In the seemingly endless stream of action/adventure movies today, there exists an oddly specific and formulaic subgenre: the archaeological/treasure hunt movie. Despite the nearly set-in-stone formula that movies of this subgenre follow, most of them are fun to watch if not downright great films. Some of these stories probably get overlooked as easy Hollywood cash grabs, but there’s a surprising amount of compelling material packed into them.
The Hero:
The hero of these stories is usually extremely knowledgeable on the topic of history and anything else that can help move the story forward. He is rugged, yet suave. He’s just as experienced at providing expositional dialogue as he is at evading and fighting his adversaries. He is endlessly cool and capable, yet still accessible as a fallible human being. No one does this better than Indiana Jones. Indy fits all these qualities perfectly. In fact, the Indiana Jones franchise sets the standard for the few other movies that fit this category. Think Nicolas Cage’s Ben Gates from National Treasure and Matthew McConaughey’s Dirk Pitt from Sahara (a painfully underrated movie). Stepping away from movies for a moment, Nathan Drake from the Uncharted franchise fits this bill to a tee as well. However, that’s not where the similarities end.
The Plucky Sidekick:
No real hero would be complete without their personal sidekick, right? The sidekick provides comedic relief and often a voice of reason that usually gets ignored by the headstrong main character. The sidekick is grounded, sarcastic and usually just as capable but endlessly goofier than the hero. This is Justin Bartha’s character in National Treasure and Steve Zahn’s in Sahara. Also, who could forget Short Round from Temple of Doom?
The Leading Lady:
The leading lady is sometimes gutsy and knowledgeable, but unfortunately usually just present to be the hero’s love interest. There’s a new leading lady for each installment of the Indiana Jones franchise. There’s Diane Kruger’s character from the National Treasure movies, Penelope Cruz’s character from Sahara and Uncharted has Elena Fisher.
The Old Guy:
It doesn’t immediately make much sense for someone like this to be tagging along on these high stakes adventures, but nevertheless he does. The only discernible role he plays is a father-figure to the hero. This is Sean Connery’s Henry Jones Sr., John Voight’s father character in National Treasure and Sully from Uncharted.
The Villain:
Any good hero deserves a villain. This is the hero’s opposite; his foil. The villain may share a knowledge of history, but he’s driven by his greed or desire for fame. This is Raider’s of the Lost Ark’s Belloq and Sean Bean’s character from National Treasure.
The McGuffin:
The McGuffin is the sought-after artifact that’s central to the plot. It’s the object of desire for both the protagonist and antagonist, usually holding some sort of religious or historical significance. What good would a treasure hunt movie be without a treasure? It’s the Lost Ark, the Sankara Stones and the Holy Grail. It’s lost Civil War gold, and it’s the Declaration of Independence.
These elements are pretty standard for most films. It just makes sense to include them all for an interesting story. What’s strange is the similar way in which each of these elements is used in these stories. What’s even more strange is how enjoyable I find these movies. It’s a basic formula that seems to work with fans, but that hasn’t been extremely capitalized on by Hollywood. All that’s been changed are the specific names and faces throughout these movies (and video game), and yet I’m totally invested each time. Maybe I’m just a sucker for a good treasure hunt.