I’m currently buried under a couple feet of snow and the forecast calls for more next week. Right about now, the prospect of watching Lara Croft adventure through an island jungle seems pretty appealing. Let’s look at some of our other favorite movies with a tropical setting.
\n<\/p>\n
When it comes to tropical locations, you’ll not see nothing like ‘The Mighty Quinn<\/a>‘, a 1989 crime drama starring a young up-and-coming actor by the name of Denzel Washington. Washington stars as police chief Xavier Quinn, who’s investigating a murder where the prime suspect happens to be his childhood best friend, Maubee (Robert Townsend).<\/p>\n The tropical location is never mentioned in the film, but the movie was shot in Jamaica. While not Denzel’s first time on the big screen, this was his first post-‘St. Elsewhere’ appearance, one of his first starring roles, and the one of the first that showed his commanding presence as an actor. Denzel went on to bigger and better things, but ‘The Mighty Quinn’ remains one of my favorite films with him as the lead.<\/p>\n With major moments in movies like ‘GoldenEye’ and ‘Casino Royale’, it’s tempting to describe the bulk of the James Bond franchise as my favorite tropical location. But really, nobody, not even ‘Austin Powers’, does a journey to the tropics better than ‘Dr. No<\/a>‘. <\/p>\n As a huge Bond fan, I’m partial to the movie in both its originating state and in the way it differs from the more formulaic sequels, but as a tropical destination, the Jamaica of the film is an enticing mix of touristy wonder and true exotic locale. There’s something about how Bond starts with the airport and car ride, the hotel, and even the government house, to then venture further and further away from the familiar British trappings and into the more natural setting, that appeals strongly to me. <\/p>\n When I think of cinematic tropical locations, the first to come to mind are those in ‘Jurassic Park<\/a>‘. Isla Nublar, the fictional island set off the coast of Costa Rica, is brought to life via the 50th place to receive statehood in the United States \u2013 Hawaii. While the outdoor scenes in the film seem so prominent, I was surprised to learn that the on-location Hawaii shoot only lasted for three weeks. The locations are so iconic that any time they get used in other films and TV shows (’50 First Dates’, ‘Lost’, and many others), I’m distracted and brought back to ‘Jurassic Park’.<\/p>\n I’m on at least my fourth home video release of ‘Predator<\/a>‘, dating back to my Laserdisc days. It just holds this siren song over me as few other films have. Even with a small stack of ‘Predator’ discs within arm’s reach, it’s really the only movie I own and yet will still watch when it comes on TV. Even if I were channel-surfing and ‘Predator’ was already 40 minutes in, I’d stop flipping around and would have to see it through to the end. It’s compulsively rewatchable from basically any point, and I haven’t come across another flick that can do that to me.<\/p>\n ‘Predator’ is a perfect action movie. (I’d say the same about director John McTiernan’s follow-up, ‘Die Hard’, released barely over a year later.) Chief among its strengths are the incredible creature effects, the thermal imaging P.O.V. photography that ensures that the title alien feels that much more extraterrestrial, its perfectly paced adoption of the slasher\/body count formula, a hell of a cast, and its endlessly quotable dialogue.<\/p>\n Perhaps its tropical setting wouldn’t top most fans’ lists, but ‘Predator’ certainly wouldn’t be the same movie without it. This Central American jungle is a punishing, unfamiliar, and practically otherworldly adversary in its own right. (And, of course, it ultimately proves to be an ally as well.) It’s never in doubt that ‘Predator’ was shot on location; that impenetrable foliage, hopeless isolation, steaming heat, and breathtaking plunge down the waterfall could never be replicated on a sound stage. Its sequel suffered from more flaws than I’d care to count, but shifting the setting from the jungle to a more familiar locale was a particularly disastrous misfire.<\/p>\n Brian took my my first pick of ‘Dr. No’, dammit, so I’m just going to rattle off some titles as I think of them.<\/p>\n ‘Tomb Raider’ is of course an Indiana Jones knockoff. We’d be foolish not to mention ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark<\/a>‘, which opens with such an exciting set-piece in a Central American jungle.<\/p>\n That also brings to mind Robert Zemeckis’ very fun Indy riff ‘Romancing the Stone<\/a>‘.<\/p>\n Pretty much any Vietnam movie would qualify: ‘Apocalypse Now<\/a>‘, ‘Platoon<\/a>‘, etc.<\/p>\nBrian Hoss<\/span><\/h3>\n
Luke Hickman<\/span><\/h3>\n
Adam Tyner (DVDTalk<\/a>)<\/span><\/h3>\n
Josh Zyber<\/span><\/h3>\n