17 Good Action Adventure Movies
These 17 good action adventure movies are just the thing for spicing up an otherwise boring evening. In case you’re wondering how I define an action-adventure movie, it’s one in which the hero or heroine undertakes some manner of journey (usually to an exotic location), and less than a million rounds of ammo are fired off. You may still, however, disagree with some of my selections for this list of good action adventure movies, so be sure to tell me all about it in the comments section.
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Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) – Harrison Ford takes up his whip and dusts off his fedora as the legendary archeologist Indiana Jones. Searching for the Ark of the Covenant, he’ll have to outwit those dastardly Nazis at every turn.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) – Following the less-than-astounding events of The Temple of Doom, Indy returns to once again take on the Nazi menace. This time it’s a race against time for the Holy Grail, and Indy is joined in his adventures by his father, Professor Henry Jones Sr. (Sean Connery).
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) – The dastardly Mondego (Guy Pearce) frames his pal, Edmond Dantes (James Caviezel), so that he can move in on his woman. While Dantes rots in a remote prison, he plots his revenge. An encounter with another inmate gives him a means of escape and the wealth to get back at his treacherous buddy. Guy Pearce is great as the lethal and cold-hearted Mondego.
Time Bandits (1981) – An 11-year-old boy falls in with a group of thieving dwarves and embarks on an adventure across time and space. Directed by Terry Gilliam, the film features Sean Connery, John Cleese, Ian Holm, Michael Palin, David Warner, Shelley Duvall, and many more.
Romancing the Stone (1984) – A mild-mannered romance novelist (Kathleen Turner) receives a package in the mail and gets caught up in an adventure in Colombia involving her kidnapped sister. Luckily, she meets a handsome rogue named Jack T. Colton (Michael Douglas), who promises to help her in exchange for $375. Great chemistry between Turner and Douglas.
Gladiator (2000) – Russell Crowe stars as Maximus Decimus Meridius, a general for the Roman Legions and good friend of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. When the emperor is murdered by his power-mad son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), it’s not long before an attempt is made on the life of Maximus. He survives but winds up in slavery as a gladiator. From there, he returns to Rome and begins plotting his revenge. Epic combat between small groups of men.
The Princess Bride (1987) – A delightful fairytale about the beautiful young Buttercup (Robin Wright) and her love of the loyal Wesley (Cary Elwes). When Wesley is believed dead, she agrees to marry Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon), but he’s nowhere near as nice as he acts. Also, Wesley is more alive than he appears, and he eventually enlists the aid of a giant (Andre the Giant) and revenge-minded Spaniard to rescue Buttercup from a fate worse than death.
The Goonies (1985) – When a group of spirited kids learn that their neighborhood is scheduled to be demolished, they go looking for a mythical pirate’s treasure in order to save it. But first they’ll have to outwit a family of Italian criminals and sidestep the lethal traps left by One-Eyed Willy. Filled with future stars, including Sean Astin, Josh Brolin and Corey Feldman.
Armour of God (1987) – An adventurer known as Asian Hawk (Jackie Chan) must try to re-unite the five pieces of the mythical Armour of God before evil cultists kill the woman he loves. Combining elements of Indiana Jones with kung-fu, this film features a finale where Asian Hawk takes on four female villains all at once (nobody is standing around waiting for their turn). Chan almost died during the filming of this good action adventure film.
Tarzan and His Mate (1934) – The second Tarzan film to star Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O’Sullivan. The villains in this one are greedy white men who want to steal ivory from an elephant burial ground.
Conan the Barbarian (1982) – Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the famous sword-wielding barbarian in this breakout role. He’s pitted against an evil James Earl Jones, and brutal swordfights abound.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) – It’s got Johnny Depp and a rascally monkey, so that pretty much covers all the bases. In case you’re still not satisfied, try these on for size: phantom ships, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, and enough swashbuckling action to choke a horse.
