Movie Review: King Solomon's mines (1985)

King Solomon's mines (1985)
Starring:  Richard Chamberlain, Sharon Stone, Herbert Lom, John Rhys-Davies, Ken Gampu

Director: J. Lee Thompson 

Cannon Group, Golan-Globus Productions, USA, Zimbabwe, 1985. 

The movie is loosely based on the novel by the same name by H.R. Haggard. The movie's setting is changed to the period during World War I. 

Adventurer Allan Quatermain (Richard Chamberlain) and Jessie Huston (Sharon Stone) travel to the town of Tongola. His servant Umbopo (Ken Gampu) fears to enter because the town is the base of the ruthless slave-trader Dogati (John Rhys-Davies). German colonel Bockner (Herbert Lom) is planning to occupy whole Africa and has teamed up with Dogati. Dogati has captured Jesse's father to make him tell the way to King Solomon's mines. 

Dogati captures Prof. Huston

Allan and Jessie search for Jessie's father

Allan's faithful servant Umbopo

The villains try to kidnap Jessie, but she escapes. A shady merchant may know about his father but he also tries to kidnap Jesse. Quatermain makes a flashy entrance and interrogates the merchant. It is also revealed that the mummies that the shop sells are dubiously fresh. They escape Dogati and Bockner using dynamite. During the escape Allan also frees slaves sold at the market and beats up some slave traders. 

Town of Tongola

Bockner and Dogati feeling victorious

Allan's secret weapon

Allan's team tries to infiltrate the train where Jessie's father is kept. After fighting the Germans in the train they finally free Prof. Huston. The trip then continues on a biplane. But first Jessie must learn to fly. Then some friendly natives invite Allan and Jessie for a dinner. However it is better to skip that dinner. 

Allan gets into trouble

Natives invite Jessie and Allan for dinner

The dinner is you!

There is also a tribe that lives hanging upside down from trees. They crown Jessie as Miss Forest. Upside-down folks help Allan and Jesse to escape the Germans. After escaping various dangerous situations they finally find the mines. They still have to survive hostile natives, traps, giant monsters, Dogati and Bockner. 

Upside down- people

Jessie is Miss Forest

Dogati finds the treasure

The movie has some slap-stick style comedy as Jessie often manages to punch Allan instead of enemies. The humour has many nods to Indiana Jones- movies with characters rushing into areas full of enemies and then trying to find an excuse and escape. The villains are also very cartoonish. John Rhys-Davies basically duplicates his role as Sallah in Indiana Jones movies, but this time he is a cruel villain. Richard Chamberlain known better for his roles in drama movies or miniseries plays here an daring action hero. Herbert Lom is a stereotypical Wagner-obsessed evil German. The main actors seem to have fun. Effects are often quite clumsy and green screen usage is obvious. The movie was filmed in Zimbabwe and local residents were used as extras.

Driving on savanna

Despite all the clichés and flaws, it is adequately funny and entertaining 80s action-adventure that tries to copy the formula of Indy with a lower budget. Music by Jerry Goldsmith creates also some sense of epic.

Rating: Good