Genre: Adventure
Adventure stories are about the journey and the unknown that waits along it. Characters leave the familiar behind for distant places, hidden dangers, and discoveries that change them by the end.
-
El Cid (1961)
Anthony Mann's 1961 Spanish reconquista epic. Charlton Heston as Rodrigo Diaz, Sophia Loren. Dead Cid strapped to horse climax. -
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
Kevin Reynolds' 1991 Robin Hood. Kevin Costner, Alan Rickman scene-stealing as Sheriff. Bryan Adams song. Maximum 1990s. -
The Hidden Fortress (1958)
Kurosawa's 1958 medieval adventure. Mifune as general, two bumbling peasants. Lucas cited as Star Wars influence. -
The African Queen (1951)
John Huston's 1951 WWI East Africa adventure. Bogart and Hepburn down a river to torpedo a German gunboat. Bogart's only Oscar. -
King Kong (1933)
Cooper-Schoedsack 1933 monster adventure. Willis O'Brien stop-motion. Skull Island to Empire State. Template for everything since. -
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
Peter Weir's 2003 Patrick O'Brian adaptation. Russell Crowe as Aubrey, Bettany as Maturin. Galapagos and broadside cannons. No sequel happened. -
Captain Blood (1935)
Curtiz's 1935 pirate film that launched both Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Doctor-turned-pirate against Spanish navy. Foundation of the genre. -
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Curtiz-Keighley 1938 Technicolor swashbuckler. Errol Flynn defining swashbuckler. Korngold score. Won three Academy Awards. -
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Steven Spielberg's 1981 archeology adventure launcher. Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. Lucas-Spielberg-Kasdan template for blockbuster action. -
The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
1975 John Huston adventure with Sean Connery and Michael Caine as British soldiers crowning themselves kings in Kafiristan.