Last of the Mohicans (1992) – Based on the classic novel by James Fenimore Cooper, Last of the Mohicans features the exploits of Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis), a white man raised by Indians. Set during the French and Indian War, Hawkeye must save the beautiful Cora Munro (Madeleine Stowe) from the clutches of a vengeful Huron Indian named Magua (Wes Studi).
The Jewel of the Nile (1985) – The sequel to Romancing the Stone, this film finds Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner) struggling to complete her latest romance novel while living with Jack T. Colton (Michael Douglas). When she ends up abducted by an Arab ruler, Jack must once again spring into action to save her. Danny DeVito’s role is much larger this time around (even though he remains tiny).
Star Wars (1977) – The beginning of the most well-known franchise on the planet. Follow the adventures of young Luke Skywalker as he learns the ways of the Force, unknowingly flirts with his sister, and generally plays second-fiddle to the charismatic Han Solo (Harrison Ford).
Anthony Adverse (1936) – Fredric March stars in this classic film about an illegitimate young man who must travel about the globe in an effort to retrieve his inheritance. From Cuba to Africa to Italy, this is a true globetrotting adventure.
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) – Regarded as the greatest swashbuckling film ever made, Errol Flynn takes on the role of Robin Hood to combat the wicked Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Basil Rathbone). Their final swordfight has yet to be surpassed, even in this age of wire-fights and CGI technology.
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If you’re a fan of good action adventure movies, you might also find the following of interest:
- 12 New Action Movies to See in 2010
- 10 Good Robin Hood Movies
- Good Action Movies 1989
- Top 15 Action Movies of All Time
- 10 More Great Action Movies
- 12 Good Action Chinese Action Movies
This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 at 5:25 pm and is filed under Good Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
23 Responses to “17 Good Action Adventure Movies”
Very bad taste in movies.
Thanks for chiming in. Can’t wait to see your list of movies. I’m prepared to be amazed.
hey not veery gd choices u gave us
~Avril Lavigne
It’s at least as good as the music you’ve given us, Avril.
avril you suck horses @$$… and so does this selection of movies common seriously
hey you guys, just cause this guy was born about 100 years ago doesnt mean you have to make fun of him. hes probably dead anyway and had his son put this up (as it was in his will that his son finally got to after about 10 years).
For those who’ve got nothing to add beyond “this list sucks,” why not offer some suggestions of your own? I’d love to see all these new-fangled action-adventure movies that everyone seems so crazy about.
well, I like your list
I like this movie list. Its just personal preference people. Get over it. If you don’t like it then go somewhere else.
I like the list.
“These 17 good action adventure movies are just the thing for spicing up an otherwise boring evening.” – no more, no less.
A lot of classics in the given area, aren’t they? Just saw Willow – which I think you maybe could add to the list. I get a lot of feeling that Peter Jackson might’ve gotten some inspiration from it when making LoTR. Even though the movie clearly has some inspiration from the books. (note to everybody who hasn’t read the books – the movies quite part with them in how everything is put onto the screen)
cheers
Can’t argue with anyone who puts Raiders at the top. You do have me intrigued by Anthony Adverse, which I’ve never heard of. I’ll have to check it out for my own list, which I just started.
Of all of the best/good movie lists I have seen your’s is the first one to include “Tarzan and His Mate,” and for that I commend. When I was home sick from school I would watch classic movies on AMC and since then this movie has been one of my favorites. I’m glad to see someone else also liked it as much as I.
It’s js ….. UK movies are not my type.
nice choices, some of them are a little old for me but hey, we all have different tastes.
Bla, bla, bla.
Look at you people complaining.
You have no ideas of what to watch so you come here and complain. If you have an opinion on what a good movie is.. go and watch that instead of whining under the glow of your monitor.
It’s been a pleasure illustrating your pretentious grotesqueries.
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Plaguetongue
I like your discription how you define an adventure movie, I have the exact same point of view. And yeah it can really spice up an evening. Good selection, and thanks 😀