Film

Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold

Name: Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold
Genre: Adventure, Action, Comedy, Mystery
Released: 1986
Cast: Richard Chamberlain, Sharon Stone, James Earl Jones, Henry Silva, Robert Donner

Treasure hunt

A 1986 adventure romp where Richard Chamberlain's Allan Quatermain trudges through Africa seeking his missing brother and a legendary lost city. It's earnest pulp filmmaking—low budget, high energy, shot through with genuine warmth and unexpected humor. For anyone who loves adventure serials, campy action, or eighties charm before it became ironic.

TMDb rating

2.5

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy old-fashioned pulp adventure played with a straight face and a wink, where a lost-city quest moves briskly and the set pieces matter more than the logic.

Skip it if you need tight plotting or modern effects, since the mystery is thin, the tone wobbles between swashbuckling and goofy, and the audience rating is low.

What it asks of you: About an hour and forty minutes of brisk, sun-baked scenes with few quiet pauses, it keeps a light touch even as the stakes climb.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

King Solomon's Mines1985

The film that proved adventure movies could work in the eighties. Chamberlain again, same spirit of gallant nonsense, and it's genuinely entertaining without winking at itself.

But It's a bit slow in the middle, and the special effects look like they cost about twelve dollars. Some of the romantic subplot drags.

The Mummy1999

Modern adventure that captures the same tone: fun action, real stakes, heroes who crack jokes but mean business. Brendan Fraser understood what made these work.

But It's glossier and less sincere. If you love the earnestness of eighties adventure, the self-aware humor here might feel like it's making fun of you.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom1984

Peak adventure filmmaking. Higher budget, bigger scale, but the same pulp DNA. Action sequences that still hold up, and Harrison Ford doing what Chamberlain was trying to do with better resources.

But Spielberg's darkness here is heavy and uncomfortable. If you want adventure as comfort food, the brutality might get in the way.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Aguirre, the Wrath of God1972

Both follow men who venture into the African/South American unknown seeking a legendary city, but where Quatermain finds campy treasure, Herzog finds the collapse of the explorer's mind. Same journey, opposite destination.

A Spanish conquistador hunts El Dorado in the Amazon, and it becomes a fever dream of madness and obsession. Herzog's actual documentary impulse transforms the adventure-movie formula into something mythic and genuinely unsettling.

But It's slow, hypnotic, and very bleak. There's no wit or fun here, only delusion and death. If you want escapism, this is the opposite.

Romancing the Stone1984

Adventure romance with real humor and chemistry. It's funny without being cynical, and it loves its own plot twists. Very much in the same spirit.

But The romance is the actual plot. If you're here for pure action, the relationship stuff might feel like filler.

The Jewel of the Nile1985

Direct sequel energy even though it's not. Adventure, double-crosses, exotic locations, and the kind of dialogue that makes you grin. Lightweight and confident.

But It's a bit of a retread. If the first one didn't stick with you, this won't convince you to care.

Crocodile Dundee1986

Same year, same vibe. Fish-out-of-water adventure that's surprisingly warm and funny. Paul Hogan brings real charm to what could have been just a gimmick.

But The jokes can feel dated. Modern audiences sometimes find it corny, though that's rather the point.

The Emerald Forest1985

A more serious adventure in the jungle. Real locations, real stakes, and a father-son journey that gives the action weight. Still thrilling, but with heart underneath.

But It's genuinely dark in parts. Not as fun or campy; if you want pure escapism, the environmental tragedy might hit too hard.

Congo1995

A later adventure that deliberately channels this spirit. Michael Douglas, Tim Curry hamming it up, a giant ape, and the kind of plotting that prioritizes spectacle over sense.

But It's aggressively silly, and not everyone finds that charming. Some think it's a failed movie rather than a successful trash object.

The Phantom1996

Deliberately retro adventure that loves pulp serials. Billy Zane commits entirely to the camp, and there's a real affection for the material underneath the absurdity.

But It leans hard into the joke of itself. If you want adventure played straight, the winking will exhaust you.

The Last Temptation of Christ1988

Both star Richard Chamberlain in adventure narratives about finding something greater than themselves, but this inverts the register entirely—from pulp escapism to spiritual crisis. Chamberlain's journey here is internal and existential, not geographic.

Scorsese reimagining Christ as a conflicted, doubting man trying to understand his purpose. Controversial, visually stunning, and genuinely moving—a film that respects its audience's intelligence while asking huge questions.

But It will offend you if your faith is rigid. Even if it won't, it's three hours of theological argument, not narrative momentum. Some find it pretentious.

L'Avventura1960

Both feature journeys into mysterious landscapes searching for a missing person, but where Quatermain finds action and gold, Antonioni finds ambiguity and emptiness. The structure mirrors while the philosophy inverts—adventure as meditation rather than spectacle.

An Italian woman vanishes on an island, and instead of solving it, the film becomes a meditation on desire, class, and what we actually care about. Antonioni's slowness makes you feel the mystery in your bones.

But Nothing happens. Literally—it's the opposite of an adventure movie, and that's the point. If you need plot momentum and closure, you will hate it.