I would like to admit that watching movies based on treasure hunting have always been exciting for me. Because of these treasure hunting movies, I have developed this fantasy of going on an adventure ride to unknown destinations following the trails of a hidden treasure from the history.
You can say that one way or the other, these treasure hunt movies have triggered the adventurous side in me and developed a sense of curiosity to travel the end of the world primarily to discover the unsolved mysteries around the globe.
Well, I don’t think it’s just me, who is enticed by these adventurous treasure hunt movies. I am pretty much sure that most of us have desired once in our lives to discover an ancient map with clues that could take us to a hidden treasure.
When I say hidden treasure, it doesn’t mean gold and jewels all the time. The hidden treasure is much more than that. It’s like unraveling a chapter in history and discovering the truth that has been never told.
The hidden treasure here applies to the knowledge and experience while on the rampage to follow the trails of an ancient map or different stories leading to an unsolved mystery.
Today, I am going to take you to a virtual adventure ride by sharing an amazing list of treasure hunt movies which help me rejuvenate my desires to travel the world in order to experience the mystified truth behind the hidden treasure around the world.
These Tresure Hunting Movies are also available in Hindi and other Indian languages like Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Bengali.
Also Read: Best Movies about Travel and for Travelers
Best Treasure Hunt Movies of All Time
Here is the list of my favorite Treasure Hunting movies that takes me to a fantasy world of mysteries and adventures:
Indiana Jones Series
Well, talking about adventures and treasure hunting escapades, Indian Jones is the first character that comes to my mind.
The film series featuring Indian Jones is basically about an Archeology Professor named Indiana Jones, who is adventurous and passionate about unraveling the hidden mysteries buried in the history books.
The Indiana Jones film series made its debut in 1981 with Raiders of the Lost Ark and till date, the franchise has produced four movies. All the films in the franchise are directed by the legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg and there’s an untitled fifth film in the pipeline.
The last film of the series was Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull released in 2008.
The Mummy Trilogy
Unlike the Indiana Jones franchise, The Mummy franchise is a Horror-Adventure Series featuring Rick O’Connell, an American Explorer, Evelyn Carnahan, a beautiful librarian and her brother Jonathan, who are unraveling the mysteries of Egyptian history.
Although the main aim of this exploration was to locate the hidden treasure, they accidentally revive the mummified corpse of a vengeful Egyptian priest and a series of adventures begin from thereon.
The film series comprises of three films; The Mummy in 1999, The Mummy Returns 2001, and The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor in 2008. While the first two films deal with the same Mummy, the third film has a completely new storyline and a new Mummy of the Chinese decent portrayed by Jet Li.
Pirates of the Caribbean Series
Well, not completely a treasure hunt film series, Pirates of the Caribbean has all the elements that qualify to be on our list of treasure hunt movies.
All the four movies on the list, followed an adventurous sea journey led by Captain Jack Sparrow, whether it was the quest to discovering the cursed Aztec Gold in The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), the hunt to take control of the Davy Jones heart in Dead Man’s Chest (2006), the rescue mission to free Jack in At World’s End (2007) or finally following the trails to discover the Fountain of Youth in On Strange Tides (2011).
Apart from the antics of Captain Jack Sparrow, the film series is quite popular among the mass for its sea adventures, especially the mysterious treasure hunting escapades.
Three Kings
Three Kings is not exactly a treasure hunt movie altogether. It’s, in fact, a black comedy war film that centers around three US soldiers during the Gulf War.
Well, the reason for the inclusion of this film on the list is because there’s a quest for finding the stolen Gold bars from Kuwait.
The team led by Archie Gates, played by George Clooney, finds a map that leads them to bunkers near Karbala, where these Gold bars are hidden and the team decides to trace and steal it. Now, you must be convinced why the film makes it to our list.
National Treasure Series
Based on the similar lines of Indian Jones but only with less violence, National Treasure film series comprises of two films till date.
The series is centered around Benjamin Franklin Gates, an American historian, amateur cryptologist and the last descendant of a long line of treasure hunters. Unlike Indian Jones, where the main plot is a single artifact, National Treasure is about unwinding the historical facts, reaching the final clue to solve the mystery and retrieving the artifact.
Both the films in the series starred Nicolas Cage in the lead role of Benjamin Franklin Gates and there are talks about a third film in the franchise. However, the fans or enthusiasts can also explore the spin-off book series developed by Disney itself featuring the ancestors of the Gates family.
The Count of Monte Cristo
Based on the novel of the same name, The Count of Monte Cristo is a film about betrayal, love and patriotism.
The film’s central plot is based around the hidden treasure of Monte Cristo and how each and every character in the movie is after that treasure.
The film stars Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, and Richard Harris in important roles. The film is a must watch for the quest leading to finding the hidden treasure of Monte Cristo.
The Librarian Series
Well, none of the films from The Librarian franchise were released theatrically. However, this film franchise earns a spot on the list for its theme and similarity to the popular treasure hunting movie franchise such as Indiana Jones and National Treasure.
