The Lost Treasure

Stella Tinucci’s family adventure film, The Lost Treasure, takes us into the lore and legend of the Hawaii Islands. Eddie Fox (Josh Margulies) is a private investigator/treasure hunter/hustler earning a living in Hawaii. His family has lived there for several generations, and all Eddie has to show for it is an antique pocket compass passed down to him by the famed explorer John Young.

Cut to the evil and power-hungry Charles Wellington (Dezmond Gilla), who has discovered the legend of an ancient and mystical spear that holds great power — enough to destroy the island. Wellington is determined to find it and use the power for himself. The clues to its location are in an ancient book guarded closely by Mahina (Angelica Quinn), who barely escapes the clutches of Wellington’s goons, Leilani (Terry Bookhart) and Kainoa (Kava Jones).

“…discovered an ancient and mystical spear that holds great power — enough power to destroy the island.”

Needing a safe place for this mystic tome, Mahina gives it to Eddie because he is a descendant of Young. Not too long after, Leilani and Kainoa track down the P.I., but with the aid of his partner, Maleko (William Roehl), and new friend Tanya (Stella Tinucci), Eddie escapes their clutches. Mahina’s magical book synchs perfectly with Eddie’s compass, so now he seeks the spear. The artifacts change hands several times between Eddie and Wellington leading to a race toward ultimate power.

The Lost Treasure is a low-budget independent family adventure. Fans of B-Movies will recognize the Corman-esque quick-fire guerilla filmmaking that stretches every inch from its minimal sets, props, and late 19th-century adventurer costumes. This allows the visuals to feel big when needed, though nothing looks expensive either.