Today’s quick review: The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice. While on vacation in New Orleans, Flynn Carsen (Noah Wyle), the guardian of a secret collection of supernatural artifacts, stumbles onto a plot to steal the Judas Chalice, a relic capable of reviving vampires and increasing their strength. To save the world from an army of undead, Flynn must follow the clues and get to the Chalice first.
The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice is an action adventure movie and the third installment in the Librarian franchise. Now several years into his career as the Librarian, Flynn finds himself frustrated by the secrecy his job entails. He gets away to New Orleans for a vacation and finds not only danger, but Simone (Stana Katic), an enchanting nightclub singer who guards the route to the Chalice. Bob Newhart also returns as Judson, Flynn’s peculiar mentor.
Curse of the Judas Chalice offers the same brand of light adventure as the previous two films in the series. Flynn uses his brains to hunt down the world’s most valuable and dangerous artifacts. Neither the plot nor the characters are all that deep, and the movie’s main draw is its peril and charming but predictable sense of humor. Like its predecessors, Curse of the Judas Chalice is a popcorn flick, appealing in its own way but limited by its budget.
At the same time, Curse of the Judas Chalice is a slight step up from the other Librarian films. The tone is more consistent, the plot is more cohesive, and the action fits more smoothly into the rest of the film. Stana Katic makes for a more lively companion than usual, and she plays off Noah Wyle well. The changes aren’t drastic, but they are enough to make Curse of the Judas Chalice feel like the most polished of the three films.
Watch The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice when you’re in the mood for a light adventure with decent execution. As with the other entries in the series, viewing order doesn’t matter. For adventure films with better execution, check out the Indiana Jones series. For fans of The Librarian who are looking for more, The Librarians is a TV series set in the same universe.
6.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for a good premise, a pleasant tone, and decent execution.