Customer Reviews

The Librarian - Quest for the Spear

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Noah Wyle is charming as Flynn, a professional student turned reluctant hero when he finds himself named The Librarian, and is charged with guarding a number of priceless artifacts he previously thought were only the stuff of myth. Flynn's race to recover the stolen section of the Spear of Destiny and prevent the Brotherhood of the Serpent from finding the remaining sections is Indiana-Jones-esque action and adventure at its light-hearted best.

Jane Curtin and Bob Newhart display their usual dry wit, with Newhart's scene with the bad guys near the end of the movie alone worth watching the movie for. Olympia Dukakis plays Flynn's mother, who wishes her boy would just find a good woman and settle down.

This is entertaining fare, a nice mix of action, adventure, brain teases and yes, a bit of romance. It isn't a big-budget Raiders of the Lost Ark production, but for a made-for-TV movie it does a fine job, and holds up on repeat viewing.

So, this movie wasn't Indiana Jones. So what? What is? They did they best they could with a limited budget. So it had factual errors? So did Indiana Jones, so did the Mummy, so did National Treasure and Sahara. Does that make them less enjoyable movies? Not to me. So, give this movie a chance before you bash it.

This movie was superbly cast, given the TV movie budget. Noah Wylie was the geeky and goofy, but kinda cute, intellectual Flynn Carson, who finds himself in his thirties, living with his mother, while having amassed 22 degrees (is that even possible?) and is no longer welcome in school. He's told to get a job (and a life) and is thrust into the real world. His well-meaning mother (Olympia Dukakis) is constantly trying to fix him up, in the mean time. So, here is Flynn, a genius with 22 degrees, and he doesn't have employers beating down his door with jobs? I took a star off for that being really inplausible.

Flynn finds an invitation to interview with the Metropolitan Libary. After waiting a whole day in line, he goes into an interview with cranky Jane Curtain, humorless director of library, although she was actually pretty funny. In a funny sequence, he deducts, with Sherlock Holmes logic, that she's recently divorced and had three different cats. Surprise, he meets a Judson, the senior librarian (Bob Newhart). They take him on a magical tour of the portion of the library that few people know about; it's stocked with antiquities that the rest of the world doesn't (or shouldn't) know about: the REAL Mona Lisa, the Holy Grail, unicorns, the golden goose, the arc of the covenant, pandora's box, among other things. The Librarians are keepers of these great treasures. And it's the Librarian's job to keep them secret from the public.

On Flynn's first official day, they discover that the library was broken into and a band of theives took only one thing: one-third of the Spear of Destiny, the spear that lanced Christ's side. To wield it gives the user great power. Hitler had a third. Napoleon had a third. So basically, humanity is SOL if the evil Serpend Brotherhood gets all three pieces. The only clues as to where the other three pieces are in in the Language of the Birds, which no living human being can translate- (of which, our hero does so in less than 6 hours). Thus, Flynn's on the job training begins.

Flynn finds himself on a flight to the Amazon while he steadily attempts to translate the language of the birds. Judson manages to come on Flynn's personal TV in coach, telling Flynn, "Trust No One." Unbeknownst to Flynn, the Serpent Brotherhood is on the plane, too! The horrors! A beautiful, but arrogant, Amazonian woman sits beside him, and eventually saves his hide (in a fantastic, yet unbelievable sort of way). When they escape to the jungle, she introduces herself as Nicole Noone (here's No One, get it!? Nyuck, Nyuck) and she has no interest in anything but keeping the Librarian alive. Thus, the adventure begins.

There was one romance scene, but really, most of it was just implied, not shown, so this movie is safe for the kiddies over the age of 8. There was great romantic tension between Flynn and Nicole. Wylie really flexed his comic muscle in this film (I never knew he had one). The best part, in my opinion, was when Bob Newhart got into a Ninja fight (you heard right!) with the Serpent Brotherhood (anybody else want a piece of me!?!). I laughed- Semper Fi! Overall this is a good movie if you need something funny and cute with good chemistry in it.

