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As I have mentioned on this blog MANY times before I play Dungeons and Dragons. I decided that I will try to DM the “Tomb of Annihilation” in the near future (along with a large number of modules I got from Humble Bundle). I like the premise, the tone, the setting, and the promised final confrontation sounds exciting.
To get my players in the mindset for playing the game I thought to throw together a recommendation list of movies to watch to help get them thinking in terms of that setting. So undead lords, jungle adventures, untrustworthy guides, and exotic cults.
After throwing out a short list on Reddit I received a handful of suggestions, unfortunately I have not seen all of the movies on the list (they are either not streaming on service I have or I don’t have the DVD), but I have seen most of them.
So here is the list, they are presented in order of release and contain a short description along with a link to where it is streaming or where it can be purchased… Which is a real waste of time now that I think of it, as the streaming options change so quickly that some of these changed while I was making this list.
THE LIST
Apocalypse Now (1979) sent on a mission to kill a rogue military leader who has set himself up as a minor warlord in the heart of the jungle, a team of soldiers must journey down the river deeper into the heart of darkness. Lots of little episodic adventures and encounters along the river before the ultimate confrontation in the middle of a jungle. Streaming on Hulu.
Conan the Barbarian (1982) seeking to avenge the deaths of his family and his enslavement, the warrior Conan and his allies must learn the secrets of a dangerous snake cult and destroy its sorcerer leader. Let’s be clear, this movie could be suggested FOR EVERY DND GAME EVER. It is perhaps the best single film in the genre and with the amount of snake men in the “Tomb of Annihilation” it fits thematically. It is for rent from Amazon Prime.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) the titular adventurer is stranded in a jungle village and must unravel the machinations of a death cult to rescue sacred relics and enslaved children and return them to their village. This movie is underrated. The idea of breaking the seeming deathly curse put upon the village after their relic is stolen easily fits with the looming Death Curse in “Tomb of Annihilation” but the presence of a goofy cult and an iconic villain with a trap filled tomb… it fits. It is on Netflix.
Predator (1987) a team of adventurers on a hostage rescue mission are being stalked by some mysterious monster thru the jungles, picking them off one by one. Jungle setting, check; team of adventurers, check; and a looming doom set to pounce at any time, check! Possibly on Hulu? There is a Starz trial thing…
The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) on the search for the component to a local drug for potential use as a pharmaceutical, the investigator is drawn into the machinations of a local hoodoo cult. This is not really an adventure movie, but more of an exploration and mystery movie with lots of horror elements. It definitely plays on the same tropes of journeying to a mysterious tropical land with the threat of “undeath”. For rent on Amazon Prime.
Jurassic Park (1993) one of the wealthiest mad geniuses on earth brings dinosaurs back and seeks to create a theme park on a remote jungle island. It is dinosaur necromancy in a thematic setting, hitting multiple concepts at a time. Rentable on Amazon Prime.
Congo (1995) group of adventurers journey into the jungle for a variety of reasons but find a lost city of diamonds and killer gorillas. I think this movie is highly underrated. The Jungle setting is one aspect here, but the bigger element is the team of adventurers searching for a lost city and hitting threats along the way. Currently on Hulu.
Anaconda (1997) a team of explorers must battle a giant snake along a jungle river with the help of an untrustworthy guide. It is now on Amazon Prime.
The Mummy (1999) a team of archaeologists unlock a long-forgotten menace into the world from a hidden city. While not set in a jungle, it has pretty much everything else, a lost city, an undead lord, and a team of adventurers. (I have not seen the Tom Cruise one, I hear it is better than one would expect, but not great.) To rent on Amazon Prime.
The Road to El Dorado (2000) two rogues get possession of a map that will take them to the lost city of gold where they must successfully navigate the politics of the city thru an elaborate ruse. Jungle and lost city are the only elements here, but the movie has an adventurous feel to it that is also a lot lighter. Currently on Hulu.
The Rundown (2003) a bounty hunter must locate a treasure hunter lost in the jungle. The area is dominated by the tyrannical diamond mine owner who is being opposed by a local resistance movement. Comedy action film that I think captures a certain play style of goofing along as the game unfolds. It is on Hulu.
Apocalypto (2006) Jaguar Paw must flee thru the harsh jungle to evade being sacrificed to the blood thirsty Aztec gods and return to his wife and family. This is different in that it is fleeing from the city of evil cultists rather than going toward. But it does capture a level of dread and horror that is at least interesting. It is on Amazon Prime.
Tropic Thunder (2008) a group of actors are left stranded in the jungle during the botched filming of their latest movie and must contend with the dangerous local warlord. I would say this has the fewest elements from “Tomb of Horror” but judging by how players typically play a Dungeons and Dragons adventure, this goofball behavior is where we all know it will end up. Available to rent from Amazon Prime.
Kong: Skull Island (2017) a group of adventurers must journey to the savage Skull Island to unravel the mystery of ancient monsters and giant beasts. This is the most entertaining movie with King Kong in it, but you could easily throw in any of his movies at still have some of the elements from “Tomb of Horror” be recognizable. This one is stupidly hard to rent or stream.
The Lost City of Z (2017) a true story about Amazon exploration looking for evidence of a lost advanced civilization. It is on Amazon Prime.
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That is the list.
Some good, some really good, some … that are not to everyone’s
tastes. If you have your own suggestions
leave them in the comments, I get so few from actual people and only a couple
from bots selling garbage. My comment
section is lonely.
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