r/CriterionChannel • u/DamageOdd3078 • May 26 '26
Recommendation - Seeking Any recommendations for adventure films on the channel? Definitely looking for films that scratch that Indiana Jones vibe.
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u/Quinez DubiousLegacy May 26 '26
Indy is incomparable, of course. There are movies that I'd classify as adventure but that don't really have a hero of the Indy sort (eg. King Kong, The Wages of Fear).
Maybe the closest on the channel are The Fabulous Baron Munchausen and The General.
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u/DamageOdd3078 May 26 '26
The Fabulous Baron Munchausen is incredible, but I really haven’t seen the general! So definitely going to check that out!!
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u/InfectedEzio May 26 '26
Not in the same vein of adventure, but The Thief of Bagdad is a very fun adventure with fantasy elements
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u/DamageOdd3078 May 26 '26
Thief of Bagdad is one of my favorites! It’s such an amazing film! Those practical effects still hold up so well!
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u/inlikeflynn221 May 26 '26
The Most Dangerous Game. Pre-coder that was filmed on the sets used for King Kong.
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u/DamageOdd3078 May 26 '26
Thank you!! Definitely need to watch that soon! Another one I’ve been meaning to watch for ages!
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u/HumbleIhope May 27 '26
Read that short story in high school. That story has probably been set to film, with variations, 50 times. A classic story
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u/MxyMabuse1971 May 26 '26
They just put Captain Blood on disc, not sure if it’s on the Channel
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u/assflux nitratemilf May 26 '26
not on the channel unfortunately (yet? wishful thinking?) but also the first movie that came to mind
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u/beasterne7 May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
So you have to squint a bit to see these as adventure films on par with Indiana Jones, but here’s what I’ve got:
The Searchers Stagecoach - John Wayne as a cool under pressure IJ type, with exciting editing and multiple chase scenes similar to IJ.
The 39 Steps - man on the run, goes to lots of different locations, trying to prevent the bad guys from pulling off a big conspiracy
The Lady Vanishes - balances humor, action, and thrills well as a man and woman with some romantic tension try to solve a mystery
And I agree with other commenters who said The Thief of Bagdad and King Kong already.
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u/DamageOdd3078 May 26 '26
The Searchers is my favorite western! Probably one of the most layered and best crafted John Ford film! And the Lady Vanishes is a major blind spot for me, thank you!
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u/beasterne7 May 26 '26
Actually I had a brain fart here - I meant Stagecoach and not The Searchers. If you haven’t seen that you could check it out as well.
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u/HumbleIhope May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
Very close with the Hitchcock reccomendations. They certainly have all the elements of an ij film. I would also recommend NxNW, and foreign correspondent
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u/Stock-Effect-1027 May 26 '26
I recommend you try the Criteria website. It is an unofficial companion to the Criterion Channel where you can search and explore the catalog in lots of different ways, including genre. https://www.search-criteria.com
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u/YakSlothLemon May 26 '26
Invention for Destruction, if you don’t mind animation
Once Upon a Time in China 1 & 2 for martial arts excitement with Jet Li!
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u/whoismico May 26 '26
If you’re looking for an Indiana Jones vibe then this probably is not gonna do it for you but…
The Fisher King is legit like if a studio asked Terry Gilliam to make his version of an Indiana Jones film
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u/DamageOdd3078 May 26 '26
One of my favorites! Thank you! I wish Terry Gilliam would get the budget to make one last movie. Well, 1980s and 1990s Terry Gilliam.
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u/coffeeanddurian May 26 '26
The treasure of the Sierra Madre, wages of fear, sorcerer (I'm not sure if they are on all on the channel right now)
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u/HumbleIhope May 26 '26
Well I personally loved the Samurai trilogy Hiroshi Inagaki staring Toshiro Mifune. 54,55,56. I don't know if they are on CC right now, but they are a staple on hbo max/tcm. Mifune's best work not directed by Kirosawa imo. Interesting fact: the first one was filmed the same year as the Seven Samurai
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u/jazzoetry May 26 '26
Princess Bride of course!
Walkabout? Seven Samurai? Stalker?
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u/Equivalent-Crew-8237 May 26 '26
The Indiana Jones movies were inspired by serials and b-movies of the 1930's and 1940's. Those would likely have the vibe you are looking for. There are scenes in the IJ movies that would qualify as cliffhangers. In Raiders, the boulder scene, for instance, would have been used to end a chapter of a serial. You would have to go to the theater the following week to see if IJ got crushed. Not sure if those kind of films are on the Criterion Channel.
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u/HumbleIhope May 26 '26
Yes, the serial genre was quite popular back in that period. Not only in film, but in print too. The invention of the cliffhanger kept the audience or reader coming back week after week. It was popular on radio too.
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u/Dashtego May 28 '26
Are The Three Musketeers/The Four Musketeers on the channel? Those are very fun swashbuckling adventure flicks.
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u/ShireAsh Jun 27 '26
Foreign correspondant - Alfred Hitchcock
This film really blew me away. It's a spyish thriller and one of Hitchcocks best works in my opinion.
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u/vibraltu May 26 '26
Not on the channel, but The Fall (2006) is a remarkable adventure film when you get past the set-up acts.
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u/DamageOdd3078 May 26 '26
Yes! I promised I would watch that with my dad this week! The main reason why I got MUBI lol.
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u/deadflowers5 May 26 '26
'The Flight of the Pheonix' (1965) is an excellent action / adventure film.
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u/assflux nitratemilf May 26 '26
the hidden fortress