Customer Reviews

The Librarian - Return to King Solomon's Mines

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

THE LIBRARIAN 2: RETURN TO KING SOLOMON'S MINES is the sequel to THE LIBRARIAN: QUEST FOR THE SPEAR (2004) and again features Noah Wyle as Flynn Carsen, the titular Librarian who, on the surface, toils in the New York Metropolitan Public Library but whose true purpose is to safeguard the ancient, historical (and often mystical) artifacts stored in a hidden section of the library - fabled artifacts such as the Holy Grail, the sword Excalibur, Pandora's Box, Tesla's Death Ray, Adam & Eve's apple, etc. As a side job, Flynn also gets to unlock the world's greatest mysteries. As he says in the movie, "You'd be surprised at what you can learn at the library."

TNT debuted THE LIBRARIAN 2: RETURN TO KING SOLOMON'S MINES on Sunday, December 3, 2006 and, yes, I tuned in with my large order of pizza and Pepsi. The breezy movie tagline for this one is "New Continent. New Adventure. Still No Clue." which is a strong hint to the viewer that it's time yet again to indulge in esoteric, anthropological silliness. When Flynn Carsen first got the Librarian position, he was nerdy, clumsy, inept at physical activities, and not good with women. Now, after over a year of settling in...well, he's still all of those. But, hey, at least he still lives with his mother (who just tried to set him up with a third cousin).

Here come the plot and the SPOILERS: the movie opens with an enigmatic scroll being mailed to Flynn, which sends him once more furiously scampering around the globe on a desperate quest, but not before Charlene, the librarian director, advises him: "Be safe. Don't get killed. Save your receipts." This time, Flynn must try to piece together clues to the location of the legendary King Solomon's Mines. Of course, it can't be as easy as it sounds. Our maladroit librarian must contend with a secret mason society, hungry hippos, a beautiful, competitive archaeologist, family secrets, and a corrupt warlord who really, really wants the treasures of King Solomon. Not to mention, he faces the possibility of having to consume termites. Working in a library has never been more perilous.

Noah Wyle remains endearing in his nebbish but, nevertheless, heroic lead role, while the straight-faced Bob Newhart (Judson), Jane Curtin (Charlene), and Olympia Dukakis (Margie Carsen, Flynn's mom) adequately reprise their supporting roles. I do miss Sonya Walger, who played the sexy and uber-capable Nicole Noone, but lovely Gabrielle Anwar, here sporting a faux Brit accent and, in one sequence, a drool-enducing red outfit, ably steps in as brilliant archaeologist Emily Davenport, whose vaunted academic skills may surpass even that of Flynn's (she has one more PhD than Flynn, which incenses Flynn). Now, can a dorky bookworm find love with an upper class, brainy beauty who's so way above his league? With Wyle's excellent, humorously combative rapport with Anwar, he's got a chance.

Jonathan Frakes directs this one with a decidedly tongue-in-cheek aplomb. In channeling the Indiana Jones and the Mummy features, Frakes and the producers make no bones about their intention to craft a homage and transport the viewer to a simpler era when the cliffhanger adventure films of the '30s and '40s ran amok in cinema. True, like in the first movie, THE LIBRARIAN 2 does adopt a certain B-movie sensibility, with its requisite campiness. Frakes knows we're not about to take this series too seriously; yet he manages to infuse enough humor, character development, storyline, high adventure, and fun facts within the film that I found myself being charmed and hugely diverted. Granted, the special effects range from decent to dubious and won't even impress a 5 year old, but the acting performances, the fantastical premise, the old-school, globe-trotting derring-do, and the exotic locales will spark the viewer's imagination and sense of adventure. It's good, hokey fun, worth 3 and half stars. Can't wait for the third film.

There are other reviews that are more indepth and serious.

This is an absolutely fun movie and we are hoping they come out with another one just like it. Noah Wiley does a great job playing a librarian who is slightly put off kilter because he is thrust into dangerous, scary and different situations.

The characters are as believable as they can be given the situation they are placed in (working in a library that collects historical artifacts that may or may not exist).

My children particularly liked the end where the directors and artists discussed how they did their work.

This is a fun fun movie. Well worth the money. Enjoy.

loved this one, loved the first one. great for just relaxing and enjoying a fun movie. hope there is more by noah wylie like this.

This is a 'made for TV movie' and one should know this going in. As the second installment of the "Librarian Series", it does stand alone. (A few things make more sense if one has seen the first [Quest for the Spear].) It is not 'Indiana Jones' or 'National Treasure' - so don't expect it to be. The special and graphic effects are pretty good based on the afformentioned 'Made for TV' aspect and therefore less blockbuster budget. The story moves quickly and keeps one entertained. It is a good movie to share with the pre-teen & teen kids as a happy medium. (Maybe a little scary for some younger viewers.) It does have salient discussion points (the value of reading and an education) to share with those same kids.
It is just an entertaining ride - it is almost a guilty pleasure to admit I enjoyed watching it - but hey, it was fun.

