I recently had a chance to watch both MacGyver made for TV movies, Lost Treasure of Atlantis
and Trail to Doomsday. Neither of these movies have been released on DVD at the time this articular was written. I have not seen these movies since they were released fifteen years ago, so it was like watching them again for the first time.
The Lost Treasure of Atlantis tells the story of MacGyver and a former college professor (Atticus) searching for the lost city or Atlantis. The movie starts by MacGyver and Atticus have discovered a coin bearing the Greek letter Sigma in ruins of Mycenae and barely escaped a booby trap. Atticus thinks this artifact is the key to solving Solon’s riddle. Atticus teams up with MacGyver to go to the Balkans. There, they find themselves in underground catacombs looking for a hidden artifact, while a civil war is going over their heads. They are discovered by a militia, who take the relic, the Ark of Solon, from them. Atticus and MacGyver manage to escape with the Ark back to England. There MacGyver meets Kelly, an old friend and now research assistant who helps him analyze a residue found on the box. The dating of the Ark appears to be of the first century BC, the Roman era, although the Ark is supposedly dated in the Iron age. Atticus is disappointed when, upon opening the Ark, the supposed Staff of Wisdom within, is not there. The Ark gets stolen from the museum by Zavros, a renegade general working together with Lord Cleeve.
MacGyver, Atticus and Kelly discover the Staff of Wisdom, but are kept from returning by Cleeve and Zavros. Atticus appears to be on their side. They leave MacGyver and Kelly tied-up, but by MacGyver’s genius wit, they escape once more. They return to Cleeve’s estates to get both artefacts and flee, with the remorseful Atticus, to Thera (Santorini), the volcanic island believed to be the site of Atlantis. Now they know Cleeves and Zavros are ahead of them. Gaining an access near temple ruins at the volcanic peak, they have to solve some more puzzles in order to bypass the Gates of Hades, where they find the charred body of Zavros in the crematoriums corridor behind the doors. When they reached the main chamber, they find the petrified Solon sitting with his book of platinum ponce cards. They activate a hydraulic steam-powered computer with the remaining platinum pieces that drives up the platform with treasure chests. Cleeves is in rage when he founds out that the content are just scrolls. MacGyver realizes that the treasure was all about knowledge. After disposing of Cleeves, the trio narrowly escapes the inside temple.
This movie seamed like they were trying to mix Indiana Jones with MacGyver for this movie. All together I give it two thumbs up!
Trail of Doomsday was a lot less “fun” but still a good movie. The movie starts out with MacGyver going to visit a friend (Fredrick) who he saved his life 15 years ago. When he is there to see his friends, terrorists kill Fredrick, shoot his brother, and kidnap his daughter. His Daughter is later found dead but here body was badly mangled.
MacGyver stumbles upon a secret nuclear weapons factory in the center of Brittan. One of Richards friends Natalia, an ex KGB agent, tries to help MacGyver but is killed.
The daughter ends up being alive, and MacGyver saves her. The brother ends up being the “big bad” and Natalia is not dead. He also Exposes the nuclear weapons factory. MacGyver saves the day. I did not like this movie as much as the first, but still ok.
Now for a cool tribute movie.
