Good idea lost in the noise

Film Perfection

Absolutely amazing

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

King Solomon's Mines is a two-part TV miniseries that features the late Patrick Swayze as Allan Quartermain (not Quatermain as in the credits) together with Alison Doody. It is the fifth film adaptation of the 1885 novel of the same title by Henry Rider Haggard.In it,Elizabeth Maitland seeks the services of American safari hunter Allan Quartermain to locate her father,Sam whom apparently was kidnapped by the Kukuanas as he has drawn near to the location of the legendary mines.The Russian Tsar was funding Sam to locate it and then he send his people to put away Quartermain and his men.Patrick Swayze did a marvelous performance as Allan Quartermain.He definitely was great in it.Despite the fact that it definitely isn't the best film adaptation of Haggard's novel,it manages to be enjoyable and entertaining with his performance alone.

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.

I never had an inkling while watching the movie that it was meant for the idiot box. I always thought that this was some very good successful movie of the late 90's. But after I saw on the internet that this was meant for the TV, I was shocked because for a television film, it is absolutely fantastic!The thing that mostly concerned me was the length. I felt that the one on one battle scene should've been removed as it was completely unnecessary. Also, it began to drag towards the end as it seemed as if the adventure was never going to end. On the plus side, there is a strong, very interesting and captivating plot with magnificent performances by everyone. I just felt that Patrik Frayze looked a bit haggard. I also felt that Gogool, who looked dementing turned a bit stupid at some scenes.I was delighted by the beautiful landscapes of Africa. Also, the first half of the movie would have made me give this movie a 9. Still, its a great film for the television. 8 out of 10.

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.