The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be the ultimate bummer, with social distancing and quarantine robbing us of everything from theaters, to festivals, to bars and beyond. More than anything, being stuck inside the same four walls has taken away our ability to just go out and freakingexplore, to go on our own little adventures, whether that means actually traveling the world or just taking a stroll down to the local dog park.
But man, at least we still have movies. And there’s no better balm for the cooped-up soul than a good old-fashioned adventure movie. Here, we’ve collected the 20 best movies to watch while wearing your most mud-stained khaki shirt and traversing a worn rope bridge across a ravine. Every film on this list is either globe-trotting, swashbuckling, treasure-hunting, vine-swinging or a healthy combination of all of the above. Most importantly, they’ll all sweep you right off your quarantine couch for a few hours, guaranteed.
(Once you race through all 20, verify to knock off a few of the17 best TV shows to finally watch while social distancing.)
Indiana Jones
I mean, duh, right? There is just no better set of adventures thanSteven Spielberg’sIndiana Jonesmovies -Raiders of the Lost Ark,Temple of Doom,The Last Crusade, and yes, evenKingdom of the Crystal Skull. (There are gems in that mess.Cate Blanchetthas a sword. You simply cannot complain about that.) Across all four films starringHarrison Fordas the whip-dash archeologist with a danger streak, you check off every box you could possibly want in the adventure column. Dashing heroes and fiery heroines punching Nazis, swinging over spike pits, collecting lost treasures, and trotting all over the globe. But the Indiana Jones movies are also so influenced by the serials that came before it and so influential on everything that cameafterit that the most recognizable franchise on this list also acts as a gateway for newcomers to an entire genre.
All fourIndiana Jonesmovies are available to streamon Netflix.
Romancing the Stone
Released the same year asTemple of Doom, directorRobert Zemeckis’Romancing the Stoneis easy to write off as an Indy wannabe. (Both movies feature a rickety rope bridge, but honestly what adventure worth its saltdoesn’tfeature a rickety rope bridge?) But that would be ignoring the endlessly charming work put in by this cast as they traverse the jungles of Colombia.Kathleen Turnerstars as Joan Wilder, a New York romance novelist who gets swept up in a deadly treasure hunt alongsideMichael Douglas' prickly mercenary Jack Colton. Romanticandrousing, Romancing the Stone also features an absolutely MVP performance from Danny DeVito as a luckless antiquities smuggler named Ralph.
Romancing the Stone(and it’s pretty good sequel,Jewel of the Nile) is available to streamon Hulu.
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Three Oscar wins,John Hustonin the director’s chair, andHumphrey Bogartleading the cast as drifter Fred Dobbs?The Treasure of the Sierra Madreis the definition of a classic, a bonafide Western epic that’s also landed on the “favorite films” lists of everyone fromStanley KubricktoSam RaimitoPaul Thomas Anderson. The movie is good, is what I’m saying. Bogart stars alongside Tim Holt as a pair of vagabonds who team up with an old prospector (Walter Huston, John’s own father) to try and find gold in Mexico. The treasure hunt becomes a race to see what will tear apart the group first — the bandits on the outside, or the greed on the inside. Fair warning: This bad boy getsbleak, so it’s not the best adventure option if the cabin fever is hitting critical stages. (It’ll have you wondering if your roommate reallyishoarding the ramen.)But it is a nearly perfect film that’s as Shakespearean as it is thrilling, and a must-watch for any cinephile stuck inside or not.
The Treasure of the Sierra Madreis available to renton Amazon.
The Mask of Zorro
Apologies to all the kiddos reading this list, but The Mask of Zorro invented the concept of a movie that fucks. Director Martin Campbell’s film sizzles from frame one. Yes, that includesAnthony Hopkins. I won’t apologize for that. Carrying on the story of the iconic vigilante character created byJohnston McCulley,MaskseesAntonio Banderasplay a drunken thief who finds himself studying under the original Zorro, Don Diego de la Vega (Hopkins). The two generations of Zorros hatch a revenge plot against the governor Rafael Montero (Stuart Wilson), who long ago murdered Don Diego’s wife and raised his daughter, Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Not many modern movies swashbuckle as hard as this movie swashbuckles, and the result is something hotter than the California sun.
The Mask of Zorrois available to streamon Netflix.
