged…
Hidalgo (2003): Dir. Joe Johnston
Feat. Viggo Mortensen, Omar Sharif, Louise Lombard; Grandly conceived, this period adventure epic has a troubled 'Pony Express' rider (Mortensen) summoned to compete in an epic 3000–mile race…
Pirate Islands (2003): Feat. Dan Chesterman, Brooke Harmon; A freak accident sends three Australian kids into a computer–generated world of pirates and swashbuckling heroes.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003): Dir. Gore Verbinski
Feat. Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush…; A terrific, tongue–in–cheek action romp set in the pirate days of the Caribbean, with Johnny Depp leading the charge as a madcap, slyly…
Snow Walker, The (2003): Dir. Charles Martin Smith
Feat. Barry Pepper, Annabella Piugattuk, James Cromwell; An adventure story well told about a pilot and an injured Inuit woman who struggle for survival against the harsh elements of the Canadian…
Star Wars - The Clone Wars (TV Series) (2003): Animated Star Wars 'micro' series set between EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES and EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH, detailing the grand–scale…
Terror Peak (2003): Dir. Dale G. Bradley
Feat. Lynda Carter, Antony Starr, Parker Stevenson…; An average telemovie set in New Zealand, in which a holidaying American family venture into the mountains but are surprised by an erupting volcano…
Tomb Raider - Cradle of Life (2003): Dir. Jan De Bont
Feat. Angelina Jolie, Noah Taylor, Ciaran Hinds; Equally preposterous (and fun) sequel to the first bigscreen incarnation of computer–game adventure idol Lara Croft. In this latest collection…
Count of Monte Cristo, The (2002): Dir. Kevin Reynolds
Feat. Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, Michael Wincott…; Replicating the contemporary–yet–traditional witty action–mix of MASK OF ZORRO, this version of Alexander Dumas’ 19th century…
Gada Meilin (2002): Dir. Feng Xiaoning; Lauded, but rather obscure action drama set in 1930s Mongolia, where the nomadic tribal leader Gada Meilin tried to prevent the 'desertification' of…
Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers (2002): Dir. Peter Jackson
Feat. Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen…; Peter Jackson’s mammoth adaptation of J R R Tolkien’s fantasy classic continues in grand fashion, with increased visual panache and…
Lost World, The (TV Mini-series) (2002): Dir. Stuart Orme
Feat. Bob Hoskins, Peter Falk, James Fox…; Sterling BBC adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s adventure novel, where an intrepid bunch of Victorians explore the Amazon jungle for dinosaurs…
Shackleton (2002): Dir. Charles Sturridge
Feat. Kenneth Branagh, Embeth Davidtz; Channel 4’s mini–series version of polar–explorer Ernest Shackleton’s voyage to the South Pole in 1914. A brilliant adventure tale…
Swept Away (2002): Dir. Guy Ritchie
Feat. Madonna, Adriano Giannini, Bruce Greenwood…; Rich ogress Madonna is marooned with moronic hunk Adriano Giannini in this desert island drama that was washed away by a wave of ridicule on its…
Time Machine, The (2002): Dir. Simon Wells
Feat. Guy Pearce, Samantha Mumba, Jeremy Irons; Though directed by the great–grandson of H G Wells, this adaptation of the classic sci–fi fable glosses the humbling future vision of a…
Arthur's Dyke (2001): Dir. Gerry Poulson
Feat. Pauline Quirke, Dennis Waterman; Typically British comedy concerns three student friends who reunite after several decades to complete a long distance walk across the Welsh…
Asoka (2001): Dir. Santosh Sivan
Feat. Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Danny Denzongpa; Scintillating, hallucinatory epic of ancient India that’s perhaps the first ‘Bollywood’ film to reach international audiences, telling the…
Crooked Earth (2001): Dir. Sam Pillsbury
Feat. Temuera Morrison, Lawrence Makoare, Nancy Brunning; Vivid action–melodrama uses the dispossession of East Coast Maori to prime its tale of tribal succession, with SAS soldier Temuera Morrison…
Diamond of Jeru (2001): Dir. Ian Barry, Dick Lowry
Feat. Billy Zane, Keith Carradine, Paris Jefferson; Solid telemovie in the action–adventure mould, with Zane playing a scientist who journeys up a river in Borneo with his wife in the hunt for…
Endurance, The (2001): Dir. George Butler; Perhaps the most comphrehensive account of Ernest Shackleton's doomed voyage to the Antarctic in 1914. Utilising interviews, on–location…
Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (2001): Dir. Peter Jackson
Feat. Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler…; Monumental fantasy–epic and filmmaking accomplishment for local–boy–made–good Peter Jackson, transmutes the first part of J R…
Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition) (2001): Dir. Peter Jackson
Feat. Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler…; Monumental fantasy–epic and filmmaking accomplishment for local–boy–made–good Peter Jackson, transmutes the first part of J R…
Mummy Returns, The (2001): Dir. Stephen Sommers
Feat. Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah…; And Brendan Fraser is once again on hand to battle the bandaged corpse of the Egyptian Imhotep on behalf of all civilization. Also stars WWF’s The…
Spy Kids (2001): Dir. Robert Rodriguez
Feat. Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Cheech Marin…; Smashing kidult adventure, in which action dir. Rodriguez lends his action talents to a James Bond–type tale with a twist: Antonio Banderas and…
All the Pretty Horses (2000): Dir. Billy Bob Thornton
Feat. Penelope Cruz, Matt Damon, Henry Thomas…; Serious–minded adaptation of Cormac McCarthey’s neo–western novel, the epic journey of 1950s cowboy Matt Damon across the Texan border…
Amazon (Amazone) (2000): Dir. Phillipe De Broca
Feat. Jean-Paul Belmondo, Arielle Dombasle; Convoluted sci–fi adventure has jewel thief Belmondo stumbling upon an alien visitor in the guise of a twelve year old girl. Almost…
Cast Away (2000): Dir. Robert Zemeckis
Feat. Tom Hanks; Tom Hanks commits to his craft once again, here as a cocky, time–obsessed Fed–Ex courier who suffers the irony of having to subsist…
Claim, The (2000): Dir. Michael Winterbottom
Feat. Peter Mullan, Nastassja Kinski, Sarah Polley…; On the mountainous frontier of the 1860s California goldrush, dir. Winterbottom (JUDE, WONDERLAND) reimagines Thomas Hardy’s ‘The Mayor of…
Dogwatch (2000): Dir. Laurie McInnes
Feat. Steven Vidler, John Brumpton; A tale of lost souls set on a drifting merchant–ship in the Triad–infested South China Sea during the 1960s, this floats over some clunky…
Gladiator (2000): Dir. Ridley Scott
Feat. Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Richard Harris…; As good a Roman Sandal epic as ever there was, with a stoic and be–sandalled Russell Crowe refusing to carry over his loyalty to the new…
Les Miserables (TV Mini-series) (2000): Dir. Josee Dayan
Feat. Gerard Depardieu, Christian Clavier, John Malkovich…; Well mounted and faithful adaptation of Victor Hugo's tale of persecution and revenge set in early 19th century France, with Gerard Depardieu playing…
Perfect Storm, The (2000): Dir. Wolfgang Petersen
Feat. George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane…; Fishing boat captain George Clooney gets his crew back to sea, just in time for the biggest storm in recorded history. Dividing into two distinct…
Prince and the Pauper, The (2000): Dir. Giles Foster
Feat. Aidan Quinn, Alan Bates; Admirable, entertaining adaptation of Mark Twain's classic story of lookalikes who get caught up in imperial intrigue when a young Prince and a…
Proof of Life (2000): Dir. Taylor Hackford
Feat. Meg Ryan, Russell Crowe, David Morse; South American ransom thriller with Meg Ryan seeking to extricate her rich husband (David Morse) from the jungle, and Russell Crowe as the…
Railway Children, The (2000): Dir. Catherine Morshead
Feat. Jenny Agutter, Michael Kitchen, Richard Attenborough; Reviving Edith Nesbit’s classic turn–of–the–century tale of three siblings displaced to the English countryside is this freshly…
Vertical Limit (2000): Dir. Martin Campbell
Feat. Chris O'Donnell, Bill Paxton, Robin Tunney…; With Queenstown convincingly CGI–ed into the Himalayas, Chris O'Donnell, Bill Paxton and Robin Tunney less solid as the mountaineers, this…
Beach, The (1999): Dir. Danny Boyle
Feat. Leonardo DiCaprio, Tilda Swinton; Tapping the moods of young travellers of today and their restless wanderlust, this adaptation of Alex Garland's Gen–X novel is both…
Crossing, The (1999): Dir. Robert Harmon
