Robert W. I like Patrick Swayze, I've liked him since his early days when he was on top of Hollywood with the incredible Ghost, RoadHouse, Dirty Dancing, and Point Break. He really was a star and proved he could act too with his incredible role (which should have been Academy Award Nominated) in To Wong Foo Thanks For Everything. His career then slid into oblivion and he hasn't had a comeback yet sadly but he's still around and I was more than anxious to check out King Solomon's mines and see him in action. There is nothing awful about this film, it's well done, well acted, the setting for the film is breathtaking (filmed on location in South Africa.) The film is filled with cultural information whether partly fictional or not it's well worth seeing for those interesting tribes and people. Swayze's Allan Quatermain is emotional, brooding, sad, tough, a real fighter and honest and the perfect good guy.I was just struck with how old Swayze looks in this film, worn and tired. I realize the man is well into his fifties but he's still Johnny Castle to me. King Solomon's Mines tries to be less action and more drama and adventure and it scores in that vein but there is so little action that the 3 plus hour movie drags so heavily. It might not have felt so long had I seen it on Television in different parts as a mini series but watching it all on DVD, it seemed to go on forever...walking, walking, more walking, searching, and so on and so forth. The whole story relied entirely on the characters and as good as they were they couldn't support the whole film without some different story lines. Leading lady Alison Doody does a good job playing the rather proper Miss Maitland while still being an adventurer of sorts. She seemed a lot tougher back in her Indiana Jones days but then the character was very different. Roy Marsden, Sidede Onyulo, Ian Roberts, all did a great job as supporting cast. They all had a very different characters and they all added to the story in their own ways. Hakeem Kae-Kazim as the evil king Twala was excellent but not nearly as well used as a great bad guy should be. His scenes were brief and I think he really could have been used in a much bigger way. One of the great characters in the film is the spooky witch of the tribe Gagool played by first timer Lesedi Mogoathle. Her role is disturbing and although she's not an evil character in the film but rather someone who really does look out for her tribe. Her make up and character is very cool!! I don't know if they simply signed on some of the local people to be in the film but they do a great job. Anyone looking for a rebirth of Indiana Jones in this film won't find it. It's a completely different genre and it's not entirely lacking action. There are some gun fights and some fist fights and an elaborate battle to the death in the end, but it's just sparse.The film has a very classic feel to it, it's a very family friendly, modest, clean film. I was struck by a very nostalgic feeling while watching the romance between Elizabeth Maitland and Allan Quatermain because director Steve Boyum really gave it that old Humphrey Bogart saves the girl kinda feel to it...a classic love story. Overall probably a good family film but most adults on their own will want more action out of it. It could have been much better done with a much director as Steve Boyum tends to strike out frequently. Come back SWAYZE!! 6/10

Pieter050 Start of with the good bit: several times Swayze talks Zulu to his friends or that language is heard among the tribes. That's a great plus, as normally USA & UK movie audiences think all people on this planet speak English (just in case you're one of them: no they don't).But the acting is 'tenenkrommend' as we say in The Netherlands (it makes your toes curl -and not in a good way). I like Swayze but in this he's awful. The muscles in his jaws make overtime and he's frowning the whole movie -some one must have told him it looks butch. No Patrick: it looks silly and is compensation for lack of character. Alison Doody (Elizabeth) has opted for a style of acting that does not meet the style of her co-workers. Her acting is só relaxed that this movie could have been set in the current days. And it's not. Your frock was a clue, Alison.The best acting came from the people from the African Continent and Sided Onyulo as Umbopa I liked best. Clear, warm and in character, his performance is a joy to watch. General: it is mwah-entertaining on a rainy day. Pity. Could have been better. Sack the director.

Elswet The problem with the 1985 version of this movie is simple; Indiana Jones was so closely modeled after Alan Quartermain (or at least is an Alan Quartermain TYPE of character), that the '85 director made the mistake of plundering the IJ movies for dialog and story far too deeply. What you got as a finished product was a jumbled mess of the name Alan Quartermain, in an uneven hodge podge of a cheaply imitated IJ saga (with a touch of Austin Powers-esquire cheese here and there). It was labeled by many critics to have been a "great parody," or "unintentional comedy." Unintentional is the word. This movie was never intended to be humorous; witty, yes, but not humorous. Unfortunately, it's witless rather than witty.With this new M4TV mini-series, you get much more story, character development of your lead, solid portrayals, and a fine, even, entertaining blend. This story is a bit long; much longer than its predecessors, but deservedly so as this version carries a real storyline and not just action and Eye Candy. While it features both action and Eye Candy, it also corrects the mistake made in the 1985 version by forgetting IJ all together and going back to the source materials for AQ, making for a fine, well - thought - out plot, and some nice complementing sub-plots. Now this attempt is not the all out action-extravaganza that is Indiana Jones. Nor is it a poor attempt to be so. This vehicle is plot and character driven and is a beautiful rendition of the AQ/KSM saga. Filmed on location in South Africa, the audience is granted beautiful (if desolate) vistas, SA aboriginal cultures, and some nice wildlife footage to blend smoothly with the performances and storyline here.Steve Boyum totally surprised me with this one, as I have never been one to subscribe to his vision. In fact, I have disliked most of his work as a director, until this attempt. I hope this is more a new vein of talent and less the fluke that it seems to be. This version rates a 9.8/10 on the "TV" scale from...the Fiend :.

CaizerZalaat I thought of the film as way too long and quite boring as there didn't really happened much in almost three hours compared to the 1985 movie version with Richard Chamberlain. If you are in to Africa, then you might like the film as there is a lot of nice footage of it. Patrick Swayze is as always his own stiff self, but the beautiful Alison Doody does a great role, or so I think, it doesn't really matter as she is extremely, ridiculously good looking. As for the purpose of the film I don't know. Why make TV-films that really don't give you much of a thrill as it has been shown that it is possible to do them with a bit more content. You who love movies like Indiana Jones or Lara Croft and think this will be anything like those movies will be disappointed...