Stories of Treasure Hunting seem to stick in our heads and Movies with Treasure Hunting plots are rarely forgotten.
Updated for 2024
Netflixmay no longer have Hugo, Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider or the Mummy available for your viewing pleasure butthey did add a few Treasure Hunt related titles to their catalogue. So if you fancy a little armchair Treasure Hunting, pop the corn, grab your favourite beverage and settle in for one of these flicks.
1.Jumanji (PG) 1995
When two kids find and play a magical board game, they release a man trapped in it for decades - and a host of dangers that can only be stopped by finishing the game. This is the original with the great, Robin Williams that has been remade in recent years.
2. Castle in the Sky (G) 1989
Young orphan Sheeta and her kidnapper, Col. Muska, are flying to a military prison when their plane is attacked by a gang of air pirates led by the matronly Dola. Escaping from a mid-air collision via a magic crystal around her neck, Sheeta meets fellow orphan Pazu and the pair join forces to discover the mystical floating city of Laputa while pursued by both Muska and the pirates, who lust for the city's myriad treasures.
3.Uncharted (12A) 2022
Staring Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg and Antonio Banderas.Experienced treasure hunter Victor "Sully" Sullivan (played by Mark Wahlberg) enlists the help of street-smart Nathan Drake (portrayed by Tom Holland) to recover a fortune amassed by Ferdinand Magellan and lost 500 years ago by the House of Moncada. Initially planned as a simple heist, their mission quickly escalates into a thrilling global adventure. As they race against time, they must outsmart the ruthless Santiago Moncada (played by Antonio Banderas), who claims to be the rightful heir to the treasure.
4.The Legend of Cocaine Island (PG13) 2019
Next up is a comedic documentary...
A family man with no drug running experience searches the Caribbean for a lost stash of cocaine said to be worth at least $2 million.
5. Monthy Python and the Holy Grail (PG) 1975
A comedic send-up of the grim circumstances of the Middle Ages as told through the story of King Arthur and framed by a modern-day murder investigation. When the mythical king of the Britons leads his knights on a quest for the Holy Grail, they face a wide array of horrors, including a persistent Black Knight, a three-headed giant, a cadre of shrubbery-challenged knights, the perilous Castle Anthrax, a killer rabbit, a house of virgins, and a handful of rude Frenchmen.
6. Finding 'Ohana
On Oʻahu for the summer, two siblings from Brooklyn connect with their Hawaiian heritage — and their family — on a daring quest for long-lost treasure.
Geocache champion Pilialoha "Pili" Kawena, age 12, is abruptly lifted from her busy New York life and dropped into rural O'ahu to help care for her grandfather. Initially sceptical about her new surroundings, Pili finds a cryptic pirate's journal in her Papa's studio hinting at a 200-year-old shipwrecked treasure hidden away in the island's caves and mountains. With her older brother and new friends in tow, she uses her clue solving skills to lead them on an adventure of a lifetime through the natural wonders of Hawaiʻi. As she learns to respect and love her native culture she also discovers not all secrets should be shared.
7. The Dig (PG13) 2021
Ralph Fiennes portrays Basil Brown in this movie based on actual events.In 1939, Suffolk landowner Edith Pretty hired local self-taught archaeologist-excavator Brown to tackle the large burial mounds at her rural estate in Sutton Hoo and the excavator and his team discovered a wooden ship from the Dark Ages.
7.TheVault (15) 2021
More of a heist than a hunt for treasure. A genius engineering graduate who is interested in the Bank of Spain's safe.
8.Tomb Raider. the Cradle of Life (12A) 2003
Adventurer Lara Croft embarks on a mission to rescue the legendary Pandora's Box from falling into the hands of an evilscientist. Along the way, she enlists the help of a former Marine, now working as a mercenary, to aid her in the quest.
9.Outer Banks (Seasons 1, 2 & 3)
Not a movie but worth a mention...
Outer Banks is a coming of age story that follows a tight-knit group of local teens (the "Pogues") in the beach vacation destination of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. When a hurricane kills the power for the summer season, it sets off a chain of illicit events that force the friends to make life-altering decisions. The search for their ringleader's missing father, forbidden romances, a high-stakes treasure hunt, and the escalating conflict between the Pogues and their rivals turn their summer into one filled with mystery and adventure they'll never forget.
10.Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears (12) 2020
After freeing a young girl from wrongful captivity in Jerusalem, Phryne Fisherunravels amystery involving valuable emeralds, ancient curses, and the enigmatic vanishing of Shirin's long-forgotten tribe.
11.Detectorists (PG16)(Seasons 1&2)
Again, not a movie but pickings are bit slim on Netflix at the moment
This charming and heartwarming sitcom seriesis about a Metal Detector Club in England.
Did I miss one? Which one was your favourite watch? Let me know in the comments below.