Feat. Jeff Daniels, Roger Rees, Sebastian Roche; Acclaimed telemovie recreation of George Washington's crossing of the Delaware during the American War of Independence. Jeff Daniels lives up to the…
East / West (Est / Ouest) (1999): Dir. Regis Wargnier
Feat. Sandrine Bonnaire, Oleg Menshikov, Sergei Bodrov Jr…; A 'woman's picture' in the proudest sense of the term, this lush historical melodrama from the dir. of INDOCHINE again finds a French woman in a…
Joan of Arc (The Messenger) (1999): Dir. Luc Besson
Feat. Milla Jovovich, Dustin Hoffman, John Malkovich…; The French heroine gets the big–budget splurge with a religiously inspired Milla Jovovich leading the French peasantry against the Brits, only…
La Veuve de Saint-Pierre (Widow Of Saint-Pierre) (1999): Dir. Patrice Leconte
Feat. Emir Kusturica, Juliette Binoche, Daniel Auteuil; In 1850, on a tiny island near Canada, an oafish Emir Kusturica is sentenced to die by guillotine. While waiting for an executioner to arrive from…
Loss of Sexual Innocence, The (1999): Dir. Mike Figgis
Feat. Julian Sands, Saffron Burrows; Intriguing, largely slated work from Dir. Mike Figgis (LEAVING LAS VEGAS) takes poetic licence to extremes with a series of interwoven, symbolic…
Lost World, The (TV Series) (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World) (1999-2002): Feat. Peter McCauley, William Snow, Rachel Blakely; Enjoyably cheesy Antipodean TV show based loosely on Arthur Conan Doyle's fantasy–adventure set at the dawn of the 20th century where a band of…
Mighty Joe Young (1999): Dir. Ron Underwood
Feat. Charlize Theron, Bill Paxton; Good natured eco–action movie, a remake of the 1949 film of the same name (KING KONG lite, if you will), follows the re–habitation of an…
Mummy, The (1999): Dir. Stephen Sommers
Feat. Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah…; The old Universal horror wrapped in Indiana Jones–style adventure with 1920s archeologists and treasure hunters (led by Brendan Fraser)…
Tarzan (1999): Dir. Chris Buck, Kevin Lima
Feat. Tony Goldwyn, Rosie O'Donnell, Minnie Driver…; Sticking faithfully to Edgar Rice Burroughs' original story, Disney return to the top of the animated game. No–nonsense, traditional…
To Walk with Lions (1999): Dir. Carl Shultz
Feat. Richard Harris, Kerry Fox; Eventual sequel to BORN FREE, which picks–up the true life quest of conservationist/game–keeper George Adamson (Richard Harris) amid…
Watership Down (TV Series) (1999): Feat. Richard Briers, Jane Horrocks, Andrew Falvey; Extended adaptation of Richard Adam's bestselling novel following a group of rabbits leaving their endangered warren in search of a new home, and the…
Wild Blue (1999): Dir. Dale G. Bradley
Feat. Nicola Murphy, Judge Reinhold; The wilds of Otago serve as a backdrop for this modern drama, with young Nicola Murphy (MAGIK AND ROSE) returning to NZ to assume a postponed role of…
Body Troopers (1998): Dir. Vibeke Idsoe
Feat. Adolf Bjerke, Sigve Boe, Leif Dubard; An adventure of the non–precocious variety, in which an 8–year–old boy is shrunk and injected into his sick grandfather's…
Borrowers, The (1998): Dir. Peter Hewitt
Feat. John Goodman, Jim Broadbent; Inhabiting the wall and floor–spaces of our houses, colonies of tiny people eek out an existence 'borrowing' food–scraps and those items…
Everest (1998): The most commercially successful documentary of all time is an astonishing technical achievement, filmed in the giant IMAX format for exhibition in…
Krippendorf's Tribe (1998): Dir. Todd Holland
Feat. Richard Dreyfuss, Lily Tomlin; Bristled anthropologist Richard Dreyfuss commits scientific fraud to help out with the career and mortgage, making films of an undiscovered New…
Madeline (1998): Dir. Daisy Von Scherler Mayer
Feat. Hatty Jones, Frances McDormand; Little Hatty Jones is quite marvellous as a cutey–rebel redhead boarding at a school of etiquette presided by groovy nun Frances McDormand in…
Passion in the Desert, A (1998): Dir. Lavinia Currier
Feat. Ben Daniels, Michel Piccoli, Paul Meston; An intense, almost supernatural relationship develops between a leopard and its prey, a French soldier from Napoleon's Army lost in the Egyptian…
Ravenous (1998): Dir. Antonia Bird
Feat. Guy Pearce, Robert Carlyle, Jeffrey Jones; Good taste is dispatched with relish in this period cannibal piece that promises gruesome chills from its 19th century Rocky Mountains setting, but…
Six Days Seven Nights (1998): Dir. Ivan Reitman
Feat. Harrison Ford, Anne Heche; Harrison Ford and Anne Heche fully embrace the conventions of the romantic comedy–adventure as the mis–matched couple who are thrown…
Edge, The (1997): Dir. Lee Tamahori
Feat. Anthony Hopkins, Alec Baldwin, Elle MacPherson; Cool–headed millionaire Anthony Hopkins, playboy hot–head Alec Baldwin, and their pilot get trapped in the Alaskan wilderness, where they…
Enid Blyton's Secret Series (TV Series) (1997): Follow–up to the popular Kiwi–produced 'Adventure Series', with the intrepid Arnold family embarking on more thrills and spills the world…
George of the Jungle (1997): Dir. Sam Weisman
Feat. Brendan Fraser, Leslie Mann, Thomas Haden Church; Loose JUNGLE BOOK parody has Brendan Fraser as the hunky klutz in a loin cloth, raised by gorillas, who discovers love in the form of Ursula, whose…
Into Thin Air: Death On Everest (1997): Dir. Robert Markowitz
Feat. Peter Horton, Christopher McDonald, Nathaniel Parker…; Dramatic recreation of the disastrous 1996 Everest expedition that counted NZer Rob Hall among its many casualties. Based on the first–hand…
Seven Years in Tibet (1997): Dir. Jean-Jacques Annaud
Feat. Brad Pitt, David Thewlis; On the eve of WWII, Austrian nationalist Heinrich Harrer (Brad Pitt) embarks on a mountain–climbing odyssey in the Himalayas, where he is…
Titanic (1997): Dir. James Cameron
Feat. Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane; Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet cross class lines to consummate their passion just before the iceberg severs the stern from the bow in…
Alaska (1996): Dir. Fraser Heston
Feat. Thora Birch, Vincent Kartheiser, Dirk Benedict…; Chilly warm–fuzzies abound in this amenable children's adventure – a kind of CLIFFHANGER for kids! Bro and Sis set off in search of their…
Enid Blyton - Island of Adventure (TV Series) (1996): Dir. Peter Rose; Volume 1) A fearless foursome of intrepid kids and a parrot, fossick around in a seaside setting, uncovering old smuggling caves and a…
Enid Blyton's Adventure Series (TV Series) (1996): Kiwi–made series based on stories by Enid Blyton has four children embark on a series of adventures that takes them across land and sea.
Fly Away Home (1996): Dir. Carroll Ballard
Feat. Anna Paquin, Jeff Daniels; Hutt girl Anna Paquin gets blessed with a role that many a Hollywood brat would kill for! After adopting a flock of baby geese, she sets about…
Flynn (1996): Dir. Frank Howson
Feat. Guy Pearce, John Savage, Claudia Karvan; The adventures and film career of Hollywood's leading debauchee of the 1940s, Errol Flynn, are enacted with spunk by fellow–Australian Guy…
Ghost and the Darkness, The (1996): Dir. Stephen Hopkins
Feat. Michael Douglas, Val Kilmer; When construction on a railroad in 19th century Uganda is interrupted by two ferocious, crafty lions snacking on the workers, the great white hunter…
Goosebumps (TV Series) (1996): Ghoulish anthology series based on R. L. Stine's popular kidult horror novels. Bound to raise goosebumps on the younger ones. Season One Episodes:…
Loch Ness (1996): Dir. John Henderson
Feat. Ted Danson, Joely Richardson, Ian Holm…; Setting out to trap the Loch Ness monster, Ted Danson is waylaid by the charms of his landlady Joely Richardson. The mystique of the legend is all…
Moll Flanders (1996): Dir. Pen Densham
Feat. Robin Wright, Morgan Freeman; The hardships of the 18th century England prove a lifelong test of character for the eponymous heroine, born into poverty, then graduating to both…
Operation Dumbo Drop (1996): Dir. Simon Wincer
Feat. Danny Glover, Ray Liotta; A comedy based on a real–life military assignment – to deliver a full–size live elephant to a remote jungle village by any means…
Project Grizzly (1996): Dir. Peter Lynch; Endearing documentary depicting the improbable quest by self–styled inventor Troy Hurtuboise to construct a suit of armour capable of…
Robinson Crusoe (1996): Dir. George Miller, Rodney K Hardy
Feat. Pierce Brosnan, Ian Hart, Polly Walker…; Pierce Brosnan is washed up on a desert island in another version of Daniel Defoe’s classic.