The Hidden Fortress
Arguably the most fun of the 30 films by Japenese masterAkira Kurosawa,The Hidden Fortressis just about as perfect a swashbuckling adventure as you’d expect from one of the best filmmakers of all time. The film follows two misfit peasants, Matashichi (Kamatari Fujiwara) and Tahei (Minoru Chiaki), who agree to accompany a man, Rokurota (ToshirôMifune), and a woman, Yuki (Misa Uehara) across war-torn territory, unaware that their new companions are a general and a princess. If you remain unconvinced, know that it’s pretty agreed-upon thatThe Hidden Fortresswas a direct influence onStar Wars,and that the film features Mifune—Kurosawa’s muse and of the most charismatic mother effers to ever live—doing Han Solo way before Han Solo was a thing.
The Hidden Fortressis available to streamon The Criterion Channel.
The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of TintinisSteven Spielberg’s most spirited piece of pure popcorn entertainment that doesn’t star Indian Jones. Based on the iconic comics created by Belgian artistHergéand rocking a script co-written by the lively trio of Edgar Wright, Steven Moffat, and Joe Cornish, the 3-D computer-animated film starsJamie Bellas the titular red-headed journalist who gets swept into a globe-trotting treasure hunt. Aided by a drunken ship captain (Andy Serkis) and avoiding a nefarious pirate’s descendant (Daniel Craig) at every turn, Tintin and his trusty dog Snowy go on the adventure of a lifetime to find the lost treasure of a ship called the Unicorn. I’ll admit to being turned away from this movie for the longest time because of the 3-D animation bit, not knowing that the tech just allowed Spielberg’s knack for big-screen spectacle to balloon to its most joyously cartoonish degree.The Adventures of Tintinis straight-up thrilling, stocked with some of the best set pieces of Spielberg’s filmography.
The Adventures of Tintin is available to streamon Netflixoron Amazon.
The Mummy (1999)
In 1999, Universal excavated its catalog, dug upThe Mummy, and injected a heaping dose of beefy adventure into the title to create a movie that’s already a stone-cold classic of the genre after just over 20 years. In terms of sheer temperature, it’s almost impossible to beat the pairing ofBrendan FrasierandRachel Weiszas adventurer Rick O’Connell and librarian Evelyn Carnahan, who tangle with the undead after accidentally awakening cursed High Priest Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) from his centuries-long slumber.The Mummyis an absolute blast-and-a-half with the heart of a creature feature,easilyone of the most rewatchable movies of all time. In an ideal world, Universal is still debuting a new Rick & Evelyn O’Connell adventure every other summer.
The Mummyis available to renton Amazon.
The Rocketeer
Hollywood would be a better place if it still made quirky, charm-filled adventures likeThe Rocketeer. Based on the comic character created byDave Stevens,Joe Johnston’s jet-fueled romp is basically what would happen if you turned an Indiana Jones-type into anactualsuperhero. Stunt pilot Cliff Secord (Cliff Secord) stumbles upon a prototype rocket-pack designed by Howard Hughes (Terry O’Quinn) and finds himself the target of both the FBI and the Nazis. An Amblin-esque delight that isn’t afraid to revel in its own cartoonishness,The Rocketeeralso doubles as proof that every movie would be improved with former BondTimothy Daltonplaying a flamboyant villain.
The Rocketeer is available to streamon Disney+.
The Rundown
Before he became both literally and figuratively the biggest star in Hollywood, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made one of his earliest leaps from the wrestling ring to the big screen inThe Rundown.Is it his “best” movie? Your mileage may vary. Is it an unabashedly entertaining trip through the Brazilian rainforest with a wise-crackingSeann William Scottin tow? Absolutely.Rosario Dawsonplays a badass rebel leader.Christopher Walkendelivers peak Christopher Walken as the corrupt owner of mining operation. Dwayne Johnson delivers a Rock Bottom to a thug. It’s awesome. The Rundown rules, and it also pretty much set the standard for every khaki-shirt role Johnson would play between 2015 and right now.
The Rundownis available to stream on MAX Go orAmazon with an HBO/Cinemax Now sub.
The Librarian: Quest for the Spear
This one is for anyone who doesn’t mind their adventures made with a healthy portion of cheese.The Librarian: Quest for the Spearis technically a made-for-TV movie so expect all the quirks that come with that title. But man, there’s just something so freaking charming about this overt Indy-homage starringNoah Wyleas Flynn Carsen, a 30-something college student who is offered the title of “Librarian”, an ancient position dedicated to protecting a vast collection of mystical items. When a cult led by a former Librarian (Kyle MacLachlan) steals one of the three “Spears of Destiny”, Flynn’s journey to retrieve the artifact takes him from the Amazon rainforest to the lost city of Shangri-la. Just a rollicking good time that also spawned two sequels and a TV series.
The Librarian: Quest for the Spearis available to streamon Vudu.
