The Librarian III: The Curse of the Judas Chalice

The original movie was not terrible and had its moments, but I did find it lacking. The second is an improvement but is pretty much the same. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, the third in the series. It may not be perfect, the effects range from decent to excessively mediocre, some of the explanation of the plot points was rather obvious and unneeded and some of the supporting cast are still underused so that they can't do much with their roles. However, the photography and scenery are splendid, and the score is suitably rousing. The dialogue has its witty and clever moments rather than the tired humour of the first two, and the story while somewhat derivative is actually exciting with some thrilling set pieces. Jane Curtin and Bob Newhart continue to steal the film with their subtly deadpan delivery, while Noah Wyle is at his most natural and likable, Stana Katic is the first female lead to not feel out of place or bland, she is sexy and with some steel, and Bruce Davison is also enjoyable. Overall, very enjoyable and the best of the series. 7/10 Bethany Cox

How I love these movies! Sure, there is nothing groundbreaking or revolutionary about them, but the combination of humor (Jane Curtain, Bob Newhart,) Good direction (jonathan Frakes,) and a good solid lead (Noah Wyle,) just makes for enjoyable television. One of the most wonderful things about the series is that it doesn't presume the lowest common denominator on the part of the audience's intellect. It seems to be a series full of historic references that are designed to be aimed at people who can appreciate them.

I very much enjoy the whole setup to the characters themselves. They are each given delightful backstorys that are fun as well as convincing. I have seen this compared to the Indiana Jones movies. While I agree with that in concept, I think there is a certain playfulness in these movies that the more serious...and far more expensive...Indian Jones films lack. My only regret is that these movies only come out every couple of years. I think that it would be great if this were turned into a regular series...or at least a few of them each year. These movies, to me, make up for the wasteland that is most of "normal" television programming.

The magnetic Stana Katic, less camp, and a touching love story.

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.

As I recall, Spielberg created "Raiders of the Lost Ark" with the idea of recreating "Saturday afternoon" movies with a little something for everyone--humor, high-stakes, scary moments, spectacle.

"The Librarian" series has the same aim and hits it well, so you're guaranteed sheer mindless entertainment. Noah Wylie's geeky "Librarian" keeps saving the day with lots of knowledge and few social graces, generally making a fool of himself along the way. Bob Newhart and Jane Curtain are such steady pros, they make you laugh without appearing to try. There's a well-cast requisite gorgeous girl in each show, and thankfully these female characters can hold their own and do as much rescuing as being rescued. Plus, it's nice to see a series that shows the value of knowledge and learning, even if Flynn has taken that idea a bit far. Geeks and friends of geeks will see much that hits home.

The special effects are good rather than great, but they work just fine. This series doesn't have the massive special effects budget that most blockbuster movies have. However, that's not necessarily a bad thing, since many big-budget movies overuse special effects to substitute for plot and character, without making the movie or the effects more interesting.

I enjoyed Librarian #3 "Curse of the Judas Chalice" probably even more than the prior 2 in the series. I loved the New Orleans setting, the female lead Stana Katic, plus this time they left out Flynn's mother (a not well written character). Watch the movies in sequence if you can. I'm recommending the series to several friends, and I'm looking forward to seeing more!