ABC Film Challenge – Action – Q – The Librarian: Quest for the Spear (2004)

By Newguy

Director: Peter Winther

Writer: David N Titcher (Screenplay)

Starring: Noah Wyle, Sonya Walger, Bob Newhart, Kyle MacLachlan, Kelly Hu, David Dayan Fisher, Jane Curtin

Plot: A bookworm becomes the librarian. Same night a magical spear gets stolen and he’s off to get some real life experience around the globe on his quest for the spear – starting with being thrown off a plane over Amazonas by his cute helper.


Tagline – Intelligence can only get you so far when you have to save the world.

Runtime: 1 Hour 32 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Fun Adventure

Story: The Librarian: Quest for the Spear starts as 30-year-old student Flynn Carsen (Wyle) gets pushed out of his latest course, needing to find himself a job to move on with his life and get some life experience. Flynn lands on his feet quickly when he gets selected by Judson (Newhart) and Charlene (Curtin) to become the next Librarian, the keeper of the secrets from the history of man.

After the Library is broken into and part of the Spear of Destiny is stolen by former librarian Edward Wilde (MacLachlan), Flynn is set on his first quest to returning the missing pieces from around the world, join by Nicole Noone (Walger) in an adventure that Flynn could never have imagined in the Amazon rainforest.

Thoughts on The Librarian: Quest for the Spear

Characters – Flynn has spent his whole adult life being a student always looking for another degree he can achieve, he get forced out of classes to find his own job, which sees him selected as the new Librarian, a role he likes the sound off until it means he must go on quest which will see him facing life or death situations. He is a wealth of knowledge, but struggles with everyday life. Nicole Noone is the lady sent to help Flynn on his quest, she is the muscles and true adventurer of the pair, letting him use his brain, while she uses her knowledge of combat to keep them both alive. Judson is the man that selects Flynn to be the next librarian, he has seen people come before and is used to the new reactions from the people. Edward Wilde is the former librarian that has joined the serpent crew in search for a new power to terrorise the world.

PerformancesNoah Wyle in the leading role is fun to watch, he just about balances the ideas of being smart and awkwardly funny. Sonya Walger does work in the strong adventuring partner of Flynn, she gets go against plenty of the stereotypes of the adventure female character. Bob Newhart does everything he needs to in the mentor figure role, while Kyle MacLachlan seems to enjoy the villainous role without being anything we haven’t seen before.

StoryThe story here follows a man that would rather learn that get on with life that gets thrown into a new job role as a librarian, a keeper of secrets from history, he gets to go on his first adventure against the former librarian to discover what he was always meant to be doing for a living. This is the first adventure, so it plays out like an origin to the mysterious Librarian world Flynn goes into, the adventure does have plenty of puzzle that need to be solved, only they do seem very easy to solve, but this is just the first adventure, which makes it easy to watch without challenging us as an audience.

Action/Adventure/ComedyThe action in the film is simple combat, which even watch Bob Newhart beat people up will get you laughing, the adventure does take Flynn away from his comfort zone on an adventure around the world.

SettingsThe film takes Flynn from the big city where he has lived his whole life in, he does get to go to the Amazon and Himalayas which are covered in history.


Scene of the Movie –
We need to leave the plane now.

That Moment That Annoyed Me The puzzles do seem slightly easy.

Final ThoughtsThis is an easy to watch adventure film, it does keep everything simple and gives us an easy way to enter this world.

Overall: Easy start for the franchise.

Rating