I though that, this movie had the best action scenes with just enough quirky humor in it to keep you laughing. The movie was well done and does have a original ideas to it but throw in some of the old movies with that and it came out great. There are great one-liners in the movie that keep you remembering it time after time.
I would suggest that you get this movie you wont be disappointed if you are looking for a good laugh!

Noah Wylie is a young man with 22 degrees and is being forced into the real world. He then received an invitation to interview at the Metropolitan Library. Hidden in the depths of the library is the true Library. Here as stored all the great knowledge and powerful artifact of the ages. It has been locked away for millennia. Wylie is offered the position of Librarian and he would be in charge of the collection. But no sooner does he start than the Library's defenses are pierced and a piece of the Spear of Destiny has been stolen.

Wylie must go in the field and retrieve the remaining pieces and rescue the stolen one before its power can be used for evil. Lots of action and silliness follow as Wylie tries to fulfill his job and his destiny. Add an excellent supporting cast of Bob Newhart, Jane Curtin and Olympia Dukakis really help keep this show entertaining and fun.

But fun or not, this movie bears resemblance to Armageddon, the fun action picture that didn't make a lick of sense. First we have Wylie have to find the remaining pieces of the spear instead of just rescuing the stolen one. By finding the others, they just become vulnerable. One an international flight the cockpit is open to visitors (there is an air marshal so we know the time frame). A door on the plane is opened at cruising altitude and it doesn't depressurize (in fact passengers are shown to be completely unaware). Cell phones apparently can work deep in the Amazon where there are no cell towers. There is a Mayan pyramid a hundred times larger than anything they build and so tall it would have been seen from anywhere in the amazon. The name of god has been lost for 4,000 years (and not just from the second destruction of the Great Temple in 70 AD). Since the Spear is true, Christianity is true, but the Spear needs a Pagan ritual to put it back together (not bloody likely). And more and more and more. But like Armageddon the details don't matter. Granted it would have been nice if they got some of them right but they didn't care about that. If you like fun action films that have good characters and more than a hint of wit, then this one is for you. If you can't stand plot inaccuracies, then stay away from this one.

In a world dominated by reality this and reality that and watching everyone elses woes, this is one movie that will give you pure fun and escapism...is it reality...not by a long shot but I watch it over and over again because it's just plain pure fun! The prim and proper Jane Curtin and the "Who wants another piece of me" Marine Bob Newhart...and its just plain ol heart warming to see the "good" guy win!!!! 5 stars and two thumbs up all the way

What a funny movie - it takes every cliche from the Indiana Jones movies, plus a few others and packs them into one fast paced movie. Don't watch this expecting to see what real librarians do - I've been one for over 20 years and have yet to have someone try and kill me. Still, it's a lot of fun, lighthearted, and watching for the various "old" movie references can keep you on your toes. Can you say "Lost Horizon"?

I'm not a prude by any means, but in a world where SEX and SEX JOKES seems to be the ONLY creative thing to be seen on TV anymore, it is refreshing to see movies like NATIONAL TREASURE and this made for TV special.... LIBRARIAN-Spear of Destiny.

They are both a bit "cheesey" but are a much needed and refreshing wholesome break from the constant stagnation being seen in Hollywood and on TV today.

This is a "made for the family" type of movie .... sort of like a modernized Indiana Jones or Doc Savage for TV

Ok-- I admit it, I'm biased, I'm a Librarian! Anyway, if you are a fan of Indiana Jones or old-time serials, and you can suspend disbelief, then have some fun and check out (pun intended) this light-hearted film about the ultimate library job.

A fun campy adventure story that doesn't take itself too seriously.
Who'd expect a nerdy, 30 year old professional student to save the world. If you are a fan of Indiana Jones, Relic Hunter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the Mummy. You must see the Librarian. A great cast and a story that doesn't pause for a breath, keeps you laughing out loud and holding onto the edge of your seat.
A definate must see!

It's NOT the next Academy Award winner. It's NOT a deep, sublime movie. It IS a fun movie with a host of well-known actors. The movie is silly, but that's the beauty of it. It never tries to be anything else. It doesn't insult your intelligence by trying to suck you into believing it's a masterpiece. It has fun. The characters have fun. You have fun watching it.

Kids will love it. Adults who aren't looking for an artistic movie will enjoy the escape.