Shiloh (1996): Dir. Dale Rosenbloom
Feat. Blake Heron, Michael Moriaty, Scott Wilson…; Pedigree version of the prize–winning book, has young laddie Blake Heron taking a runaway beagle in, then having a fight on his hands to keep…
Sunchaser, The (1996): Dir. Michael Cimino
Feat. Woody Harrelson, John Seda, Anne Bancroft…; A Hollywood surgeon is kidnapped and traipsed through wild gang frontiers by a dying half–breed hoodlum. Shot full of Navajo mystic hokum, it's…
To the Ends of Time (1996): Dir. Markus Rothkranz
Feat. Joss Ackland, Christine Taylor; Elaborate fantasy–tale concerns a sorceress who tampers with Time, causing young hero Joss Ackland to prematurely age. While also keeping an…
Apollo 13 (1995): Dir. Ron Howard
Feat. Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon…; An All–American true story in which Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton and Kevin Bacon are astronauts aboard the ill–fated mission to the moon, while…
Congo (1995): Dir. Frank Marshall
Feat. Dylan Walsh, Ernie Hudson, Tim Curry; This Jurassic turkey from the usually–golden pen of Michael Crichton follows a mis–matched motley crew into the African jungle to…
Free Willy 2 (1995): Dir. Dwight Little
Feat. Jason James Richter, Michael Madsen, Mykeltin Williamson; Willy returns with the same cast (older, less cute) to get into more trouble, this time a big nasty oil tanker has spilled its wares. Smart kids will…
Gulliver's Travels (1995): Dir. Charles Sturridge
Feat. Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, Peter O'Toole…; Epic, state–of–the–art version of Jonathan Swift's classic fairytale stars Ted Danson as the long–shipwrecked doctor who must…
Jumanji (1995): Dir. Joe Johnston
Feat. Robin Williams, Jonathan Hyde, Kirsten Dunst; A pair of orphans roll the dice on a mysterious board game that brings the perils of the Amazon to virtual life. The spirited high–concept is…
Kid in King Arthur's Court, A (1995): Dir. Michael Gottlieb
Feat. Kate Winslet, Daniel Craig, Art Malik…; Handsome if inessential Disney spin on the Camelot legend, in which a young boy journeys back in time to help King Arthur overcome an evil villain.…
Magic in the Water (1995): Dir. Rick Stevenson
Feat. Mark Harmon, Joshua Jackson, Harley Jane Kozak…; Loch Ness–monster concept is ably transposed to the Canadian lakeside hamlet of Glenorky, which has its own 'Orky' mystery. Thrills ensue for…
North Star (1995): Dir. Nils Gaup
Feat. Christopher Lambert, James Caan; Inuit indian Christopher Lambert tussles with tough prospector–baron James Caan in 19th century Alaska, over a rich lode of gold running…
Rob Roy (1995): Dir. Michael Caton-Jones
Feat. Tim Roth, Liam Neeson, Jessica Lange; The other kilt and bagpipes period epic is set in the 17th Century highlands, and maintains its own dignity under capable direction. Roth has a riot…
Waterworld (1995): Dir. Kevin Reynolds
Feat. Kevin Costner, Dennis Hopper, Jeanne Tripplehorn…; Most famous as a production fiasco, Kevin Costner made a painful public bellyflop with this MAD MAX on water. His film has many things to…
White Squall (1995): Dir. Ridley Scott
Feat. Jeff Bridges; Salty skipper Jeff Bridges recruits wayward lads for some discipline and adventure aboard a brigantine ship. After much jostling of testosterone,…
Zero Kelvin (1995): Dir. Hans Petter Moland
Feat. Gard B. Eidsvold, Stellan Skarsgard; This tale of hardcore cabin fever in the 1930s has the Arctic wasteland as a backdrop for the face off between two romantic idealists – one a…
Beanstalk (1994): Dir. Michael Paul Davis
Feat. Margot Kidder; A modern retelling of the classic Jack and the Beanstalk yarn, made for small screen and younger viewers. Mad scientist Margot Kidder plants the…
Far from Home - The Adventures of Yellow Dog (1994): Dir. Phillip Borsos
Feat. Mimi Rogers, Bruce Davison, Jesse Bradford…; A 14–year–old boy becomes separated from his father and is washed ashore in the Pacific Northwest. He overcomes great odds against…
Iron Will (1994): Dir. Charles Haid
Feat. Mackenzie Astin, Kevin Spacey, David Ogden Stiers; A young man embarks on a treacherous cross–country sled race in an endeavour to save his family from financial ruin. True–life story of…
Jungle Book, The (1994): Dir. Stephen Sommers
Feat. Jason Scott Lee, Cary Elwes, Lena Headey…; Disney's live–action rendering of the adventures of Mowgli is a treat, with Jason Scott Lee perfectly cast as the adult jungle boy. Spectacular…
Neverending Story 3, The (1994): Dir. Peter MacDonald
Feat. Jason James Richter, Jack Black; "Fantasia" comes to Earth in this third installment, and get chaotic in when the magical book "Never Ending Story" falls into the hands of the…
Prince of Jutland (Prince of Denmark) (1994): Dir. Gabriel Axel
Feat. Gabriel Byrne, Helen Mirren, Christian Bale…; Retelling of the historical episode on which Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' was based, where a Danish prince feigns madness to avoid being murdered by his…
Rapa Nui (1994): Dir. Kevin Reynolds
Feat. Jason Scott Lee, Rena Owen, George Henare…; Two boyhood friends from different tribes struggle to lead their people and win the love of the same woman. Ambitious Easter Island adventure is…
River Wild, The (1994): Dir. Curtis Hanson
Feat. Meryl Streep, Joseph Mazzello, David Strathairn…; Troubled marrieds Meryl Streep and David Strathairn embark on a river–rafting holiday with son and dog in tow, but in true DELIVERANCE style,…
Stargate (1994): Dir. Roland Emmerich
Feat. Kurt Russell, James Spader, Jaye Davidson; Kurt Russell and James Spader headline this big–budget spectacle. Promising start evokes the epic adventure intrigue of a LAWRENCE OF ARABIA,…
Borrowers, The (TV Series) (1993): Dir. John Henderson
Feat. Ian Holm, Rebecca Callard; First–class BBC serial about a family that live under the floorboards and 'borrow' everything they need from the 'giant' family who reside in…
Far Off Place, A (1993): Dir. Mikael Soloman
Feat. Reese Witherspoon, Ethan Randall, Jack Thompson…; Quality drama follows two teenagers across the African desert after they witness a poacher's deadly assault. Superb location photography, but maybe…
Free Willy (1993): Dir. Simon Wincer
Feat. Jason James Richter, Lori Petty, Jayne Atkinson…; Hollywood heart–warmer about a friendship between a 70 pound 12–year–old boy and a 7000 pound Orca whale held captive at an…
Fugitive, The (1993): Dir. Andrew Davis
Feat. Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Sela Ward…; Dynamic reprise of the '60s TV serial with Harrison Ford taking up the stride of the doctor mistakenly convicted of his wife's murder. Highly…
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993): Dir. Duwayne Dunham; An updated version for the MTV generation of Disney's own 1963 classic about a cat and two dogs who trek across a mountain range in search of their…
Into the West (1993): Dir. Mike Newell
Feat. Gabriel Byrne, David Kelly, Ellen Barkin…; A grand ol' Irish tale about two gypsy boys who 'steal' back a majestic white mare and take off into the wild green yonder. Magical,…
Last Action Hero (1993): Dir. John McTiernan
Feat. Arnold Schwarzenegger; Conceptually brilliant idea – movie fan is projected into world of his action idol (Arnie) who also joins him in the 'real' world – is sunk with…
Reckless Kelly (1993): Dir. Yahoo Serious
Feat. Yahoo Serious, Melora Hardin, Alexei Sayle…; One–man–movie–machine Yahoo Serious follows up YOUNG EINSTEIN with another zany send–up of a famous historical figure. This…
Sirga (1993): Dir. Patrick Grandperret
Feat. Were Were Liking, Souleyman Koli, Salif Keita; French director Luc Besson presents this story of an uncanny friendship between a young boy and a lioness, set against a majestic native African…
Three Musketeers, The (1993): Dir. Stephen Herek
Feat. Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, Chris O'Donnell…; Very glossy and yet very average version of the classic Alexandre Dumas novel. Tim Curry's eccentric villain is perhaps the highlight.
Lessons of Darkness / Fata Morgana (1992/1969): Dir. Werner Herzog; Two of dir. Herzog’s impressionistic documentaries on a double DVD. LESSONS OF DARKNESS investigates the aftermath of the Gulf War, with…
Alive (1992): Dir. Frank Marshall
Feat. Ethan Hawke, Vincent Spano, Josh Hamilton…; Full–throttle true–story dramatisation of the rugby team who were forced to fight the horrors of Mother Nature after their plane crashed…
Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992): Dir. John Glen
Feat. Marlon Brando, Tom Selleck, George Corraface; The other film version of CC's oceanic excursion with George Corraface and Brando in one of his notoriously overpaid cameos.
Far and Away (1992): Dir. Ron Howard
Feat. Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman; Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman sport Irish accents for this sweeping saga that follows their quest to claim a piece of America they can call their own.
Last of the Mohicans, The (1992): Dir. Michael Mann
Feat. Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Wes Studi…; Update of James Fenimore Cooper's oft–filmed novel with Daniel Day–Lewis sporting the hero's loin–cloth. Authentically recreates…
Map of the Human Heart (1992): Dir. Vincent Ward
Feat. Jason Scott Lee, Patrick Bergin, Anne Parillaud…; Worldly romantic adventure spanning the life of an orphaned Eskimo. A majestic achievement for local boy Vincent Ward, as much for its unique slant…
Porco Rosso (Kurenai no buta) (1992): Dir. Hayao Miyazaki; A world weary pilot, with a pig's head, protects shipping on the Adriatic from air pirates in the wake of World War I. Although not one of his…
Radio Flyer (1992): Dir. Richard Donner
Feat. Lorraine Bracco, John Heard, Adam Baldwin…; Bittersweet story of two young brothers who free themselves from their wicked stepfather by transforming a red wagon into a fantastical flying…
Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, The (TV Series) (The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones) (1992-1993): Feat. Sean Patrick Flanery; Television spin–off of the popular 1980's feature films that stage the youthful adventures of the archaeological treasure hunter as recalled by…
Black Robe (1991): Dir. Bruce Beresford
Feat. Lothaire Bluteau, Aden Young; A Jesuit priest attempts to convert Shamanist Indians in the Canadian wilderness of 1643. A heady mix of explicit savagery and incomparable beauty.
Felix the Cat - The Movie (1991): Dir. Tibor Hernádi; Appealing animation movie starring the beloved black and white kitty–cat Felix in feature–length film format. Canny Felix must rescue the…
Hook (1991): Dir. Steven Spielberg
Feat. Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, Julia Roberts…; Spielberg's big–budget rendition of the magical fairy tale. Robin Williams stars as a grown–up Peter Pan enticed to Neverland to reclaim…
Medicine Man (1991): Dir. John McTiernan
Feat. Sean Connery, Lorraine Bracco; Sean Connery plays a crotchety mad scientist whose tinkerings in the Amazon rainforest result in a cure for cancer – but then he just as soon…
Rocketeer, The (1991): Dir. Joe Johnston
Feat. Bill Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin…; A young pilot stumbles upon a jetpack that enables him to fly, but greedy villains lurk in the wings. Exciting update of the comicbook hero evokes…
Rugrats (TV Series) (1991-2004): Cartoon series that has a special place in the heart of many 90s kids, following the adventures of babies Tommy, Chuckie, Phil and Lil, and Tommy's…
White Fang (1991): Dir. Randal Kleiser
Feat. Klaus Maria Brandauer, Ethan Hawke, Seymour Cassel…; Magnificent Disney adventure based on Jack London's novel. An ambitious young gold prospector treks into the Alaskan frontier where he discovers and…
Adventures of Tintin (TV Series) (1990-1991): All 21 animated versions of the classic comicbooks by Herge, in which Tintin, Snowy, Captain Haddock, the Thompson Twins and Calculus find themselves…
Bird On a Wire (1990): Dir. John Badham
Feat. Mel Gibson, Goldie Hawn, David Carradine…; Mel Gibson plays a protected witness who is wanted by some nasty crooks for putting them behind bars.
