Borrowing freely from the Indiana Jones action/adventure series, and the romantic classic, Casablanca, former ER star Noah Wylie reprises his role as the brainy protector of historical artifacts such as the Sword of Excalibur, the Holy Grail, and The Ark of the Covenant, at the New York Metropolitan Library, in The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines, the sequel to the popular TNT series, The Librarian: Quest For The Spear. The success behind the series is due primary to Wylie's quirky appeal as Flynn Carsen, a hero with plenty of chinks in his armour, and an all-star cast including Academy Award winning actress, Olympia Dukakis, Bob Newhart, and Jane Curtin. Fine acting, combined with dangerous missions to exotic locales, and thrilling, low budget special effects, make up the recipe for this popular made-for-cable series.

This installment opens with Flynn's latest adventure, the search for the mythic crystal skull from the lost island of Atlantis, on the run from a pack of thieves, wherein he performs his usual death defying feats such as dodging flying bullets and leaping over deep ravines, while casually declaring, "this kind of stuff happens to me all the time." Upon returning to the Library, Flynn's accomplishments practically go unnoticed as the stern Library Administrator, Charlene, (Jane Curtin) is more concerned about collecting his expense receipts, and the dry-witted library Curator, Judson (Bob Newhart), chastises him for wiping his face on the Shroud of Turin. Soon afterward, Flynn is off on his next mission to Morocco, after the map to King Solomon's mine is stolen, which holds the key to a book of magic that promises control over time and space.

Along the way, Carsen meets his match, in a brilliant and beautiful Archaelogist, Emily Davenport, (Gabrielle Anwar). After getting off to a rocky (no pun intended) start, the two join forces on an expedition that takes them from Casablanca to Kenya, following a series of clues to the ancient map, while trying to outrun and outsmart a deadly and unexpected villain, who will stop at nothing to possess the book and its magical powers.

Directed by Jonathan Frakes, this fast paced, 95 minute film, features an entertaining mixture of action and adventure in exotic settings, low-key romance, and quirky humor, all of which result in a winning combination, and an overall enjoyable made-for-cable sequel. Unfortunately, the only special feature on the DVD is a brief segment on the special effects.

The acting in this series is top notch, as Bob Newhart and Jane Curtin's dead-pan humor are the perfect match for Noah Wylie's boyish, intellectual charm, while the Sword of Excalibur takes on a personality of its own. Gabrielle Anwar, adds a saucy performance as Carsen's equal partner in adventure and romance. An effective, but hardly epic quality soundtrack, and nifty job of editing, keep the action and adventure going without the annoying commercial interruptions of the cable series.

While it fails to match the scope and scale of the Indiana Jones series, due primarily to lack of superstar cast and low budget limitations, The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines, is an entertaining, lightweight diversion, with lots of action, adventure, fun albeit, predictable plot twists, and thrilling, if not particularly sophisticated, special effects. Overall, despite its lack of originality, this film rates a solid 2 and 1/2 stars, rounded up to 3, as a quality sequel in this engaging, made-for-cable series.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older