Review of Legends of the Hidden Temple (2016) by Akira J — 03 Apr 2017

One of the weirdest things I have ever seen. This super short hour and 5 minute film is based on the hit 90's kid game show 'Legends of The Hidden Temple'. It's a film built on nostalgia.

It follows the format of the show where a group of kids have to complete a series of puzzles and challenges while trapped inside the temple. Some of the challenges and rooms/set pieces are lifted directly from the show itself.

The film falls into a trap you would expect it to: The kids that grew up with the show are clearly too old to fully enjoy this film, and the kids it's geared toward are too young to get the multiple references to the original show sprinkled throughout.

This leads to the most baffling question of all: Who exactly was this made for? Not really anyone is the ultimate answer. Luckily, the main draw of this TV movie (in my opinion) is just how weird it is and the fact that it is mercifully short (Plus it has the original host of the show, Kirk Fogg, appear for a supporting role as an oddball version of himself and Dee Bradley Baker returns to voice Olmec).

If you grew up with the show, this movie makes for an easy, painless watch.