Fire Ice and Dynamite (1990): Dir. Willy Bogner
Feat. Roger Moore, Shari Belafonte; Preposterous action vehicle featuring Roger Moore as an eccentric tycoon who puts his fortune up for grabs in a winter sporting contest, with the…
Joe Versus The Volcano (1990): Dir. John Patrick Shanley
Feat. Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Lloyd Bridges…; Finding he has only six months to live, Tom Hanks is strangely offered megabucks to jump into a vat of hot lava for the sake of ancient gods.
Mountains of the Moon (1990): Dir. Bob Rafelson
Feat. Patrick Bergin, Iain Glen, Richard E. Grant…; Ambitious saga details the quest of Sir Richard Burton to discover the source of the Nile river. Compelling personal story remains focused amid the…
Neverending Story 2, The (1990): Dir. George Miller; A young boy escapes from his drab reality in a storybook land called Fantasia where a child empress (Alexandra Johnes) is in danger. Some cute animal…
Shipwrecked (1990): Dir. Nils Gaup
Feat. Gabriel Byrne, Bjorn Sundquist; Satasfying South Seas yarn with a young boy wrecked on a 'treasure isalnd' which draws the attention of pirates. A Disney production that's full of…
Farewell to the King (1989): Dir. John Milius
Feat. Nick Nolte, Nigel Havers, Frank McRae…; Half–successful attempt to fashion a mythic tale from the Japanese invasion of Borneo in WW2, with a US Army deserter (Nolte) and a British…
George's Island (1989): Dir. Paul Donovan
Feat. Ian Bannen, Sheila McCarthy, Maury Chaykin…; Fleeing his nasty foster parents, 10–year old George goes in search of Captain Kidd's buried treasure, having to outwit, among other adults,…
Gleaming the Cube (1989): Dir. Graeme Clifford
Feat. Christian Slater, Steven Bauer; Featuring a lead teenage role for Christian Slater, this suspense–drama follows a skateboarder’s attempts to track down his brother’s…
Gods Must Be Crazy II, The (1989): Dir. James Uys
Feat. Jamie Uys; Sequel to the fave comedy where a bush–man encounters an 'evil' coke–bottle. This is more consistantly funny, even if the novelty value…
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989): Dir. Steven Spielberg
Feat. Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott…; When Sean Connery turns up as Indy's feisty dad, the pair embark on an adventure–laden search for a mystical Holy Grail. You'll have fun…
Palin Travel Collection (1989-2007): Feat. Michael Palin; Comprehensive 19–disc set containing all of Michael Palin's BBC travel documentary series including; Great Railway Journeys, Around the World…
Round the Twist (TV Series) (1989): Feat. Ebonnie Masini, Andrew S. Gilbert, Rian Mclean…; Australian television classic from the mind of author Paul Jennings following the off–the–wall adventures of the Twist Family, who leave…
Accidental Tourist, The (1988): Dir. Lawrence Kasdan
Feat. William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Geena Davis…; A travel author faces problems with the two eccentric women in his life. A dry leisure.
Big Blue, The (1988): Dir. Luc Besson
Feat. Jean-Marc Barr, Rosanna Arquette, Jean Reno; Visually, aurally (and literally) breathtaking tale of two rival free–fall divers, an American journalist, and the glorious Mediterranean.…
Cobra Verde (1988): Dir. Werner Herzog
Feat. Klaus Kinski; Klaus Kinski stars for the last time for Herzog as another doomed outcast in an alien environment. West Africa is portrayed as a cruel, highly…
Gorillas in the Mist (1988): Dir. Michael Apted
Feat. Sigourney Weaver, Bryan Brown, Julie Harris; Impressive biopic of American primatologist Dian Fossey (Sigourney Weaver), who ventured to the volitile African jungle to study the…
Man from Snowy River 2, The (1988): Dir. Geoff Burrowes
Feat. Brian Dennehy, Tom Burlinson; Tom Burlinson returns to gather wild horses from up the Snowy River in this lesser sequel. Fits a love–triangle into the draw as well as the…
Navigator, The (A Medieval Odyssey) (1988): Dir. Vincent Ward
Feat. Bruce Lyons, Chris Haywood, Marshall Napier; A group of 14th Century Cumbrians experience future shock when their mining expedition leads them to contemporary New Zealand. A terrific adventure…
Pippi Longstocking, New Adventures Of (1988): Dir. Ken Annakin
Feat. Tami Erin, Eileen Brennan; Updated feature film version of the mischievous orphan girl, all pigtails, freckles and high spirits.
Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller (1988): Dir. Michael Rubbo; Tommy Tricker is a crafty lad who discovers how to shrink oneself onto postage stamps and thus be mailed anywhere in the world. Quality,…
Walker (1988): Dir. Alex Cox
Feat. Ed Harris, Rene Auberjonois, Peter Boyle…; Harris is William Walker in an unwieldy, idiosyncratic account of the American adventurer's takeover of Nicaragua in 1855.
Warlock (1988): Dir. Steve Miner
Feat. Richard E. Grant, Julian Sands, Mary Woronov; Richard E. Grant plays a witch–hunter on the tail of an evil 17th Century Warlock (Julian Sands) in this hammy fantasy adventure that enjoyed a…
Willow (1988): Dir. Ron Howard
Feat. Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Warwick Davis…; Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley–Kilmer employ swords against sorcery to protect a young baby from the powers of evil. A…
Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold (1987): Dir. Gary Nelson
Feat. Richard Chamberlain, Sharon Stone, James Earl Jones…; Proficient, if dated adventure yarn in which explorer Chamberlain and archaeologist Stone set off to Africa in search of a missing brother. Mixes…
Castaway (1987): Dir. Nicolas Roeg
Feat. Amanda Donohoe, Oliver Reed; Amanda Donahue and Oliver Reed cohabit on a desert island. Story verges on allegory.
Lionheart (1987): Dir. Franklin J. Schaffner
Feat. Eric Stoltz, Gabriel Byrne, Nicholas Clay…; Young knight Eric Stoltz and a band of medieval tykes join King Richard II's crusade to defeat the Black Prince.
Big Trouble in Little China (1986): Dir. John Carpenter
Feat. Kurt Russell; High–tech, tongue–in–cheek adventure in which Kurt Russell kicks butt in Chinatown.
Bridge to Nowhere (1986): Dir. Ian Mune
Feat. Bruno Lawrence; Young backpackers go bush and find themselves in a conflict of survival with bad–egg Bruno Lawrence.
Labyrinth (1986): Dir. Jim Henson
Feat. David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly; Jennifer Connelly goes in search of her baby brother, kidnapped by the Goblin King (David Bowie). An entourage of creatures from Jim Henson highlight…
Leading Edge, The (1986): Dir. Michael Firth
Feat. Billy T. James; Adventure docu–drama that's little more than an excuse to show off some wonderful South Island scenery and awesome ski theatrics. Billy T.…
Mission, The (1986): Dir. Roland Joffe
Feat. Jeremy Irons, Robert De Niro, Liam Neeson; Jeremy Irons plays a Jesuit missionary in the jungles of 18th Century Brazil. Robert De Niro is his agressive adversary who gradually comes to seek…
Mosquito Coast, The (1986): Dir. Peter Weir
Feat. Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, River Phoenix; A knock–out thriller about the woes of obsession with Harrison Ford as the idealistic inventor who drags his family into the thick of the South…
Nomads (1986): Dir. John McTiernan
Feat. Pierce Brosnan, Lesley-Anne Down; Murky plot sees Pierce Brosnan discovering Indian spirits terrorising L.A.
Space Camp (1986): Dir. Harry Winer
Feat. Kate Capshaw, Kelly Preston, Larry B. Scott…; Good natured 80's adolescent romp in which a group of young attendees of a space camp find themselves in space for real when their shuttle is…
Stand by Me (1986): Dir. Rob Reiner
Feat. Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman…; Stephen King adaptation has its darker moments, as four boys journey across 50s rural Maine to see a dead body, but a genuine feeling for childhood…
Where the River Runs Black (1986): Dir. Christopher Cain
Feat. Charles Durning, Dana Delany; Compassionate eco–drama about an Amazon–raised orphan who is assimilated into civilisation by a priest (Durning).
A Thousand Skies (1985): Dir. David Stevens; Television mini–series about the life of rugged Australian aviator Charles Kingsford Smith, who pushed the bounds of aircraft performance in…
Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend (1985): Dir. Bill L. Norton
Feat. William Katt, Sean Young, Patrick McGoohan; Adventure fantasy film about a paleontologist and her husband who discover a mother and baby brontosaurus in Africa, and try to protect them from a…
Burke and Wills (1985): Dir. Graeme Clifford
Feat. Jack Thompson, Nigel Havers, Greta Scacchi; True blue Aussie classic chronicling the famous journey of two ill–prepared explorers across the unforgiving outback.
Emerald Forest, The (1985): Dir. John Boorman
Feat. Powers Boothe, Meg Foster; Sumptuous Amazon adventure story concerns an one man's struggle to find his son, kidnapped ten years earlier and initiated into a primitive society.