The film series revolves around the central character of Flynn Carsen, a librarian by profession, who is appointed by the Metropolitan Public Library. Well, eventually he discovers the truth behind the history of the Library and how it holds and protects a range of historical and magical artifacts over different centuries.
All the three films in the series were produced for Television, which eventually led to a Television series titled The Librarians that premiered in 2014 and is currently renewed for a third season.
Tomb Raider Series
Most of the films on this list are dominated by the men, but now it’s time for a woman to lead the pack.
Who better than Angelina Jolie featuring as Lara Croft, a character from a leading gaming franchise, Tomb Raider. Well, both the films; Tomb Raider and The Cradle of Life where the big screen adaptations of the gaming franchise Tomb Raider.
Even though, both the films failed to please the critics, these films, thanks to the popularity of both Lara Croft and Angelina Jolie, have earned a cult following and is among the list of best treasure hunting movies.
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter is an interesting movie as it revolves around the fantasy of a 29-year old Office lady named Kumiko, who firmly believes that there’s a treasure hidden at the location shown at the end of the film Fargo.
Surprisingly, she found the VHS copy of the film Fargo in a secluded cave on the shore and the fascination for the film made her truly believe in the film’s ending, where a character played by Steve Buscemi buries a satchel of the ransom money on a snowy highway.
Believing it as a true story and frustrated at her current life, Kumiko decides to discover the hidden money by taking hints from the movie and finding the exact location where it is buried.
Black Sea
Black Sea is the film about a divorced veteran captain of undersea salvage, who sets off on yet another journey under the sea to find a hidden treasure that was drowned during World War II.
However, facing conflicts between his crew comprising of Englishmen and Russian, he finds the voyage hard to accomplish. After so much struggle, conflicts, and betrayal, he is able to discover the gold with the help of some of his loyal crew members but eventually sacrifices his life to save his crew at the end.
The Da Vinci Code
Adapted from Dan Brown’s novel of the same title, The Da Vinci Code is a Mystery Thriller Film that follows the life of Robert Langdon, a professor at Harward University with expertise in religious iconography and symbology, when he becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a Louvre curator Jacques Sauniere.
When the police find a cipher on the victim’s body, Robert uses his knowledge and then begins a mysterious quest for the legendary Holy Grail.
The film deserves special mention on the list because it’s, in fact, the most mysterious movies ever made in this genre and most importantly introduces the secret society to the world that includes legends like Da Vinci, Victori Hugo, Botticelli and so on, thereby attracting a lot of criticism and controversies around both the book and the movie.
Cutthroat Island
Although a box office bomb, the film is included on the list just because of its genre as there are only a few movies in the industry that offers you the right blend and experience of treasure hunting.
The film is a treasure hidden in Cutthroat Island while the map of the island and the treasure is divided into four different parts among four brothers. When one of the brothers gets selfish and kills one of the brothers while kidnapping the other to obtain their maps.
However, the daughter of the kidnapped one disrupts his plans and she has successfully helped his father escape. Fulfilling the dying wish of her father, she then begins the quest to find the treasure herself before her evil uncle does.
The Treasure of Sierra Madre
A classic from 1948, The Treasure of Sierra Madre is an adventure film that tells us the story that involves a journey of two young Americans accompanied by an old prospector Howard on a quest to the remote Sierra Madre Mountains to discover gold.
The film is about how greed can take over and ruin the chances of something that one is too close to accomplishing. Being a classic, it’s a must-watch for anyone who likes the genre of adventure films and treasure-hunting escapades.
Also Read: Best Movies about the American Civil War
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Well, the complete Hobbit series can qualify as adventure films. However, only the second installment in the series deserves to be on the list not because other two films lacked quality but they did lack the main ingredient, which is treasure hunting.
After the events of the first Hobbit movie, Thorin and his company along with Bilbo follow their journey to the Lonely Mountain in order to retrieve Arkenstone, which is ruined and under the possession of Smaug, the dragon living in the castle ruins of the Lonely Mountain.
The film is both adventurous and action-packed as it involves the fights against the Orcs, the dragon, and the Wood-elves as well as the quest leading to lots and lots of hidden gold treasure inside the castle.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is a movie that made Clint Eastwood famous for his iconic Westerner avatar as Blondie or more popularly known as A Man With No Name.
The movie is a typical westerner film directed by the legendary Sergio Leone, involving a bandit, a mercenary, a wanted fugitive, and a bounty hunter with no name. Their lives intertwined with each other in a quest to retrieve the stolen cache of Confederate gold hidden in a cemetery under one of the graves.
From there, begins the enticing adventure of gunfights, betrayal and the quest for the treasure. However, the main highlight of the movie is the fan favorite Westerner lifestyle. “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” is one of the Best Cowboy Movies of all the Time.
Over to you!
Well, there are hardly such Movies based on Treasure Hunt made nowadays, however, the genre has not died yet.
This is undoubtedly one of those genres, which makes the viewers or fans to fantasize about a life involving treasure hunts, adventures and unraveling mysteries and clues along the way.
If you think we missed a movie on the list, then feel free to let us know in the comments section below. Also, don’t forget to share this article with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media channels.
