With its exotic locales, lost treasure, and beautiful explorers, The Lost City has all of the components of a rip-roaring contribution to the action-adventure genre. Starring Sandra Bullock as Loretta Sage, a novelist thrown into a story more exciting than her latest book, Channing Tatum as Alan Caprison, the vapid cover model who comes to her rescue, and Daniel Radcliffe, the billionaire mastermind pulling all the strings, the movie has no shortage of charm, romance, and humor.
For fans of that particular combination of action, comedy, and a little lovin' that make The Lost City so great, these movies will make audiences hold their breath at jeep chases through jungles, laugh at witty one-liners delivered at perilous moments, and swoon when two opposites attract while hunting for forgotten ancient relics.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Available On Disney+ & Prime
Indiana Jones, the name most closely associated with the action-adventure genre, embarks on his first quest in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the early '80s classic from the minds of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Harrison Ford plays Indy with his signature mixture of grit and humor while battling the Nazis over the fabled Ark of the Covenant.
Like The Lost City, it has charismatic leads, memorable side characters, and beguiling villains, all reminiscent of the Saturday serials of the 1930s. Raiders of the Lost Ark still holds up, which is why it's the timeless standard in the genre from which all others are measured.
Sahara (2005)
Available On Paramount+
While not quite as well known as Indiana Jones, the name Dirk Pitt is synonymous with danger and excitement, brought memorably to life by Matthew McConaughey in Sahara. Based on the Clive Cussler novel of the same name, the movie finds Pitt on a quest to find a ship sunken into the dunes of the Sahara Desert, its hull filled with gold.
The movie couldn't recoup its losses after going massively over budget, but that didn't stop it from featuring dynamic chase sequences, buried treasure, witty banter, and of course, romance.
Red Notice (2021)
Available On Netflix
Putting three of the most bankable and charismatic Hollywood stars in a movie together isn't always a recipe for success, but Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Galdot know exactly the sort of movie they're making with Red Notice — an ode to '80s and '90s action-adventure movies filled with one-liners, explosions, and cheesy fun.
They play an Interpol agent, con man, and the world's greatest art thief, respectively, and bring all of their strengths to the screen as they try to double-cross and outsmart each other all the way to the loot. The chemistry between the three stars leads to some memorable action sequences and gives Red Notice some of its best quotes that feel natural and even ad-libbed.
National Treasure (2004)
Available On Disney+
"I'm going to steal the Declaration of Independence." With that line, the National Treasure series was born, led by the capricious charisma of Nicolas Cage as Benjamin Franklin Gates, a treasure hunter with a particular yen for the Founding Fathers and their associated relics.
In the first outing of the franchise, Gates' family reputation is in shambles, and he uses the Declaration of Independence to solve a centuries-old riddle that will lead to the Knights Templar treasure and restore his family's honor. Not only are there lots of fascinating pieces of US history sprinkled throughout the movie, but the action is also tempered by pithy commentary between Gates and his travel companions.
Jungle Cruise (2021)
Available On Disney+
Johnson has become a name oft-associated with action-adventure, so much so that he's almost become its ambassador, no more so deserving of the honor than in Jungle Cruise (based on the popular Disney ride) where he plays a beguilingly gruff skipper who must take a clever doctor down the Amazon River to find a sacred tree capable of healing anything it touches.
With the shrewd Emily Blunt in tow along with her doctor's hapless brother, there are hijinks aplenty amidst the shrunken heads, poison darts, snakes, and other requisites of the genre tossed in for good perilous fun. Like The Lost City, it endeavors to turn several gendered tropes upside down as well in ways that are both satisfying and hilarious.
Romancing The Stone (1984)
Available On Prime & HBOMax
Before novelist Loretta Sage and cover model Alan Caprison went off to find a lost city, author Joan Wilder and mercenary Jack T. Colton went to Colombia in search of a priceless emerald. The Lost City clearly owes a lot to Romancing the Stone, but the '80s action-adventure classic has a lot to offer by itself.
Besides the chemistry between Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas as they bicker all the way through the rainforest, there are exciting jeep chases, kidnappings, and of course, sweeping romance.
The Mummy (1999)
Available On HBOMax
Action-adventure doesn't get much more fun than in The Mummy, at the height of Brendan Fraser's star power as the dashing mercenary Rick O'Connell, with Rachel Weisz as the irreverent but daring Evelyn Conner, and John Hannah as her inane playboy brother Jonathan. Set in 1925, the trio set out to find the ancient tomb of Imhotep, but when they discover a curse instead of buried treasure, they must stop him from unleashing his fury upon an unsuspecting world.
Though it's a remake of the 1932 Boris Karloff classic, this updated take on the Universal Studios monster movie ignited a whole fascination with Ancient Egypt thanks to its sweeping cinematography, gorgeous sets, and (for the time) incredible special effects.
Tomb Raider (2001)
Available On Prime
Prior to the 2018 reboot, the popular Tomb Raider video game franchise was turned into Lara Croft: Tomb Raider starring the irrepressible Angelina Jolie as gun-toting archaeologist Lara Croft. Where the reboot is gritty and realistic, the 2001 movie was all about shoot-outs, sarcastic banter with villains, and Jolie fully embodying the character as a female James Bond (a pre-Bond Daniel Craig happens to play her love interest).
Hidden temples, majestic ruins, and exotic locales are all part and parcel of the tomb-raiding experience, and fans of The Lost City will get lost in the thrill of following Lara as she searches for an ancient relic that controls time itself, accompanied by her tech genius and neurotic butler.
Brenda Starr (1989)
Available On Tubi
When reporter Brenda Starr needs a daring new scoop, she heads to the Amazon to uncover a mad scientist's secret plot for world domination. Joining her on her adventure is the suave "man of mystery" Basil St. John, who helps defend her from anything else the jungle can throw at them.
If fans liked The Lost City for its fashionable and gusty heroine being paired with a man who would probably call "Dash McMahon" his bestie, Brenda Starr is the sort of action-adventure caper that will deliver. This cult classic was made in 1986 but wasn't released in the United States until 1992, and pairing Brooke Shields with a Bond-era Timothy Dalton — in an eyepatch — is every bit as fun as it sounds.
Uncharted (2022)
Available On Disney+ Once It Leaves Theaters
Popular adventurer Nathan Drake has been transported from the Uncharted video games to the big screen in a new movie of the same name, where the young treasure seeker teams up with seasoned explorer and mercenary Sully to track down a series of sacred golden idols from the Magellan Expedition.
The games always had a cinematic quality, and the movie faithfully recreates their lush environments while also offering the opportunity for fans to see their favorite character blossom into the dashing daredevil they know and love.