Explorers, The (1985): Dir. Joe Dante
Feat. Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix; Imaginative space adventure film also has enormous fun at the expense of American popular culture. Among the explorers are a very baby–faced…
Flesh and Blood (1985): Dir. Paul Verhoeven
Feat. Rutger Hauer, Jennifer Jason Leigh; Rutger Hauer and Jennifer Jason Leigh are mercenary soldier and captive who fall in love amid rampant flesh and blood–letting in medieval…
Goonies, The (1985): Dir. Richard Donner
Feat. Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Martha Plimpton; Junior edition of 'Indiana Jones', from a Steven Speilberg story, has seven bored kids on the Oregon coast hunting for pirate booty after they…
Jewel of the Nile, The (1985): Dir. Lewis Teague
Feat. Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny De Vito; Sequel to ROMANCING THE STONE again teams Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner, this time for a rollicking adventure in the Middle East. Mostly…
King Solomon's Mines (1985): Dir. J. Lee Thompson
Feat. Richard Chamberlain, Sharon Stone, Herbert Lom…; Fairly lively adaptation of H Rider Haggard's classic African adventure yarn (filmed several times before), with Chamberlain and Stone dodging…
Ladyhawke (1985): Dir. Richard Donner
Feat. Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeiffer; Enjoyable sword–and–sorcery yarn filmed in the Dolomites pits Matthew Broderick as a Medieval tyke who must unlock the evil spell cast on…
Romancing the Stone (1985): Dir. Robert Zemeckis
Feat. Kathleen Turner, Michael Douglas; Witty, fast–paced adventure through the South American jungle with Turner and Douglas well cast as made–for–each–other…
Runaway Train (1985): Dir. Andrei Konchalovsky
Feat. Jon Voight, Eric Roberts, Rebecca De Mornay; Voight and Roberts are terrific as two ecsaped convicts who endure a nerve–jangling journey aboard an unstoppable locomotive. Based on a…
American Dreamer (1984): Dir. Rick Rosenthal
Feat. Giancarlo Giannini, JoBeth Williams, Tom Conti…; Comedy adventure in which a fed–up housewife pens a story about a spy and wins a trip to Paris where she starts to believe she is the spy in…
Bounty, The (1984): Dir. Roger Donaldson
Feat. Mel Gibson, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier…; Robert Bolt’s (A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS) version of the ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ tale of Fletcher Christian’s (Mel Gibson) mutiny…
Conan the Destroyer (1984): Dir. Richard Fleischer
Feat. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Grace Jones; Semi–nude Arnie grunts through his second Conan adventure.
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan (1984): Dir. Hugh Hudson
Feat. Christopher Lambert, Ralph Richardson, Ian Holm…; Tale of Tarzan (Christopher Lambert), is here evoked with a suitably steamy jungle atmosphere and festooned with Edwardian theories of 'social…
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984): Dir. Steven Spielberg
Feat. Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Roshan Seth…; The second in the Indiana Jones trilogy follows further outlandish exploits of the intrepid archeologist.
Last Starfighter, The (1984): Dir. Nick Castle
Feat. Lance Guest, Dan O'Herlihy, Catherine Mary Stewart; Diverting wish–fulfilment has teenager Lance Guest inducted by aliens into a galaxy–saving space–force because of his ace skills at…
Neverending Story, The (1984): Dir. Wolfgang Petersen
Feat. Barret Oliver, Gerald McRaney, Moses Gunn; A boy escapes the neighbourhood bullies by retreating into a mysterious book, where fantasical and exhilirating adventures take flight. Visually…
Passage to India, A (1984): Dir. David Lean
Feat. Judy Davis, Victor Banerjee, Peggy Ashcroft…; Judy Davis leads a troupe of perenial British actors in this, the legendary director's final film – an immaculate production of E.M. Forster's…
Shaka Zulu (TV Mini-series) (1984): Dir. William C Faure
Feat. Robert Powell, Edward Fox, Henry Cele; Set in 19th century South Africa, this recounts the epic land wars between the Zulu tribes and European immigrants, with true TV mini–series…
El Norte (The North) (1983): Dir. Gregory Nava
Feat. Zaide Silvia Gutierrez, David Villalpando; The journey northward of a Guatemalan brother and sister (Zaide Silvia Gutierrez and David Villalpando) on the run is an epic saga of the modern…
Phar Lap (1983): Dir. Simon Wincer
Feat. Tom Burlinson; Legendary racehorse reared in New Zealand (though Australian makes claims), who died under mysterious circumstances in America. Good period piece,…
Star Wars: Episode VI - The Return of the Jedi (1983): Dir. Richard Marquand
Feat. Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford…; Final installment in George Lucas' space–trilogy sees the conclusion of the galactic war between the Empire and the 'Rebel forces'. Mark…
Year of Living Dangerously, The (1983): Dir. Peter Weir
Feat. Mel Gibson, Sigourney Weaver, Linda Hunt…; Multi–layered, vivid yarn posits Mel Gibson and Sigourney Weaver as foreign officials in 1965 Indonesia at the time of the communist coup.…
Conan the Barbarian (1982): Dir. John Milius
Feat. Arnold Schwarzenegger; Slave–turned–swordsman Arnold Schwarzenegger's 20 year search for his parent's killers is a violent, comic–pulp romp through a…
Fitzcarraldo (1982): Dir. Werner Herzog
Feat. Klaus Kinski, Claudia Cardinale; Colonialist visionary Klaus Kinski attempts to haul a huge riverboat over a hill in 19th century S. America with the help of Indian…
Mysterious Cities of Gold, The (TV Series) (Taiyô no ko Esteban) (1982-1983): Richly detailed 80's kids anime series centred on a young boy on a worldwide quest to discover his true identity via the Seven Cities of Gold. A…
Tripods, The (TV Series) (1982): Dir. Graham Theakston
Feat. John Shackley, Jim Baker II, Peter Dolphin; One of the BBC's most expensive serials was this imaginative, if uneven, handling of John Christopher's Tripods trilogy. In 2089, the Earth is ruled…
Gods Must Be Crazy, The (1981): Dir. James Uys
Feat. Jamie Uys; The infamous African cult fave about a jolly bush–man who ventures across country to dispose of an 'evil' coke–bottle. The sequel is more…
Man from Snowy River , The (1981): Dir. George Miller
Feat. Kirk Douglas, Jack Thompson; Sterling entertainment in the old fashioned sense, this Western has both spectacle and a big–hearted story of a man who must prove himself to…
Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians, The (Tajemstvi hradu v Karpatech) (1981): Dir. Oldrich Lipsky
Feat. Michal Docolomansky, Rudolf Hrusinsky, Vlastimil Brodsky…; Cult oddity based on the Jules Verne novel The Carpathian Castle, a sci–fi horror story about a campy count who haunts a house overlooking a…
Race for the Yankee Zephyr (1981): Dir. David Hemmings
Feat. Ken Wahl, Lesley Ann Warren, Donald Pleasence…; Ken Wahl, Lesley Ann Warren, Donald Pleasance and George Peppard cavort on and over the South Island in search of a 'McGuffin'.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): Dir. Steven Spielberg
Feat. Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman…; Iconic adventure movie catapults one Indiana Jones into a world of endless peril to retrieve the mystical Arc of the Covenant. Breath–taking,…
Southern Comfort (1981): Dir. Walter Hill
Feat. Keith Carradine, Powers Boothe, Fred Ward…; A foolish National Guard unit encounter anything but Southern hospitality while on training manoeuvres in the Louisiana bayous. This allegory of the…
Tarzan the Ape Man (1981): Dir. John Derek
Feat. Bo Derek, Richard Harris, Miles O'Keefe; Famously atrocious 1980s retelling of the Tarzan story, with the lone distinction of featuring a semi–clothed Bo Derek. Playing the apeman,…
Herbie Goes Bananas (1980): Dir. Vincent McEveety
Feat. Cloris Leachman, Charles Martin Smith; Final sequel to THE LOVE BUG is set at Rio De Janiero's Grande Premio.
Last Flight of Noah's Ark, The (1980): Dir. Charles Jarrott
Feat. Elliott Gould, Genevieve Bujold, Rick Schroder…; Disney adventure begins with a forced landing on a desert island by pilot Gould, missionary Bujold and an assortment of children and animals. Soon,…
Lion of the Desert (1980): Dir. Moustapha Akkad
Feat. Anthony Quinn, Oliver Reed, John Gielgud…; An epic account of the 'David and Goliath' battle on the Libyan desert between Mussolini's all–powerful army and the Bedouin, circa 1930.
Raise the Titanic (1980): Dir. Jerry Jameson
Feat. Richard Jordan, Jason Robards Jr., David Selby…; As ill–fated as the original vessel, this expensive adaptation of Clive Cussler's potboiler concerns the efforts of a salvage crew to refloat…
Ashanti (1979): Dir. Richard Fleischer
Feat. Michael Caine, Peter Ustinov, Omar Sharif…; When his wife is kidnapped by Arab slave traders, UN medic Michael Caine hops aboard a camel and goes on an adventure quest to retrieve her. Caine…
Black Stallion, The (1979): Dir. Carroll Ballard
Feat. Kelly Reno, Mickey Rooney, Teri Garr…; A young boy is saved from a shipwreck by a magnificent black horse that he eventually enters in a prestigious racing championship. A stylish and…
Children of Fire Mountain (TV Mini-Series) (1979): Dir. Peter Sharp
Feat. Terence Cooper, Mark Hadlow; Fondly–remembered Kiwi period drama set in 1900 New Zealand, depicting the conflict between Maori and British settlers from the point of view…
Dick Turpin (TV Series) (1979): Feat. Richard O'Sullivan, Alfie Bass; Historical adventure series about the real–life 18th century highwayman Dick Turpin and his "Robin Hood" thieving of the rich to give to the…
Zulu Dawn (1979): Dir. Douglas Hickox
Feat. Burt Lancaster, Peter O'Toole, Phil Daniels…; Prequel to ZULU is a vivid recreation of the Battle of Isandhlwana.