Noah Wylie returns in RETURN TO KING SOLOMON'S MINES as the bookish librarian Flynn Carsen. Check your tongue firmly in cheek for this stroll through derring-do. There are laughs a-plenty and more trivia about nearly anything than you can shake a stick at.

While the TV-movie-gone-DVD is highly watchable, the story isn't going to take a single twist or turn that the avid movie watcher won't pick up from a mile away. From the pictures Flynn used to draw about his dad's story of adventure and magic, to the real culprit who killed Flynn's father, the movie enthusiast isn't going to be surprised.

But that's most of the fun in the movie. You know what you want when you sit down and plop this DVD into the player. RETURN TO KING SOLOMON'S MINES pays off in a diverting 90 minutes of good clean fun and black-hearted villains with nothing less than the future of the world at stake.

Jane Curtain and Bob Newhart reprise roles that are campy and fun, and don't stay onstage very long, but they're welcome. The rest all rides squarely on Noah Wylie's shoulders.

The beginning of the movie this time smacks of an Indiana Jones-style beginning, and the plot touches on the parent-child pain of the first Tomb Raider movie, and it even has stylings toward the H. Rider Haggard ALLAN CHAMBERLAIN AND KING SOLOMON'S MINES movies starring Richard Chamberlain and Patrick Swayze, as well as the black and white ones. But it's an endearing adventure nonetheless.

Buy it or rent it for the family and enjoy popcorn action and booing the villains.

This second in the series obviously isn't as surprising or original as the first but it still manages to capture a cartoonish sense of fun along with charismatic characters that allow you to identify and get into the story. Great acting turns by veterans Bob Newhart and Jane Curtain in supporting roles. This movie is a rather unusual and enticing blend of sword and sorcery and academic geekiness. Wyle manages to both become this character and keep a straight face, a noteable achievement. One note on the female love interest, why oh why haven't we seen more of Anwar in recent movies?? Examine this movie at the probable peril of your own enjoyment but grab the popcorn and forget the world exists for an hour and you could love this second romp through a world that sometimes seems to exist just behind the real one.

I must admit to some trepidation as I started watching this movie. Egged on by my kids I got the dvd ahead of release date on Tuesday.

Not normally my cup of tea I was quite aghast at the start of the film with the clear resemblance to an Indiana Jones movie with more humour. Gradually I relaxed as it proceeded apace with the chase scenes to the library of the missing artifacts to the surprise birthday party then up, up and away across the seas to Africa.

This is a movie that you cannot read too much into. It has pretensions of the Indianas and the Mummy's but in many ways is a lot like Zorro. Similarities abound with other movies too, Sahara coming to mind quite quickly. That is not to say that it is purely derivative. If anything I found it to be a throwback to a more distant era like the fifties and sixties.

Essentially, it is a bit of fun for kids with a large panoramic and technicolour backdrop, easily characterised heroes, heroines and villains. The story depicts a fight between good and evil and the plot has enough twists and turns to keep people interested. Clearly it has a message of simplicity in our ever complicated world where you, the viewer, know where you stand, what is right and what is wrong.

When I was a child, in Sunderland on the coast of the North East of England, you could go to matinees performances on Saturday mornings for a few pence and see serialised films with the good guys fighting the bad guys. You went away with a good feeling having cheered on your side, and you were not fazed by questions about the darker side of life.

To me that is the purpose of this type of film. To give children a simple view of the world, it may not be accurate but then do we want our children to grow up with neuroses about who they are and the sort of society we live in?

In short, this is a well shot, clearly direct piece of tosh which should be fun for the family and not something that we can seek to analyse and deconstruct. Good to watch with your kids on a Saturday afternoon. The grown ups can watch their movies later. I would give it 5 stars if the point of this review was to encourage good fun filled movies for our families. As a movie however, with the full range of areas to consider like plot and acting and minor things like that I can only award 3.

My kids however, enjoyed it immensely, but asked if I knew when the next Harry Potter is being released!

The second in the Librarian series returns with Bob Newheart and Jane Curtain supporting Noah Wyle. These movies may be a poor-man's version of Indiana Jones, but they used every penny with care, especially in the computer generated special effects. Lots of historical and mythical references make it good family fare that might even teach the kids something. Just sit back and have fun.

The Librarian movies are great adventure movies for those of us who like adventure, violence, and mystery without the pesky realism that some producers like to give us.

I would like a little more history, archaeology, mythology, and provenance of finds included. I would like to have found out more about real archaeological finds about Sheba. I have always thought King Solomon's mines were completely mythological -- is there any evidence that they really exist? The movie had a little bit about these subjects, but I want more AND I want another Librarian movie!

You almost have to watch it twice to catch all of the films that are parodied in this one movie. "Librarian" is much less scary than the "Raiders" series for younger kids to watch and older 'kids' of all ages will find the film entertaining.

Some movie-buff friends suggested a fun game to play while watching parodies with friends. Everyone gets a piece of paper and a pen and writes down just how many elements from different films they've seen. The one with the most answers gets a prize of some sort. "Librarian" would suit this game amazingly well.