Adventure films are a genre of film.
[edit] History
The adventure film reached its peak of popularity in 1930s and 1940s Hollywood, when films such as Captain Blood, The Adventures of Robin Hood and The Mark of Zorro were regularly made with major stars, notably Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power, who were closely associated with the genre. At the same time, Saturday morning serials were often using many of the same thematic elements as high-budget adventure films.
[edit] Modernizing the genre
The genre has undergone periodic revivals since the 1950s, with figures like Robin Hood being re-cast for a new generation. Some of the revivals have been successful, as with Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), and some less so, as with Swashbuckler (1976). In the 1980s the success of Steven Spielberg's Saturday morning serial-style adventure Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade spawned a host of imitators. Their influences can be seen on films like The Mummy, its sequel The Mummy Returns, National Treasure and its sequel National Treasure: Book of Secrets.
There is often a degree of overlap between the adventure film and other genres. For example, Star Wars (1977) contains elements of science fiction, while The Mummy (1999) combines the horror genre.
[edit] Popular concepts
- An outlaw fighting for justice or battling a tyrant (e.g., Robin Hood, Zorro or Star Wars)
- Pirates (e.g., Captain Blood or Pirates of the Caribbean)
- Searching for a lost city or for hidden treasure (e.g., King Solomon's Mines or Indiana Jones)
[edit] Notable adventure films
See also List of adventure films.
[edit] Popular adventure film filmmakers
[edit] External links
