The adventure film sends its hero on a great journey into distant, exotic or dangerous worlds. At its centre lie courage, the spirit of discovery and a clear mission — a treasure, a missing person, a mysterious place. The tone is mostly optimistic, with humour, action and a touch of romance. Closely related to the pirate film, the western and fantasy; almost always follows the structure of the hero's journey.
Characters:
- the hero — brave, resourceful, often with a small weakness (fear of heights, snakes),
- the loyal companion / sidekick — comic relief, sometimes the moral conscience,
- the mentor — sets the mission, hands over the map or the first clue,
- the romantic counterpart — often met along the way, starts as an opponent,
- the villain — rival treasure hunter, corrupt governor, dark cult,
- henchmen and mercenaries,
- locals who help or distrust,
- the scientist / linguist / cartographer,
- exotic animals (horse, monkey, snake) as part of the ensemble.
Features:
- clear mission with milestones,
- a MacGuffin drives the action (treasure map, relic, tablet),
- atmospheric shifts — city, wilderness, ruin, water,
- many trials along the way,
- the "point of no return" — from there only forward,
- humour and danger alternate,
- in the end: return with the treasure (or the insight gained).
Dramatic structure:
- Call to adventure — a map, a letter, a visitor,
- Departure — leaving civilisation, packing the gear,
- First companions — the team comes together,
- Trials — desert, jungle, wild animals, hostile tribes, betrayal,
- Low point — captured, betrayed, map lost,
- Climax — the treasure, the redemption, the final test,
- Homecoming — changed, richer or wiser.
Typical conflicts and themes:
- Civilisation vs. wilderness,
- Money vs. honour (whoever wants to keep the treasure for themselves loses it),
- Trust within the team vs. betrayal,
- The hunted and the hunter,
- The promise that must be kept,
- Discovery vs. exploitation (modern adventure films reflect colonialism more critically).
Typical stylistic devices:
- the treasure map with an X,
- the old diary of the father / grandfather,
- the cryptic inscription on the temple wall,
- the rope bridge over the gorge,
- the loose stone that triggers a trap,
- the whip, the gun, the slouch hat,
- the chase (cart, boat, camel),
- the close jump onto the departing ship,
- the makeshift torch in the cave,
- animals as helpers or threats (snakes in the pit, monkeys in the trees),
- voice-over diary entries,
- heroic music with a recurring theme.
Typical locations:
- jungle and rainforest,
- deserts with oases,
- lost temples and ruins,
- ancient cities, caves, underground passages,
- rope bridges, waterfalls, river rapids,
- port city as starting point,
- museum, library, university as place of discovery,
- train, steamship, small aircraft.
Typical films:
- the Indiana Jones series,
- The Mummy,
- Raiders of the Lost Ark,
- The Lost City of Z,
- Romancing the Stone,
- Jurassic Park,
- Tomb Raider,
- King Kong,
- National Treasure,
- Jumanji,
- Uncharted.
Tips for improv theatre:
- Clear mission from the start. What are we looking for? Where does the journey go? That carries the show.
- Play stages, not the whole journey at once. Jungle → river → temple — each leg gets its own short scene.
- Build the team. Each character has a role: hero, comedian, mentor, traitor.
- Make danger real — not everyone survives every scene.
- Set up a small running gag — "Why does it always have to be snakes?" — the audience loves recognition.
- Show the map / the artefact / the diary — concrete objects make the mission tangible.
- Mix humour and seriousness. Big danger, small jokes — the genre lives off it.
- The final test is the personal one. The hero must prove not just the treasure but themselves.