The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice (2008)

Touches You

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

I'm reviewing and rating this movie as a TV movie and not comparing it to any mainstream blockbuster. Last entry to "The Librarian" TV movie trilogy is the best one for me. It has a better story, better visual effects and good supporting cast. It's no gem or exceptional but a good entertaing light hearted movie that you could enjoy with your kids and family. For TV standards this movie outdid itself for the budget. Noah Wyle is the Librarian and he always will be.There's no need to be very critical while watching Librarian because this movie is just plain fun and it succeeds, a treasure hunting movie with lot's of action, weird twists, and a lot of good comedy. If anyone's having second thoughts about watching this movie after the second one "Return to King Solomon's mines", you definitely need to watch this because this is the best of the trilogy.

You take 3 parts Indiana Jones, 2 parts Harry Potter. For a leading man, star a young TV veteran from a hit melodrama of the last decade. In each installment cast an affordable exotic beauty in her late 30's. For a villain, cast a recognizable but unnameable TV actor from the last century. Leaven with 2 aging but able sitcom stars of the 1980's. Cook with just enough sex and violence to pass basic cable standards, but no bad language, so reruns can occur on broadcast TV on weekend afternoons when there is no sports game.As I write, this, the third installment of the Librarian, is up in a 6 hour marathon of the trilogy on a Turner station. It is not bad for a lazy Sunday afternoon, if you have other things to do indoors to distract you.As many have already noticed, it is a blatant riff or rip-off of the Indiana Jones franchise, except set in today's world. Noah Wylie wears Indy clothes and works for a "library" that is much like Indy's museum. Except the Library has not only a collection of fantasy icons from the past (from the bible to King Arthur to Grimm tales) but also wizard-like magic straight from Harry Potter. Noah is sent on a major quest in each episode, with magic-wielding villains to overcome and a sexy babe as his companion.This third one is the darkest, I suppose, what with vampires in New Orleans (where did they come up with that, I wonder?) and Russian mafia types. Unlike Spielberg and his big-time budget, the special effects here are pretty cheesy computer graphics. The smaller the screen, the better they look.I read that a basic cable series (hour-long format) is in the works for The Librarian franchise. Noah Wylie makes an appearance here and there. But younger actors do the heavy lifting, and apparently John Larroquette takes over the aging sitcom star duties.Having said all that, it isn't all that bad, as long as you aren't after real thrills, real drama, or real comedy. It is passable eye-candy and decent time-filler for shut-ins on a rainy day. Nothing too gory or scary for youngsters beyond the first grade. And nothing too sexy to embarrass your grandma who may be baby-sitting. Just clever enough and good-looking enough to keep from reaching for the remote.In short -- just what the TNT production committee ordered!

Morgus Bay is named for Dr Mommus Alexander Morgus, a mad scientist character who introduced horror movies on television in New Orleans for thirty years - he is still active. His side kicks are an executioner type named Chopsley and a talking skull named Eric.The exterior for the building where the auction is held is the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge, the interior is the New Orleans Museum of Art. The exterior of the museum/library where Flyn works is the New Orleans Museum of art, the interior the Old State Capitol Building!The interior of the Capuchin monestary where the chalice is hidden is St Alphonsus Church, the exterior is St Mary's Asumption. They are across the street from each other, St Alphonsus was the Irish Catholic Church, Saint Mary's Assumption was for German Catholics. (A third one for French Catholics has been torn down.)

In bygone days people used to read cheap magazines printed on cheap pulp paper. These were full of stories which, if not particularly literary, were full of action, color and plot. Later these moved to the movie serials and B movies, whence they were lifted, in the 1970s and 1980s, as the inspiration for movies like RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, ROMANCING THE STONE and STAR WARS. This TV movie, third in the series, is in that vein.CURSE OF THE OF JUDAS CHALICE is no ground-breaking movie, but it is enormous fun, with a script full of hip, self-aware humor -- Noah Wyle explains the key plot points as he goes along, and is twitted for always speaking in complete paragraphs -- action and a sexy vampiress. There is nothing in this that is original -- I could do a little digging and produce a list of where the key plot points and shots were lifted from -- but it is done with such good humor, that the viewer will have few, if any complaints about the result. My sole complaint is that Bob Newhart is not on screen long enough with his deadpan delivery. You can't do much better for a dull afternoon's time-waster.