“Treasure Seekers Inc. – The Tiger Eye” is the first entry in a DVD series of family friendly adventure films. But don’t expect Harrison Ford knock-offs brandishing bullwhips. This charming endeavor combines appropriately nutty situations with subtle lessons that help younger viewers understand the concepts of teamwork and self-identity.
Filmmaker Judah Thomas casts himself as Reuben Finway, the head of the Treasure Seekers squadron that roams the world in search of lost artifacts. The Treasure Seekers, however, are not glory seekers – their goal is to recover items for museums. However, their actions are constantly disrupted by a trio of lumpy villains in Army surplus clothing; mercifully, those miscreants have more bullets than brains.
This offering finds the Treasure Seekers being asked by a museum director to locate a rare jewel that supposedly vanished somewhere in the Amazon. The Treasure Seekers determine that a Biblical pun on a vintage map relating to the jewel’s location would actually put the treasure in the Solomon Islands. (The film is spiced with faith-affirming statements, and one ingenious plot twist relates to Psalm 119:105). Needless to say, the group’s archenemies get wind of their hunt and follow after them in appropriately greedy pursuit.
The film does have a couple of hiccups, most notably the decidedly non-tropical Solomon Islands setting (the production comes from Connecticut). There is also a brief but unintentional comic bit when one of the Treasure Seekers tap into the notoriously unreliable Wikipedia to get up to speed on the Tiger Eye’s history.
But the film is subtle enough to handle several emotional issues that may resonate with younger viewers, particularly the subplot involving the Treasure Seekers’ tween computer whiz becoming depressed about losing his friends if his parents decide to move to another city. The lack of intense violence will make this an appropriate title for younger viewers, while the grown-ups will appreciate the on-screen chemistry between Thomas’ expedition leader and his wife Carey as his sassy second-in-command. (Mrs. Thomas co-wrote and co-produced the film.)
Hopefully, the Treasure Seekers will be back with more adventures. This little production is a pleasant and delightful surprise.