Famous Five, The (TV Series) (Enid Blyton's The Famous Five) (1978-1979): Feat. Michele Gallagher, Marcus Harris, Gary Russell…; The original and most beloved of The Famous Five TV serials, based on Enid Blyton's classic children's adventure novels. Of Blyton's 21 stories,…
Gray Lady Down (1978): Dir. David Greene
Feat. Charlton Heston, David Carradine, Ned Beatty; Corny–but–entertaining disaster flick sees Charlton Heston play a nuclear submarine captain stuck with his crew on the precipice of an…
Great Train Robbery, The (1978): Dir. Michael Crichton
Feat. Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland; Smooth–running recreation of purportedly the first train robbery ever, of a load of gold bullion in 19th century Ireland. Sean Connery…
Blue Fin (1977): Dir. Carl Schultz
Feat. Hardy Kruger, Greg Rowe; From the creators of STORM BOY, this ocean adventure focuses on the demanding relationship between a father and his son on a tuna–fishing boat…
Cassandra Crossing, The (1977): Dir. George P. Cosmatos
Feat. Sophia Loren, Richard Harris, Ava Gardner…; A few too many disasters – train crashes, plagues, terrorists etc. – make for an overcooked yet still entertaining actioner. An…
Deep, The (1977): Dir. Peter Yates
Feat. Nick Nolte, Jacqueline Bisset, Robert Shaw…; Underwater intrigue from novelist Peter 'Jaws' Benchley, with Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bisset (in next to nothing) teaming with salty seadog Robert…
Gulliver's Travels (1977): Dir. Peter Hunt
Feat. Richard Harris, Catherine Schell; One of the first films to combine live action and animation, this 1977 version has the gruff old Harris play the shipwrecked sailor who awakens in a…
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977): Dir. Vincent McEveety
Feat. Dean Jones, Don Knotts; Second sequel to THE LOVE BUG, starring everybody's favourite Volkswagen, adds the extra panache to the Paris–Monte Carlo race.
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977): Dir. Sam Wanamaker
Feat. Patrick Wayne, Jane Seymour, Patrick Troughton; The last of Ray Harryhausen's 'Sinbad' series and probably the weakest as hero sails to break a spell that has turned a prince into a baboon. Some…
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977): Dir. George Lucas
Feat. Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford…; George Lucas' epic trilogy of space adventure begins "long ago and far far away", with the life of Luke Skywalker being disturbed by the galactic war…
At the Earth's Core (1976): Dir. Kevin Connor
Feat. Peter Cushing, Doug McClure, Caroline Munro; Eccentric doctor Peter Cushing burrows down into the Earth onboard a huge iron mole to emerge in an underground world ruled by the Mahars:…
Eliza Fraser (The Rollicking Adventures of Eliza Fraser) (1976): Dir. Tim Burstall
Feat. Susannah York, Trevor Howard, Noel Ferrier…; Bawdy historical epic from the pen of David Williamson has York shipwrecked in 1830's Australia and forced to live with the local indigenous people.
Man in the Iron Mask, The (1976): Dir. Mike Newell
Feat. Richard Chamberlain, Patrick McGoohan, Jenny Agutter…; Polished version of Dumas’ other great swashbuckler that encompasses The Three Musketeers, with Richard Chamberlain leading a great cast.
Off the Edge (1976): Dir. Michael Firth; This breathtaking film captures both the grandeur of the Southern Alps and some spectacular skiing and handgliding feats performed by an American…
Dersu Uzala (1975): Dir. Akira Kurosawa
Feat. Maksim Munzuk, Yuri Solomin, Svetlana Danilchenko; Kurosawa ventured to Russia for this Oscar–winning epic detailing the experiences of a Russian military explorer in Siberia, and his friendship…
Man Who Would Be King, The (1975): Dir. John Huston
Feat. Sean Connery, Michael Caine; Conmen Sean Connery and Michael Caine have grand old–fashioned adventures in remote India.
Passenger, The (1975): Dir. Michelangelo Antonioni
Feat. Jack Nicholson, Maria Schneider; Jack Nicholson stars in this slow but absorbing parable about a dissatisfied TV journalist on location in Africa, who exchanges his identity with a…
Wind and the Lion, The (1975): Dir. John Milius
Feat. Sean Connery, Candice Bergen; Connery plays a Moroccan sheik who kidnaps American Bergin, angering the US government. Old fashioned epic based loosely on fact.
Castaway Cowboy, The (1974): Dir. Vincent McEveety
Feat. James Garner, Vera Miles, Robert Culp; Well–made Disney adventure yarn has Texas cowboy Garner land in troubled Hawaii in the 1850s. Here, he falls in with helping Miles drive cattle…
Gold (The Great Gold Conspiracy) (1974): Dir. Peter Hunt
Feat. Roger Moore, Susannah York, John Gielgud…; A surprisingly tight, if strictly old–fashioned, thriller sees a top–form Roger Moore play the newly appointed manager of a South African…
Island at the Top of the World, The (1974): Dir. Robert Stevenson
Feat. Donald Sinden, Jacques Marin, Mako; Four explorers on an expedition to the Arctic discover dangerous volcanos and a lost Viking race in this appealing Disney live–actioner. In the…
Zorro (1974): Dir. Luciano Martino
Feat. Alain Delon, Sir Stanley Baker; Transposed from California to South America, the masked, sword–wielding hero (Alain Delon) maintains his reputation for exciting…
Golden Voyage of Sinbad, The (1973): Dir. Gordon Hessler
Feat. John Phillip Law, Caroline Munro, Tom Baker…; Arabian Nightish saga with Tom Baker (Dr Who) as Sinbad's adversary. The swordplay of a six–armed statue is but one of the Harryhausen FX…
Papillon (1973): Dir. Franklin J. Schaffner
Feat. Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman; Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman escape French prison colony Devil's Island. Memorable drama.
Tom Sawyer (1973): Dir. Don Taylor
Feat. Johnnie Whitaker, Celeste Holm, Warren Oates…; Award–winning musical version of Mark Twain's classic raggamuffin adventures. A youthful Jodie Foster appears as Tom's girlfriend.
Aguirre, Wrath of God (1972): Dir. Werner Herzog
Feat. Klaus Kinski; Stunningly shot on location in the Amazon, this spellbinding adventure details the decline and fall of a conquistador (Klaus Kinski) in his maniacal…
Call of the Wild (1972): Dir. Ken Annakin
Feat. Charlton Heston, Michele Mercier; Fairly average version of Jack London's classic tale of Alaskan survivalism, with Heston traipsing the wilderness with his tough German Shepherd.…
Deliverance (1972): Dir. John Boorman
Feat. Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ned Beatty; Four businessmen encounter the dark side of both human and mother nature on their weekend canoe trip in the deep South. Aided by that unmistakable…
Railway Children, The (1972): Dir. Lionel Jeffries
Feat. Jenny Agutter; When their father is jailed for espionage, Jenny Agutter and her siblings are relocated to rural Yorkshire. Local adventures slowly turn into an…
Tarzan (TV Series) (1972): Feat. Ron Ely, Sally Kellerman, Diana Ross; Ron Ely maintains jungle justice in this TV series from 1972. Two episodes include guest star turns from Sally Kellerman and Diana Ross!
Tintin and the Mystery at Shark Lake (Lake of Sharks) (1972): Dir. Raymond LeBlanc; Standalone animated Tintin feature (and second of two) finds Snowy, Captain Haddock and co. on a lakeside vacation – picturesque front to a global…
Treasure Island (1972): Dir. John Hough
Feat. Orson Welles, Walter Slezak, Lionel Stander; Well–shot, though fairly hammy version of Robert Louis Stevenson's pirate classic, with Welles playing the peg–legged Long John Silver.
Treasure Island (animated) (1972): Dir. Hal Sutherland; Warner Brothers' animated feature–length version of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic.
Young Winston (1972): Dir. Richard Attenborough
Feat. Robert Shaw, Anne Bancroft, Simon Ward…; The early life of Britain's greatest political leader, through his time in India, Sudan and the Boer War to his ascendancy at the House of Commons.
Bearcats! (TV Series) (1971): Feat. Rod Taylor, Dennis Cole; Endearing "late Western" TV series set in 1914 in which Rod Taylor and Dennis Cole star as a pair of charismatic troubleshooters for hire who gad…
Horsemen, The (1971): Dir. John Frankenheimer
Feat. Omar Sharif, Leigh Taylor-Young, Jack Palance…; An ambitious historical epic concerns the quest of an Afghani tribal horseman (Sharif) to regain his honour after losing a ritual Buzkashi…
Catweazle (TV Series) (1970-1971): Feat. Geoffrey Bayldon, Charles Tingwell; An eccentric, disheveled 11th century wizard teleports to the 1970s, spending much of his time in a state of utter bewilderment at the many…
Trader Hornee (1970): Dir. Jonathan Lucas
Feat. Buddy Pantsari, Elisabeth Monica, Deek Sills; A goofy sexploitation farce of the 'jungle' sub–species, billed typically by legendary smut producer David F. Friedman (who also writes) as…
Love Bug, The (1969): Dir. Robert Stevenson
Feat. Dean Jones, Michele Lee, David Tomlinson…; The original Disney live–action comedy classic about Herbie, the VW with a mind of it's own. He takes his faithful new owner (Dean Jones) for…
Reivers, The (1969): Dir. Mark Rydell
Feat. Steve McQueen, Sharon Farrell, Ruth White…; Amiable coming–of–age lark set in 1905 Mississippi with a mischievous McQueen hitting the road with his employer's prized automobile and…
Some Girls Do (1969): Dir. Ralph Thomas
Feat. Richard Johnson, Daliah Lavi, James Villiers…; Return outing for Richard Johnson's 'Bulldog Drummond' pits the Bond–wannabe against a cabal of mini–skirted fembots and his…
Where Eagles Dare (1969): Dir. Brian G. Hutton
Feat. Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood, Mary Ure…; Exciting adaptation of Alistair MacLean's WW2 novel concerning British paratroopers rescue mission from an impregnable castle.
Zulu (1969): Dir. Cy Endfield
Feat. Sir Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson…; Vivid historical epic about a British army post besieged by the Zulu hordes in 19th century South Africa. Half of the film is a blow by blow recount…
Long Duel, The (1967): Dir. Ken Annakin
Feat. Yul Brynner, Trevor Howard, Harry Andrews…; MIddling adventure yarn set in India under the British Raj. Idealistic policeman Trevor Howard is given orders to capture a rebellious Sultan dead or…
Deadlier Than the Male (1966): Dir. Ralph Thomas
Feat. Richard Johnson, Elke Sommer, Sylva Koscina…; Retro adventure spy flick compiled of alluring girls with spear guns in trouble after knocking off a couple of oil industry big wigs. This thriller…
Born Free (1965): Dir. James Hill
Feat. Virginia McKenna, Bill Travers, Geoffrey Keen; Famous family film about the real–life adventures of Joy and George Adamson and the lion cub, Elsa. Richly emotional with an enduring theme.
