{"id":104498,"date":"2025-08-31T06:10:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-31T06:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/104498\/"},"modified":"2025-08-31T06:10:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-31T06:10:10","slug":"the-essential-indiana-jones-rip-off-movies-of-the-1980s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/104498\/","title":{"rendered":"The Essential Indiana Jones Rip Off Movies of the 1980s"},"content":{"rendered":"

Something seems familiar as we take a look at a selection of essential Indiana Jones rip-offs from the 1980s\u2026<\/p>\n

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In cinema, if something works once, studios will naturally assume it could work again. Die Hard, aside from spawning four sequels, also inspired innumerable rip-offs. The same goes for Mad Max, Conan the Barbarian, Jaws, The Terminator, Alien, Star Wars, and more.<\/p>\n

In many cases, the films that proved to be the genesis of these knock-offs (occasionally very good ones) in the blockbuster movie and home market generation weren\u2019t even that original themselves. Star Wars wasn\u2019t the first space adventure; it just happened to come after the genre was in a slump, and of course, completely changed the course of cinema forever. Then, there\u2019s Indiana Jones, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg\u2019s love letter to pulpy serials of the 30s, through to adventure B pictures of the 50s.<\/p>\n

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Much like a number of all-consuming blockbusters of the time, Raiders of the Lost Ark wasn\u2019t just a hit; it was a mega hit. It had legs, continuing to pull in audiences throughout its run, even in the face of competition from Superman II, which was expected to dominate the season.<\/p>\n

Inevitably, it meant sequels beckoned, but right from the breakout success of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the B-movie-inspired action-adventure film template became a regular fixture in cinemas and on the home video market. In the \u201980s alone, they were all over the place. Here are ten essential Indiana Jones Clones from the 1980s\u2026<\/p>\n

Magic Crystal<\/p>\n

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This Hong Kong action comedy starring Andy Lau, Cynthia Rothrock and the late great Richard Norton is a cheesy slice of fun. Why it\u2019s also particularly relevant, aside from questing across the globe in search of an alien crystal, is how the plot crosses paths with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull quite noticeably. So this could well have been an Indy adventure.<\/p>\n

Hong Kong police, Russian gangsters and um, Cynthia Rothrock, chase a mystical rock (of Alien origin) which can gift people strange powers. The rock needs to be reunited with a dormant Alien in stasis, hoping to return home. Cue some glorious Greek locales where Lau, Rothrock and Norton unleash some enjoyable fight sequences, all put together with director Wong Jing\u2019s trademark high energy, dynamic style.<\/p>\n

The Golden Child<\/p>\n

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Magic Crystal also crossed over somewhat with Eddie Murphy\u2019s (initially) maligned dud, but actually pretty enjoyable adventure film, The Golden Child. Imagine if the guy from 48 Hours and Beverly Hills Cop found himself an unwitting Indiana Jones. These days, these goofball adventures that thrust unlikely heroes into the mixer are a dime a dozen, which has given the film some reappraisal.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve got Murphy, Charles Dance and the inimitable James Hong. There\u2019s plenty of fantastical sets and eye-catching locations, and Murphy\u2019s awkwardness actually adds something to the film. He finds himself perusing the kinds of underground, trap-laden tombs that Indy himself often found himself in.<\/p>\n

The Goonies<\/p>\n

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One consistent aspect of Indy and his many misadventures is following maps to buried treasure and artefacts. Turning 40 this year but losing none of its fresh, vibrant sense of fun, The Goonies thrusts a bunch of small-town kids (facing being pushed out by developers) into a treasure hunt, in search of One-Eyed Willy\u2019s lost ship, carrying untold riches. All whilst being chased by hapless but ruthless criminals.<\/p>\n

The young cast includes Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Josh Brolin and Ke Huy Quan as Data, who is also a big part of the Jones legacy, having played Short Round in Temple of Doom the year prior. It\u2019s got several Indy staples, such as journeys through underground caverns and caves, facing deathly traps and puzzles that need solving in a race against the clock to beat the bad guys to the treasure. It\u2019s masses of fun, and the more I watch it, the more I realise that Jeff Cohen as Chunk is the MVP. The guy went all in.\u00a0<\/p>\n

River of Death<\/p>\n

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Coming a couple of years after Cannon\u2019s glory years under Golan and Globus, River of Death kept faith in the notion that Michael Dudikoff was a poster boy movie star. In fairness to the Dude, he had the looks, charisma and physical adeptness to be a star, but as far as a box office performer, he couldn\u2019t build on the success of American Ninja (which ironically didn\u2019t show the best of him).<\/p>\n

River of Death, based on the Alistair MacLean novel, certainly takes more inspiration from Indiana Jones, as an adventurer finds himself facing a (post-war) Nazi threat. The cast includes Robert Vaughan, Donald Pleasance and Herbert Lom, and Dudikoff (needless narration aside) is on good form. Like many Cannon films, it\u2019s a strange contradiction. At once feeling undercooked and underfinanced, but still including some impressive pyrotechnics and some solid technicians in the crew, not least cinematographer Avraham Karpick, who makes this look great (it really has benefited from its recent Blu-ray restoration). It meanders, much like the river of its Amazonian setting, but it\u2019s pretty underrated for a Dude and late era Cannon picture.<\/p>\n

Firewalker<\/p>\n

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On the subject of Cannon, Dudikoff was seen as a fresh face who might take on the mantle of poster boy from Charles Bronson and Chuck Norris. In fact, one of Dudikoff\u2019s best, Avenging Force, was originally earmarked for Norris as an Invasion USA sequel.<\/p>\n

