SunnyHello
Nice effects though.
Rijndri
Load of rubbish!!
Hayden Kane
There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
Staci Frederick
Blistering performances.
HelenMary
Patrick Swayze was perfectly cast for this; outdoorsy, rugged, handsome and clearly physically able. He was very believable as Alan Quatermain and I loved him in this role. His chemistry opposite Alison Doody was great and she is very beautiful and elegant but she remained far too groomed throughout the adventure, which detracted from her believability and she looked too modern although acted the part well. The cinematography was stunning; beautifully filmed on location with convincing sets and village, and the sweeping vistas and scenes added to the overall entertainment of the film/miniseries.I've watched it a number of times and it never fails to entertain and is enjoyable family viewing. The ensemble cast are all good, especially the actors playing McNabb (Gavin Hood) and Umbopa (Sidede Onyulo), Dr Maitland (John Standing), Twala (Hakeem Kae-Kazim) and the stand out character for me was the beautiful, fey and eldritch Gagool the witchdoctor (Lesedi Mogoathle) who's performance stays in the mind long after the film has finished especially the "Stop breathing" scene. Scary! Swayze really was wonderful in this role, the romance between Quatermain and Elizabeth is perfectly staged - he is a perfect gentleman - and the story, the screenplay, is gripping and exciting. Made for TV as a mini-series it's one of those films that can be watched over and over again and never becomes tired. I recommend it although it is what it is; Indiana Jones/The Librarian type archaeological adventure straight out of a "Hollywood" studio. Old fashioned entertainment.
gahan68
Who the hell rests at night whilst walking in the desert and travels in the heat of the sun, and these people are supposed to be professional trackers/journeymen!! Who the hell rests at night whilst walking in the desert and travels in the heat of the sun, and these people are supposed to be professional trackers/journeymen!! Who the hell rests at night whilst walking in the desert and travels in the heat of the sun, and these people are supposed to be professional trackers/journeymen!! Who the hell rests at night whilst walking in the desert and travels in the heat of the sun, and these people are supposed to be professional trackers/journeymen!! Who the hell rests at night whilst walking in the desert and travels in the heat of the sun, and these people are supposed to be professional trackers/journeymen!!
soxino
Swayze doesn't make a very convincing Alan Quatermain. Compared to Stewart Granger; which growing up was my ultimate hero in films like the 1952 "Scaramouche", the 1952 "Prisoner of Zenda" and the 1950 "King Solomon's Mines"; Patrick Swayze fails utterly. Even the portrayal of an older Alan Quatermain by Sean Connery in "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" was very good in an otherwise big flop. Also Alison Doody lacks the grace of Deborah Kerr in the role of the leading lady, and last but not least the impressive Siriaque in the role of Umbopa makes it very hard for anyone to fill his (shoes)!!! For someone who was disappointed by Richard Chamberlain's 1985 version, I now highly recommend it if you can't get your hand on the granger version.
lunabu_ie
I missed the first 10 or so minutes of the movie but don't think watching it from the beginning would've made any difference. I found the film extremely boring and was disappointed with the acting. I remember Patrick Swayze and some of the other actors (Roy Marsden, for instance) in outstanding roles but they all disappointed here due to a very weak script. "Kind Solomon's Mines"...the very short part of the movie inside the "mines" was about as exciting as watching paint dry and I doubt that even a pre-school kid would've been spell-bound by watching the fight of the "warriors". The entire movie was reminiscent of a cheaply produced American TV series. Give me Indiana Jones any day!