Lord Jim (1965): Dir. Richard Brooks
Feat. Peter O'Toole, James Mason, Jack Hawkins…
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965): Dir. Ken Annakin
Feat. Stuart Whitman, Sarah Miles, James Fox…; Great theme tune sets the tone of this large–scale, rip–roaring comedy about a 1910 aeroplane race, rife with international conflicts,…
Famous Five, The: Five Have a Mystery to Solve (1964): Dir. Ernest Morris
Feat. Darryl Read, Mandy Harper, Paula Boyd…; Jolly hockey sticks! The Five are back, and set for even more adventures this time on a mysterious island, with perilous cliffs, and secret treasure.…
Tintin and the Blue Oranges (1964): Dir. Philippe Condroyer
Feat. Jean-Pierre Talbot, Jean Bouise, Félix Fernández; Second live–action version of Herge’s cult boy journalist, this time in pursuit of some valuable ‘blue oranges’ in Valencia, Spain. As…
Incredible Journey (1963): Dir. Fletcher Markle
Feat. Emile Genest, John Drainie, Tommy Tweed…; Two dogs and a Siamese cat attempt to return to their family by travelling over 200 miles of lush Canadian countryside. The original Disney adventure…
Siege of the Saxons (1963): Dir. Nathan Juran
Feat. Ronald Lewis, Janette Scott, Ronald Howard; Costume action, with a cartoonish quality, set in a post–King Arthur Britain.
Damn the Defiant! (H.M.S. Defiant) (1962): Dir. Lewis Gilbert
Feat. Alec Guinness, Dirk Bogarde, Anthony Quayle; Naval drama set aboard a British warship during the Napoleonic wars is a defiantly good–quality effort. Script, photography (by Christopher…
Hatari (1962): Dir. Howard Hawks
Feat. John Wayne; Tremendous, good–natured adventure with John Wayne on safari in the great African wilderness. Memorable score by Henri Mancini.
In Search of the Castaways (1962): Dir. Robert Stevenson
Feat. Hayley Mills, Maurice Chevalier, George Sanders…; Excellent Disney adventure has Mills perilously search for her lost father across the far corners of the globe. Based on the Jules Verne novel, this…
Jack the Giant Killer (1962): Dir. Nathan Juran
Feat. Kerwin Mathews, Judi Meredith, Torin Thatcher…; From the same stable as Sinbad, comes another fantasy using wonderful stop–motion animation. Jack, against all odds, fights the evil Pendragon…
Lawrence of Arabia (1962): Dir. David Lean
Feat. Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn…; Superlative epic biography of enigmatic adventurer T.E. Lawrence played by a charismatic Peter O'Toole in his first leading role. The spectacle is…
Taras Bulba (1962): Dir. J. Lee Thompson
Feat. Tony Curtis, Yul Brynner, Christine Kaufmann; Violent epic in which Cossack leader Yul Brynner battles the Poles in 16th Century Ukraine while wayward son Tony Curtis falls in love with one of…
Mysterious Island (1961): Dir. Cy Endfield
Feat. Michael Craig, Joan Greenwood, Michael Callan…; Robust adventure yarn finds a group of Yankee soldiers escaping a Confederate jail using a hot air balloon during the American Civil War. After…
Tintin and the Mystery of the Golden Fleece (1961): Dir. Jean-Jacques Vierne
Feat. Jean-Pierre Talbot, Georges Wilson, Georges Loriot; One of two live–action adaptations of Herge’s Tintin adventures, this stars a look–alike Jean–Pierre Talbot as the eponymous boy…
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961): Dir. Irwin Allen
Feat. Walter Pidgeon, Peter Lorre, Joan Fontaine…; Admiral Walter Pidgeon takes his brand new atomic submarine for a drive with Commander Peter Lorre, just as a cosmic catastrophe occurs – the…
Hercules Unchained (1960): Dir. Pietro Francisci
Feat. Steve Reeves; Representative Italian ‘Hercules’ in which Steve Reeves flexes himself on an epic journey to Thebes.
Kidnapped (1960): Dir. Robert Stevenson
Feat. Peter Finch, James MacArthur, Bernard Lee…; The third screen version of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic about a young lad who lands in the middle of the 18th century Scottish uprising. With…
Swiss Family Robinson (1960): Dir. Ken Annakin
Feat. John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur; The shipwrecked family prove as resourceful as the eponymous army–knife in their fight for survival against Mother Nature and dastardly…
Three Worlds of Gulliver (1960): Dir. Jack Sher
Feat. Kerwin Mathews, Jo Morrow, June Thorburn…; Gulliver's travels bring him to the lands of the giants and the tiny in this adaptation of Johnathan Swift's classic. The then break–through…
Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1959): Dir. Henry Levin
Feat. James Mason, Pat Boone; James Mason and Pat Boone head an intrepid earth–burrowing expedition in good, old fashioned adventure based on Jules Verne's novel.
Old Man and the Sea, The (1958): Dir. John Sturges
Feat. Spencer Tracy; Spencer Tracey excels in this faithful adaptation of Hemingway’s famous novel, as an aging fisherman who carries on a lengthy duel with the forces…
Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958): Dir. Nathan Juran
Feat. Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant (Crosby), Richard Eyer…; In his first and most engaging adventure, Sinbad convincingly duels the Cyclops, a dragon and a hyperactive skeleton without any computer assistance,…
Teenage Caveman (1958): Dir. Roger Corman
Feat. Robert Vaughn, Sarah Marshall, Leslie Bradley; Prehistoric drive–in fare boosted by Roger Corman's knack for never letting action drag, and a baby–faced Robert Vaughn (Man from Uncle)…
Vikings, The (1958): Dir. Richard Fleischer
Feat. Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Ernest Borgnine; Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis and Ernest Borgnine sport their Nordic apparel to conduct a brutal dispute over the throne of Northumbria. Elegant…
Boy on a Dolphin (1957): Dir. Jean Negulesco
Feat. Alan Ladd, Sophia Loren, Clifton Webb…; Greek picaresque with Sophia Loren as a diver who catches the scent of ancient sunken treasure. Mainly memorable for the actress's drenched figure…
Famous Five, The: Five on a Treasure Island (1957): Dir. Gerald Landau
Feat. Rel Grainer, Richard Palmer, Gillian Harrison…; Ginger beer and picnics are put on hold as the five set out in search of hidden treasure, and in pursuit the requisite dastardly villains.…
Around the World in 80 Days (1956): Dir. Michael Anderson
Feat. David Niven, Cantinflas, Shirley Maclaine; Lively spectacle in which David Niven attempts to perform the title feat, while no less than 44 other stars make cameo appearances. Garnered four…
Davy Crockett and the River Pirates (1956): Dir. Norman Foster
Feat. Fess Parker, Buddy Ebsen, Jeff York…; Fess Parker returns as the frontier folk–hero, here battling his way down the Mississippi enroute to New Orleans. plenty of excitement to be…
Great Locomotive Chase, The (1956): Feat. Fess Parker, Jeffrey Hunter, Jeff York; An adventure story based on a true American Civil War mission behind Confederate lines to steal a Union train and destroy some strategically…
Moby Dick (1956): Dir. John Huston
Feat. Gregory Peck, Richard Basehart; Celebrated version of Herman Melville's classic novel, about a whaler obsessively pursuing the whale that bit off his leg, is flawed but brilliantly…
Run for the Sun (1956): Dir. Roy Boulting
Feat. Richard Widmark, Trevor Howard, Jane Greer…; Righteous remake of THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME has Widmark and Greer running through some almighty foliage desperate to evade smarmy baddie…
The Buccaneers (1956): Dir. C.M. Pennington-Richards
Feat. Robert Shaw, Peter Hammond, Paul Hansard; Frisky frolics on the high seas with Robert Shaw as a former pirate pardoned by the English King and now given to policing the Caribbean
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954): Dir. Richard Fleischer
Feat. Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas…; Kirk Douglas and Peter Lorre are shipwreck survivors aboard the Nautilus under the strange command of Captain Nemo (James Mason). From Jules Verne's…
Davy Crockett - King of the Wild Frontier (1954): Dir. Norman Foster
Feat. Fess Parker, Buddy Ebsen, William Bakewell…; TV version of the quintessential American story, which created such a phenomenal interest when screened that it was released in a movie version. Fess…
Elephant Walk (1954): Dir. William Dieterle
Feat. Elizabeth Taylor, Dana Andrews, Peter Finch…; Love–triangle melodrama set on Ceylon tea plantation is a tad overblown, with thunder stolen from the good cast by a climactic elephant…
River of No Return (1954): Dir. Otto Preminger
Feat. Marilyn Monroe, Robert Mitchum; A Western adventure set aboard a river raft in which the frayed temperaments of Marilyn Monroe and Robert Mitchum endure the perils of raging water…
Robinson Crusoe (1954): Dir. Luis Bunuel
Feat. Dan O'Herlihy; Daniel Defoe's classic novel of a shipwreck's sole survivor. Luis Bunuel directs with a few surrealist flourishes.
Beneath The 12-Mile Reef (1953): Dir. Robert D. Webb
Feat. Robert Wagner, Terry Moore, Gilbert Roland…; Adventure yarn about a Greek father and son team off the coast of Florida who dive for living sponges in dangerous waters. Brought down a little by a…
Conquest of Everest, The (1953): Dir. George Lowe; Technicolour documentary about the various expeditions to the summit of Mount Everest. Both cameraperson Tom Stobart and New Zealand director George…
Mogambo (1953): Dir. John Ford
Feat. Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly; Clark Gable squeezes in wooing both Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly between bouts of elephant shooting in the African jungle.
