Prime Video’s Fountain of Youth is a Guy Ritchie film steeped in adventure and daring treasure hunting in the style of Indiana Jones. While the film is a great time, though, it doesn’t nail every facet of what makes a great adventure film that has made others so great.
There are decades of iconic adventure movies that capture and even helped establish the same tropes that make Fountain of Youth so much fun. Whether it’s straight adventure or adventure horror, there’s a lot to enjoy in other fantastic adventure films.
The Mummy (1999) Is the Perfect Blend of Adventure and Horror
Universal’s Classic Monsters are a staple of cinema even after over 100 years, and it helped usher in the modern ideas of vampires, werewolves, and more. The Mummy (1932) was one example that, while scary, was long overdue for an update. That came in 1999’s The Mummy, which offered an action/adventure flair as a group of treasure hunters find a lost city and accidentally awaken an ancient mummy.
The film is a staple of the ’90s and started a beloved fandom thanks to its simple yet fun story and great cast that includes Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz. Scary, exciting and filled with great quotes, The Mummy (1999) is everything audiences could ask for in a film of this caliber and defined modern adventure films.
National Treasure Takes History Class to a Whole New Level
As Disney took over the Summer with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, they also delivered an exciting adventure film starring Nicolas Cage called National Treasure. The film follows a man named Ben Gates who grew up on US history, hunting an old treasure tied to the Founding Fathers until he’s double-crossed by a colleague. Now, in a race against time, Gates must find the treasure before him with schemes that include stealing the Declaration of Independence.
National Treasure is still a beloved adventure movie and managed to show that US history has its own mysteries worth exploring, tied to a history that helped define a nation. Cage kills it in his role, and it’s one of those films that’s easy to get sucked into.
The Adventures of Tintin (2011) Revives a Classic Adventurer for a Modern Audience
Inspired by the comic series created by Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin was a 3D animated Steven Spielberg film that focused on the young reporter and his dog, Snowy, getting caught up in a race to find a secret treasure. What results is a globe-trotting adventure with a perfect blend of humor and action.
The Adventures of Tintin is a great film for new adventure fans to cut their teeth in. Geared to a younger audience, it’s a fun and exciting film that delivers on the spirit of what Hergé created. The only real shame is that there hasn’t been a follow-up yet.
Secret of the Incas Inspired an Icon
The movie that inspired Indiana Jones, Secret of the Incas follows tour guide Harry Steele who learns of a treasure that lies in Machu Picchu. This leads to an exciting adventure where Steele hunts down the treasure and even meets a secret civilization, creating many classic tropes that would follow other exciting adventure films later on.
Secret of the Incas is exactly the film every adventure fan needs to see because it’s one of the most important. It’s a fun film and has a great cast that sells the adventure. While it’s the catalyst for what would become Indiana Jones, it’s a film worth the watch as well.
Raiders of the Lost Ark Is the Most Perfect Adventure Film
Adventure movies have more than a few exciting moments, but almost all of them owe a bit of thanks to Raiders of the Lost Ark. The adventure film that revived the genre, the Harrison Ford film follows Indiana Jones on a mission to find the Ark of the Covenant.
Jones is an iconic cinematic character, and from the exciting opening sequence to the supernatural and traumatic ending, there’s so much to love about Raiders of the Lost Ark. It could even be argued that Fountain of Youth wouldn’t have the charm it has had it not been for Raiders of the Lost Ark.