Film

King Solomon's Mines

Name: King Solomon's Mines
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Released: 1985
Cast: Richard Chamberlain, Sharon Stone, Herbert Lom, John Rhys-Davies, Ken Gampu

Other titles called King Solomon's Mines: the 1937 film, the 1950 film.

Treasure hunt

A rollicking 1985 adventure romp where Richard Chamberlain's charming explorer and Sharon Stone's gutsy archaeologist chase kidnappers through African wilderness to find a lost father and legendary treasure. It's earnest pulp—genuinely entertaining if you want spectacle, humour, and swashbuckling without pretence. For anyone who loves the adventure-serial spirit without needing it deconstructed or ironic.

TMDb rating

2.7

If you liked this

Raiders of the Lost Ark1981

The gold standard that King Solomon's Mines wears its heart on its sleeve trying to match. Harrison Ford, supernatural stakes, perfect pacing, and adventure that feels genuinely consequential. Everything this film aspires to be.

But It's been canonised to death. If you've seen it multiple times already, you know exactly what you're getting and may not need another viewing.

The Jewel of the Nile1985

Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner riffing on the same adventure-comedy frequency, same year, same spirit. Banter, ridiculous set pieces, charm over logic. A direct contemporary sibling rather than ancestor.

But The plot is even thinner than King Solomon's Mines. If you need story architecture, this might feel slight.

Romancing the Stone1984

Kathleen Turner, adventure, comedy timing, and the same yearning for old-fashioned swashbuckling. It lands the tone more gracefully and the romance actually works. A masterclass in how to do this particular thing well.

But It's fresher and sharper than King Solomon's Mines, which might make that film feel clunkier in retrospect.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from King Solomon's Mines

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The African Queen1952

Both are adventure films built on the spine of two people who don't like each other learning to trust—the banter-enemies formula. But African Queen commits entirely to the emotional truth of that journey, while Solomon's Mines treats it as decoration.

Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn on an actual river journey through African wilderness, pursued, bickering, discovering each other. Real adventure with real stakes, romantic tension that crackles, and a chemistry that makes Chamberlain and Stone feel like understudies. Everything King Solomon's Mines wants to be emotionally, it actually is.

But It's a 1951 film with all the pacing expectations that implies. The adventure is deliberate, almost meditative. If you need constant movement, the riverboat sections might feel slow.

Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold1986

The sequel that doubles down on everything King Solomon's Mines was already doing. If you loved the first one, this is pure continuation—no surprises, which is sometimes exactly what you want.

But It's a sequel to a mid-tier film, meaning it's a continuation of something already-uneven. Diminishing returns is a real possibility.

Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold poster

The Mummy1999

Brendan Fraser brings the same earnest charm Chamberlain has here, but with more resources and Rachel Weisz to play off. Adventure, horror, comedy, romance—the deluxe version of this impulse.

But It's been beloved into ubiquity. The charm that felt fresh in '99 is now basically cultural shorthand.

Cutthroat Island1995

Geena Davis as a pirate captain in a movie that wants to be a 1980s adventure romp two decades late. Absurd, committed, doesn't work but keeps trying. Fascinating failure.

But It's famously a commercial and critical disaster. The chaos isn't always intentional, and the joins show badly.

Treasure of the Four Crowns1983

An obscure adventure film from the same era that wears its Saturday-matinee heart even more openly. Weird, sincere, genuinely weird without trying.

But It's genuinely obscure for a reason. The budget shows, and the pacing is eccentric by design and accident alike.

High Road to China1983

Tom Selleck and Bess Armstrong in a flying adventure across 1920s Asia. Charm, aerial sequences, and a script that knows it's living in fantasy. Earnest without shame.

But It shares all of King Solomon's Mines' weaknesses without quite the same appeal. Harder to find and lower-profile for reasons.

She1965

Both are Haggard adaptations of the same era and vintage. She shows what his adventure fiction could be with money and commitment. King Solomon's Mines is looser and breezier; She is what happens when you push the same material toward myth.

Hammer Films' lavish adaptation of H. Rider Haggard's lost-world novel (King Solomon's Mines' literary sibling). Ursula Andress, Jock Mahoney, practical effects that actually amaze, and a script that takes its mythology seriously. Adventure fantasy at its most visually gorgeous.

But It's slower and more ornate than you might expect. The eroticism is obvious and dated. If you want quicker thrills, this won't satisfy.

Anaconda1997

Both are adventure films of their era made with the spirit of older serials, but Anaconda pitches the same impulse as creature horror rather than comedy-adventure. It shows how the same B-movie energy works when you change genre registers—proof that King Solomon's Mines' tone is a choice, not inevitable.

Jon Voight, a giant snake, practical animatronics, and a script that commits absolutely to its own absurdity. It's a B-movie that knows it's a B-movie and has the craft to make that work. The adventure serial played for genuine suspense instead of laughs, but with the same pulp DNA.

But It's a 1990s creature feature that works through camp and spectacle rather than logic. The snake gets sillier the more you think about it. If you need plausibility, this deflates immediately.