Peter Pan (1953): Dir. Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson; Walt's version of the J M Barrie classic, animated with consummate skill by his army of inhouse artisans. The flying imp Peter Pan leads Wendy and…
Return to Paradise (1953): Dir. Mark Robson
Feat. Gary Cooper, Barry Jones, Roberta Haynes; Understated drama with Cooper as a carefree drifter content to live aimlessly in his Pacific Island paradise. His idyllic existence is threatened by…
Wages of Fear (Salaire de la Peur, Le) (1953): Dir. Henri-Georges Clouzot
Feat. Yves Montand, Charles Vanel; A young Yves Montand leads a group of impoverished men over rocky Latin American terrain with a dangerous load of nitro–glycerine. Considered…
Ivanhoe (1952): Dir. Richard Thorpe
Feat. Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Fontaine…; Boisterous Middle–Ages spectacular featuring brutal action scenes.
Story of Robin Hood, The (1952): Dir. Ken Annakin
Feat. Richard Todd, Joan Rice, Peter Finch…; Colourful, uncomplicated rendering of the famous tale should delight younger viewers. Filmed in England by Walt Disney Studios.
African Queen, The (1951): Dir. John Huston
Feat. Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn; A magnificent combination of comedy, character and adventure with odd companions Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn trying to survive each other…
King Solomon's Mines (1950): Dir. Compton Bennett, Andrew Marton
Feat. Stewart Granger, Deborah Kerr, Richard Carlson; Stewart Granger is Allan Quartermain, Deborah Kerr and Richard Carlson are his intrepid side–kicks who venture the perilous African jungle in…
Long John Silver (1950): Dir. Byron Haskin
Feat. Robert Newton, Bobby Driscoll, Basil Sydney…; Rambunctious adventure with arch pirate Long John Silver on the hunt for his young friend Jim Hawkins and maybe some treasure. Arrrrrgh!!! Notably…
Treasure Island (Long John Silver) (1950): Dir. Byron Haskin
Feat. Bobby Driscoll, Robert Newton, Basil Sydney…; This definitive version of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic story was the first live–action feature from Disney studios, and contains…
Jungle Jim (1948): Dir. William Berke
Feat. Johnny Weissmuller; Johhny Weissmuller's follow–up role to Tarzan, as similiarly styled jungle adventurer, with companion chimpanzee.
Scott of the Antarctic (1948): Dir. Charles Frend
Feat. John Mills; Ealing studios produced thie epic recount of Scott's final voyage to the South Pole. With John Mills.
Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The (1948): Dir. John Huston
Feat. Walter Huston, Humphrey Bogart; Alltime Hollywood classic, rides with forlorn roughnecks Walter Huston and Humphrey Bogart (in a rare unsympathetic role) as they scrounge around…
Anna and the King of Siam (1946): Dir. John Cromwell
Feat. Irene Dunne, Rex Harrison, Linda Darnell…; The first version of the true story of an English governess (Dunne) who in the 1860s journeyed to South East Asia to look after the King of Siam's 62…
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944): Dir. Arthur Lubin
Feat. Jon Hall, Maria Montez, Leif Erickson…; Adventure film based on 'The Book of One Thousand and One Nights' about a boy prince who takes revenge on the Mongol invaders who murdered his father…
Arabian Nights (1942): Dir. John Rawlins
Feat. Jon Hall, Maria Montez, Sabu…; Lavish sets and costumes distinguish this story of two brothers competing for the throne of Turkey and the hand of the fiery dancing girl played by…
Jungle Book (1942): Dir. Zoltan Korda
Feat. Sabu; Live–action version of Rudyard Kipling's novel with Sabu as Mowgli, the boy raised by wolves who attempts to adapt to human custom.
Reap the Wild Wind (1942): Dir. Cecil B. DeMille
Feat. John Wayne, Raymond Massey, Paulette Goddard; Rugged ships captain John Wayne conducts hair–raising salvages off the 19th century Florida coast, in this spectacular sea–adventure,…
Black Cat, The (1941): Dir. Albert S. Rogell
Feat. Basil Rathbone, F. Hugh Herbert, Broderick Crawford…; A curious genre hybrid for the time, both haunted house movie and comedy (with the help of comedy actor Bob Hope), adapting the Edgar Allan Poe story…
Man Hunt (1941): Dir. Fritz Lang
Feat. Walter Pidgeon, Joan Bennett, George Sanders…; A Fritz Lang–directed thriller set in Europe just prior to World War II – the first of the German exile's four anti–Nazi films, and…
Sea Hawk, The (1940): Dir. Michael Curtiz
Feat. Errol Flynn; Adventure on the high seas with Errol Flynn at the height of his popularity. Magnificent swordplay and battle scenes.
Thief of Bagdad, The (1940): Dir. Michael Powell, Ludwig Berger, Tim Whelan
Feat. Sabu, Conrad Veidt, June Duprez; Sabu stars in this magical, intoxicating vision of the Arabian Nights, some twenty years before the genre was revived in SINBAD. Romance, tragedy,…
Beau Geste (1939): Dir. William A. Wellman
Feat. Gary Cooper, Ray Milland, Robert Preston…; Classic Hollywood gallantry with, Gary Cooper as the eldest of three brothers who run away to join the French Foreign Legion, only to clash bayonets…
Gunga Din (1939): Dir. George Stevens
Feat. Cary Grant, Douglas Jr. Fairbanks, Victor McLaglen; Brilliant, wildly nonsensical adventure yarn has a carousing trio of soldiers let loose in colonial India, then ganging together to defeat the…
Jamaica Inn (1939): Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Charles Laughton, Maureen O'Hara; Minor Hitchcock item about pirates and smuggling in Olde England.
Man in the Iron Mask, The (1939): Dir. James Whale
Feat. Louis Hayward, Joan Bennett, Warren William…; Early, often imitated adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' musketeer legend, with Louis Hayward as the eponymous man in the mask.
Adventures of Marco Polo, The (1938): Dir. Archie Mayo
Feat. Gary Cooper, Basil Rathbone, George Barbier…; Chronicles the numerous exploits of the famed explorer, played by Gary Cooper. More light–hearted than the usual swashbuckler.
Captains Courageous (1937): Dir. Victor Fleming
Feat. Freddie Bartholomew, Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney…; Classic 'boys own' adventure from the pages of Rudyard Kipling, sees Freddie Bartholomew falling off an ocean liner for more rugged sea–faring…
Elephant Boy (1937): Dir. Zoltan Korda, Robert Flaherty
Feat. Sabu, Walter Hudd, Allan Jeayes; Docu–drama based on Rudyard Kipling's novel about government elephant hunters in the British Raj, helped by an Indian boy (debut for Sabu).…
Lost Horizon (1937): Dir. Frank Capra
Feat. Ronald Colman, Jane Wyatt, Edward Everett Horton…; Wonderful fantasy adventure about five people who find sanctuary in a Tibetan Valley where good health, peace and longevity reign. A haunting and…
Crusades, The (1935): Dir. Cecil B. DeMille
Feat. Loretta Young, Henry Wilcoxon; Hollywood Heavyweight Cecil B. DeMille Directs this overblown spectacle that differs vastly from it's grisly historical origins.
Tarzan and His Mate (1935): Dir. Cedric Gibbons
Feat. Johnny Weissmuller, Maureen O'Sullivan, Neil Hamilton…; Johnny Weissmuller returns in what is widely considered the best of the Tarzan series, with first–rate production values, stunts and Maureen…
Count of Monte Cristo, The (1934): Dir. Rowland V Lee
Feat. Robert Donat, Louis Calhern, Sidney Blackmer…; Exemplary version of Alexandre Dumas' classic swashbuckler. Robert Donat plays the imprisoned officer seeking revenge with steel and panache.
Man of Aran (1934): Dir. Robert Flaherty
Feat. Colman 'Tiger' King, Maggie Dirrane, Michael Dillane; Powerful study of the daily struggle for survival on the Aran Islands off the western coast of Ireland, without even the benefit of soil to plant…
Tarzan The Fearless / Tarzan And The Trappers (1933-1958): Dir. Charles Haas, Robert F. Hill
Feat. Larry "Buster" Crabbe, Gordon Scott; "Tarzan The Fearless" is feature film stitched together in the 1960's from the first four chapters a 12–part 1933 serial starring Buster Crabbe…
Red Dust (1932): Dir. Victor Fleming
Feat. Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, Mary Astor…; Steamy pre–code drama that captures Jean Harlow at her tough, raunchy best, playing a Saigon hooker who's competing with Mary Astor for the…
Tarzan Collection, The (Tarzan the Ape Man, Tarzan Escapes, Tarzan and His Mate, Tarzan Finds a Son, Tarzan Secret Treasure, Tarzan's New York Adventure) (1932-1942): Feat. Johnny Weissmuller; All 6 of the 'Tarzan' movies starring Johnny Weismuller.
Tarzan the Ape Man (1932): Dir. W.S. Van Dyke
Feat. Johnny Weissmuller, Neil Hamilton, Maureen O'Sullivan…; If you're looking for the classic chest beatin', vine swingin' versions of Edgar Rice Burrough's much–abused creation, this is where you start.…
Son of the Sheik (1926): Dir. George Fitzmaurice
Feat. Rudolph Valentino; Rudolf Valentino's most famous and best outing is a high camp romp in the desert in which he plays the dual role of father and son, no doubt to…
Great White Silence, The (90 Degrees South) (1924-1933): Dir. Herbert G Ponting; Awe–inspiring footage from Robert Falcon Scott's disastrous expedition to the South Pole in 1910, covering the ship–voyage and…
Thief of Bagdad (1924): Dir. Raoul Walsh
Feat. Douglas Fairbanks, Anna May Wong, Brandon Hurst; Douglas Fairbanks Snr. stars in this original version of the Arabian Nights fable about a young Indian native who out–smarts an evil magician.
South (1919): Dir. Frank Hurley; Documentary portrait of the most epic survival story of our time, Ernest Shackleton's 1914 expedition to the South Pole, in which their ship became…

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