My Top Ten favorite Adventure Movies

There’s no other series of film that can get you excited like an adventure film. Movies about treasure hunting, bubby traps, beautiful women getting rescued, swashbuckling action and exotic locations are what it’s all about. I’m not doing an official list with classics like The Three Musketeers, Robin Hood or Lord of the Rings, this is a list of the adventures that had the biggest impact on me. So let’s set sail for my top ten favorite adventure movies.

#10 National Treasure

 This was a fun mix between a fictional treasure hunt and historical references, providing us all kinds of entertainment as well as teaching us things from history class and that’s really all I have to say about this film, check it out.

#9 The 7^th Voyage of Sinbad 

 

My favorite of the Sinbad Trilogy, this film gets everything right, great characters and a fun story that provides all the common conventions like a genie trapped in a lamp, a cursed princess, an evil sorcerer and an island populated with all kinds of giant monsters like Dragons and a Cyclopes. The visual effects by Ray Harry Howsond have so much charm to them and I was in my high school years when I watched this, proving that old movies like this can be just as fascinating to viewers of all ages, if you like old movies.

#8 The Poseidon Adventure 

 This isn’t an adventure about fantasy creatures or treasure hunting, it’s all about a group of people who now have to work together to escape a sinking ship, and it’s definitely an amazing adventure. We see them struggle, not just with obstacles in the ship but also maintaining trust in each other and keeping a strong faith in God. It’s an excellent story and it features a surprise appearance from one of my favorite actors, Leslie Nielsen. The remake is also a lot of fun and worth a look.

#7 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curs of the Black Pearl 

 The effects are incredible and Jack Sparrow definitely stands as one of the all time great lead adventure characters. But the best thing about this film is the score, no other score can get you in a better, ass kicking, adventure mood then this one. Overall, an excellent adaption from a theme park ride.

#6 The Mask of Zorro

 The ultimate swashbuckling action adventure, I guarantee you’ll want to learn sword fighting choreography after seeing this. The cast is perfect, Antonio Bandores is excellent as a hero that is vengeful, in love, has a witty personality and discovers the importance of helping others, the villains are outstanding, Anthony Hopkins is amazing as a broken hero who now has to pass the torch to a young hero and let’s not forget the hottest chick in the history of cinema (Catherin Zeta Jones), she doesn’t even need to show off her skin, just look at her face and you melt. This is a film that reminds you to look around at the struggles of others rather than just your own personal problems and all while giving us an amazing adventure with stunning action and finally the shot with Zorro silhouetted agenst the setting sun is an image I’ll always remember.    

Okay, this is when things get series and I mean amongst my top 30 favorite films kind of series!

#5 Clash of the Titans

 I grew up with this at a young age and it’s still just as fun. Everything that I love about classic adventure and Ray Harry Housned are present in this film, we have great incite on Greek culture and there fascinating mythical story’s. The look of the setting is great, with giant statues, cool paintings and stunning crafted temples, it really transports you to that time and culture. The characters are perfect, in that traditional cliché adventure style, the noble hero, the beautiful princes, a wise mentor, the gods that bless are lead character with weapons of great power and monstrous villains. The stop motion effects by Ray Harry Housned are perfected in this film, his creatures have always been awesome but in this film they’re jaw dropping. Overall, this is a great film that no child hood should be without.

#4 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe 

 This one is a little different from the others on this list, it’s a mix between epic warfare and a journey into a magical world. The characters and effects are great and the score is one of the greatest ever put into film, ranging from soft and relaxing to epic and powerful. The film does a great job merging a fairy tale setting with biblical references, and a classic adventure. The end result is one of the best feel good movies ever.  

 #3 The Jungle Book (1994)

My very first adventure to embark on in film, this movie is right up there with “The Wizard of Oz” as one of the very first live action movies I’ve ever seen in my life and it left a huge impact on me. Whenever I watch a classic, cliché adventure film I always think back to this movie. Every cliché convention was introduced to me in this film, someone setting fire that illuminates a pyramid and revealing a giant treasure chamber, small things like that. The jungle has such a magical quality to it, you always hear the sound of animals and you can always see things like monkeys or birds in the background, you really feel like you’ve been transported to this place. The animals are all great and the characters are outstanding, plus two of my favorite actors, Sam Neil and John Clease together in the same film. If you compare this to “Raiders of the lost Ark” or “The Mask of Zorro”, you may feel that it’s a step below them but never the less this was an unforgettable spectacle from my child hood that I’ll always remember.   

#2 Indiana Jones and the last Crusade 

 Indiana Jones is by far the greatest icon in adventure cinema and he has taken us on many grand adventures and “Last Crusade” is his best by far! This isn’t just a treasure hunt for fortune and glory but an epic quest to find one of the most holly artifacts in history and protect it from an army of evil. It’s also about a broken family coming closer together through a series of obstacles. Harrison Forde and Sean Connery act off each other perfectly and it makes for one of the most convincing father son relationships I’ve ever seen on film. The movie balances jaw dropping action with a great sense of humor, plus it has some of the most unexpecting twists to common adventure films that just makes the movie feel stronger. Finally, the fight on the tank is by far one of the all time greatest actions scenes in the history of cinema. Honestly, it’s one of the greatest movies ever made, for its time and for all time.    
  

Okay, you’re probably wondering what can top all those outstanding adventure epics, well here it is...

#1 The Mummy (1999) 

 Your probably shocked that a B movie like this can top great epics like "Narnia" and "Indiana Jones" but this really is my favorite. I know it’s a typical cliché B monster film but it’s done so well. The characters are excellent and a lot of fun, the visuals are stunning and the music by Jerry Gold Smith is glorious. I can’t think of any other movie I’ve seen more times than this one and I never get tired of it. It brings every great category of film (Sci-Fi, action, horror, mild comedy, romance and adventure) all into one incredible motion picture experience that always puts me in a good mood every time I watch it. My favorite adventure film and one of my all time favorite movies, ever.