Norris did certain things very well. Like roundhouse kicking mofos in the face. What he didn\u2019t do quite so well was being a kind of Harrison Ford-esque, charismatic and charming hero (he fit the stoic Eastwood mould more). That was the requirement for Firewalker, with Norris playing a knock-off Indiana, but he\u2019s given good support from Louis Gossett Jr. Veteran director J. Lee Thompson provides solid (if unspectacular) direction.<\/p>\n

How else can you give the film an unmistakable taste of Indy? Pull over a cast member from the trailblazing OG, coming in the form of John Rhys Davies. Then there\u2019s Sonny Landham, who is typically imposing. It\u2019s not great by any means, but this has some enjoyable set pieces, even if it\u2019s one of the more cynical copycats. They copied Lucas\u2019 homework and changed a few words around.<\/p>\n

King Solomon\u2019s Mines<\/p>\n

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Based on the iconic literary adventurer, this Cannon special is unsurprisingly not a patch on its source material, but it\u2019s a rollicking enough adventure. In addition, where Norris didn\u2019t quite capture the easy grinning charm of Ford, Richard Chamberlain as the legendary Quartermain got the memo and delivers. He\u2019s an actor well-versed in the epic adventure genre. It certainly mines a lot from Lucas and Spielberg, but given Quartermain\u2019s adventures were part of the inspiration for Jones, it\u2019s a little more full circle than full-blown rip off.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A pre-super stardom Sharon Stone just lights up the frame. It\u2019s not the most three-dimensionally written role she\u2019d get by any stretch, but she\u2019s just got presence to burn and throws herself into a fun and physically challenging role. J. Lee Thompson once again provides functional but competent direction, but there are times Spielberg\u2019s natural zest would undoubtedly have enlivened scenes far more.<\/p>\n

As said, Cannon didn\u2019t hire mugs, and there\u2019s even an enjoyable Jerry Goldsmith score that\u2019s perfectly rousing. This one, again, features John Rhys Davies and Herbert Lom for good measure. Chamberlain et al returned for a sequel, which saw a significant drop in quality (certainly missing even the functionality of Thompson behind the camera).<\/p>\n

The Ark of the Sun God<\/p>\n

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We can\u2019t cover knock-offs and not dive into the treasure trove of low-budget Italian-made copycats. They didn\u2019t just churn out Mad Max and Conan riffs; they made grand (maybe an overstatement) Indiana Jones homages like this somewhat cynically titled film.<\/p>\n

This one I had vivid memories of watching on VHS back in the day, and like many of its ilk, the VHS artwork was far more lavish than the actual film, but this one certainly eeks out plenty of adventure and eye-catching locations from its limited budget. It\u2019s also findable on YouTube if you want to pass 90 minutes and enjoy some cheesy Spaghetti Adventure guff, and it\u2019s also had (surprisingly) a very lavish 4k upgrade thanks to 88 Films.\u00a0 There are some affably ropey practical effects (which I\u2019ll take over CGI every day of the week and twice on Sundays). It has it all, from a poor man\u2019s Indy to cynical attempts at mimicking Sallah to snake-filled sequences. Set pieces are varied, occasionally feeling a little more James Bond than Indy, but a lot is going on here, and it definitely feels grander thanks to its recent restoration.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Armour of God<\/p>\n

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Want more Indiana Jones adventuring with furious Hong Kong-style action? Then look no further than Armour of God. Jackie Chan is a treasure-hunting wheeler-dealer tasked with finding missing pieces of the titular Armour of God and rescuing his friend\u2019s love from a mysterious cult.<\/p>\n

This, as many Chan films of the era did, rockets by with wild set pieces, crazy stunts and riotous physical comedy. Chan, as Asian Hawk, plays his hero as a little seedy and morally obtuse, but charming too. Sure, he\u2019s a hero who\u2019ll do the right thing eventually, but he might also sell his granny. The sequel, Operation Condor brought Nazis into the equation and is equally brilliant.<\/p>\n

Gwendoline<\/p>\n

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Gwendoline \u2013 a.k.a. The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak \u2013 is another flawed but fun 80s adventure that\u2019s recently received an HD glow-up that really does elevate it. Tawny Kitaen goes to Hong Kong in search of her missing father, meets a roguish Jones-esque anti-hero (played by Brent Huff) and goes in search of a rare butterfly.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an odd film, but it looks great; the Philippine locations (often doubling for Hong Kong) are beautiful. It\u2019s less a family adventure and pushes into the realms of exploitation B-movie with an R rating. Kitaen wasn\u2019t exactly Meryl Streep, but she certainly had presence. This one throws plenty of trashy thrills and spectacle on the screen.<\/p>\n

Romancing the Stone<\/p>\n

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If there\u2019s one thing the better Jones riffs had, it\u2019s the benefit of solid direction. Goonies had Richard Donner to really bring the adventuring up to par, and Romancing the Stone\u00a0benefits from the Spielbergian skills of Robert Zemeckis.<\/p>\n

Kathleen Turner plays an adventure novelist whose Quartermain-esque literary hero is in the midst of having his latest adventure written when she has to travel to Colombia to find her missing sister, plunging into an adventure all of her own and encountering Jack Colton (Michael Douglas), who is basically Jones, but a slightly more roguish mercenary. Armed with a treasure map with criminals on their tail, Colton reluctantly agrees to help Wilder (Turner) find her sister, whilst traversing dangerous Colombian landscapes. Douglas and Turner are brilliant as a pairing, matched well by Danny DeVito and Zack Norman as the villains. The follow-up, Jewel of the Nile, was sadly beholden to the law of diminishing returns.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your favourite Indiana Jones rip-off from the 1980s? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth\u2026<\/p>\n

Tom Jolliffe<\/p>\n

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