Riddles of the Sphinx (2008) starring Dina Meyer, Lochlyn Munro, Mackenzie Gray, Donnelly Rhodes, Emily Tennant directed by George Mendeluk Movie Review

Riddles of the Sphinx (2008)   2/52/52/52/52/5


Lochlyn Munro and Emily Tennant in Riddles of the Sphinx (2008)

Raiders of the Better Adventure Movies

Cryptographer Robert (Lochlyn Munro) fell out with his archaeologist father years ago as his digs threatened to put the family in danger due to ancient curses. With his daughter Karen (Emily Tennant) they have crafted a new life with him working as a teacher, that is until sexy tomb raiding astronomer Jessica (Dina Meyer) and former lover shows up at his door one day. An ancient Sphinx has been released and she needs Robert's help to solve a series of complicated riddles and puzzles in order to trap the Sphinx back in a tomb.

With skin tight trousers, knee high boots, guns strapped to each thigh and her hair worked back Dina Meyer gives us a TV take on Angelina Jolie's Lara Croft whilst Lochlyn Munro in the teacher role with a teachers tweed jacket and a leather bag with strap over his shoulder which he swaps for a leather jacket and fedora gives us a TV take on Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones. You will either find this amusing or painful if you chose to watch "Riddles of the Sphinx" and personally I went with amusing because once again this is the sort of movie you watch knowing not to expect great things and if you do then sadly you need to learn quickly the certain traits which will warn you that a movie will be on the corny side.

Dina Meyer in Riddles of the Sphinx (2008)

But the characterisations of Meyer and Munro are not the only thing which are familiar in "Riddles of the Sphinx" because of course the whole delving in to ancient tunnels and monuments is also just a knock off of any older treasure hunting movies be it Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider, National Treasure and it feels like there is a touch of "Stargate" tossed in to the mix as well. The thing is that it doesn't try to pretend to be anything else other than a rip-off and whilst it doesn't go full on spoof it unashamedly pinches scenes from other movies such as the go on three gag from the "Lethal Weapon" movies.

The thing is that once you accept that "Riddles of the Sphinx" was made to be a rip-off movie and a corny one at that then it becomes enjoyable as those groan elements such as Lochlyn Munro in an Indiana Jones outfit will amuse rather than annoy. The cheap end special effects will also become entertaining as will the hilarious action whilst the nonsensical script, well that will still remain nonsensical.

What this all boils down to is that "Riddles of the Sphinx" is a typical made for TV movie which intentionally rips-off other movies. For those not used to this sort of thing it will probably be annoyingly weak but for those who have watched this sort of movie before it is one with a touch of the enjoyably bad about it.


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