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Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Movie Review: Legends of the Hidden Temple

Legends of the Hidden Temple began as a TV game show on Nickelodeon. When I was a kid, it was among my favorites. I loved watching it, especially the Temple Runs at the end of each episode. Now, imagine my delight when I discovered that there was a movie about the show that was basically a one-hour-long temple run!

This movie does a splendid job as an adaptation of the TV show. The idea of the challenge, the traps and puzzles of the rooms, the temple guards, the time-limit, Olmec as a guardian etc. all of it is translated into a "this is the real deal" adventure from the game format. Kirk Fogg is here too as a theme park tour guide.

Frankly, it's amazing how they fit parts of the show into this adventure. The team names were animals that lived in the temple, one of the kids is given a helmet by his parents just in case he jumps into something dangerous and needs it, the three minute count down, and, of course, Silver Monkey Shrine jokes. This is only a small sample. Fans of the show will love spotting these. I did, obviously.

Furthermore, it is not just a translation of elements. There is a cohesive narrative here. There's backstory to explain the purpose of the quest (for once, Olmec's stories include himself). The three siblings have character development (mostly the elder two). Yes, the plot is simple and straightforward, maybe even "bare boned" but it is solid. It has just enough to support the main event.

Trickster Eric Novels gives Legends of the Hidden Temple an A+

Click here for the previous movie review: Assassin's Creed (2016)

Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

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