Film

The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box

Name: The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Family
Released: 2013
Cast: Aneurin Barnard, Michael Sheen, Lena Headey, Sam Neill, Ioan Gruffudd

A Victorian-era fantasy adventure about a teenage boy hunting his kidnapped brother through a grand hotel hiding sinister magic. It's a gorgeously mounted piece of family fantasy that swings for the fences with its production design and creature effects. For viewers who love Labyrinth-style worlds and don't mind that the plot occasionally gets lost in the spectacle.

TMDb rating

2.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love old-fashioned adventure serials with a darkly ornate setting, a hidden world full of odd creatures, and a hero whose family is the real stake.

Skip it if you want light, breezy family viewing, since the monsters can be frightening and the plot leans on lore and exposition more than charm or surprise.

What it asks of you: A brisk ride under 100 minutes, with few quiet stretches: it moves quickly, and you'll need to follow clues and keep track of who's who.

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

If you liked this

Labyrinth1986

A teenager navigates a mythical maze to rescue her brother from a goblin king. Like Midas Box, it's a visually stunning dark-fantasy adventure that prioritizes world-building and design over narrative tightness—and doesn't apologize for it.

But The plot is deliberately dreamlike and sometimes frustratingly vague. If you need everything explained and tied up neatly, this will drive you up the wall.

The Golden Compass2007

A young girl uncovers a conspiracy in a parallel world with stunning production design and a proper sense of danger. Same energy: child protagonist, magical stakes, lavish sets, and a genuine attempt to make darkness feel real.

But The film truncates its source material badly, leaving plot threads hanging. It's more about the look of the world than the coherence of the story.

MirrorMask2005

A girl must navigate a surreal, artfully grotesque world to save her mother. Neil Gaiman's storytelling combined with Dave McKean's visual genius creates something wholly its own—weird, beautiful, and unapologetically strange.

But The narrative gets genuinely confusing and the pacing is languid. It's as much a visual poem as a plot-driven film.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Crimson Peak2015

Both are visually baroque fantasies where the grandeur of the setting is almost a character itself, and both hide real darkness beneath beautiful surfaces.

A young woman enters a decaying Gothic mansion filled with ghosts, secrets, and malevolent beauty. Guillermo del Toro creates the same sense of a world built on hidden rules and visual gorgeousness, but anchors it in genuine horror and adult sensuality.

But It's a romance wrapped in gothic dread, not a family adventure. Expect adult themes, real violence, and a tone that's far more sinister.

A Monster Calls2016

A grieving boy meets a tree creature and embarks on an emotional journey through fantasy. It shares Midas Box's ability to blend real loss with magical wonder, and its creature design is genuinely moving.

But It's much quieter and more introspective. If you're expecting action and spectacle, you'll find something altogether more melancholic.

The NeverEnding Story1984

A boy reads himself into a dying fantasy world and must save it. The gold standard for child-centered fantasy with practical effects, real stakes, and a world so vivid you can taste it.

But The pacing in the middle sags considerably. Some viewers find it meandering before it gets back on track.

Stardust2007

A young man ventures into a magical realm to capture a fallen star for his beloved. It's charming, adventure-filled, beautifully shot, and never takes itself too seriously—fantasy comfort food done right.

But It prioritizes fun and whimsy over depth. If you want thematic weight, you're looking elsewhere.

The Secret of Kells2009

An Irish boy helps protect an ancient magical book in a gorgeously animated Celtic world. The art direction is phenomenal, the mythology is real, and it has genuine menace alongside its beauty.

But It's animated, which some dismiss immediately. The pacing is deliberate and the plot is secondary to atmosphere.

The Dark Crystal1982

In a universe of practical puppetry, a young creature must restore a broken crystal to save his world. Pure imaginative spectacle from Jim Henson—every frame is meticulously crafted, every creature feels lived-in.

But The dialogue is sparse and the narrative is minimal. If you need a strong plot to stay engaged, the puppet-work alone won't be enough.

The Secret Garden1993

Both feature young protagonists uncovering secrets hidden within a grand, mysterious space, and both use that space as a mirror for emotional transformation.

An orphaned girl discovers a hidden garden and, through it, heals a household's emotional wounds. Where Midas Box looks outward to supernatural threat, this looks inward at psychological healing—same quest structure, opposite direction.

But It's slow, contemplative, and almost entirely interior. There are no monsters or action sequences; the drama is emotional and quiet.

Mama2013

Both were made the same year and share a fascination with how children navigate worlds where the rules are supernatural and often unknowable. Both feature creatures that are frightening precisely because their love is real.

Two girls are raised in the woods by something that loves them with possessive ferocity. Andrés Muschietti crafts genuine dread and sorrow; the creature design is haunting, and the emotional core is real grief.

But This is a horror film with jump scares and disturbing imagery. It's dark in a way Midas Box isn't—no comfort, no redemptive adventure, just loss.