Jack Hunter (film series)

Jack Hunter
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Original release
ReleaseDecember 30, 2008 (2008-12-30) –
July 31, 2010 (2010-07-31)

Jack Hunter is a 2008 American archeological adventure mini-series (in the vein of the Indiana Jones franchise). It consists of three parts: Jack Hunter and the Lost Treasure of Ugarit, Jack Hunter and the Quest for Akhenaten's Tomb and Jack Hunter and the Star of Heaven with Hunter played by Ivan Sergei.

Plot

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Part 1

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The film begins with Jack stealing a stone tablet from a French museum... Young archaeologist Jack Hunter planned only to take a picture of a cuneiform tablet from once unsurpassed Mesopotamian metropolis Ugarit in present Syria, but is caught and has to steal it from a private museum in France. He refuses to join his mentor, professor Frederic "Freddie" Shaffer, who believes the poem is a coded treasure map, on a relic hunt, until his friend is murdered to steal it. The obvious suspect is Syrian artifact trader Ali, so Jack flies to Damascus. There he must accept working with local, US-educated colleague Nadia and her driver Tariq. Their lives are threatened during the long relic quest, for one by common nemesis Albert Littman, but another secret lurks too.

Part 2

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Akhenaten, a pharaoh who raided Ugarit, stole its treasure and the second piece of the Star of Heaven. If Jack and his team find the tomb, they will find the treasure and the Star. Loads of action and mystery await.

Part 3

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The final piece of the puzzle and final film in the film series. It seems the Romans got to Akhenaten's Tomb first. The race is on to see if Jack and his friends can find the treasure and recover the Iris back from Littmann and the Russians.

Cast

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Characters Films
The Lost Treasure of Ugarit Quest for Akhenaten's Tomb The Star of Heaven
Jack Hunter Ivan Sergei
Nadia Ramadan Joanne Kelly
Albert Littmann Thure Riefenstein
Lena Halstrom Alaina Huffman
Liz Susan Ward
Tariq Mario Naim Bassil
Doridanov Mehmet Polat
Said Tuncel Kurtiz
Mustafa Sinan Tuzcu
Riyad Savas Özdemir
Eyhab Alper Kul
Boat captain Orbay Sayu
Truck driver Volga Sorgu
Egyptian soldier Emre Cosar
Egyptian worker Can Çelebi
Fuad Antaki Mert Yavuzcan
Petrovsky Teoman Kumbaracibasi
Inspector Fatih Fatih Haciosmanoglu
Armen Antaki Michael Halphie
Widow Esin Eden
Monk Tansu Biçer
Young woman Silay Ünal
Nun Lilie Lossen

Reception

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The series has been described as a low-budget blatant ripoff of Indiana Jones. Jumping Sharks' review described it as "a completely original miniseries, in no way stealing anything at all from Indiana Jones. Nope. No sireee. Well, maybe just a bit. Okay, maybe a bit more than a bit. Oh, alright – they basically copied Indiana Jones, right down to his trademarked hat."[1]

Jack Hunter generally received mixed reviews from critics. One reviewer from Die Welt, however, did praise the series, saying, "As the successor to Indiana Jones, [Jack Hunter] does the adventurer credit."[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Jack Hunter and the Lost Treasure of Ugarit". Jumping Sharks. 22 February 2012.
  2. ^ Roth, Jennie (June 5, 2009). "Jack Hunter ist der neue Indiana Jones" [Jack Hunter is the new Indiana Jones]. Die Welt (in German). Berlin. Archived from the original on June 8, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
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