Noah Wyle, Sonya Walger, Bob Newhart

Broadcast to record ratings on the TNT cable network, this Raiders-esque adventure does not go by the book, starting with its atypical action hero and his decidedly uncool profession. Flynn Car...( read more  read more... )sen (Noah Wylie from E.R.) is a thirtysomething perpetual student who still lives with his mother (Olympia Dukakis). When his exasperated professor finally ejects him into the real world, Carsen's Holmesian deductive acumen lands him a job as the librarian at the Metropolitan Library. This is not an ordinary library. It houses history's most mythic artifacts, including the Ark of the Covenant, Pandora's Box, and the sword Excalibur. The fate of the world is in Carsen's hands ("That's so sad," he observes) when the dread Serpent Brotherhood steals the library's Spear of Destiny, and Carsen must retrieve it. His reluctant, and antagonistic, partner is Nicole (Sonya Walger), who is as skilled in martial arts as Carsen is schooled in the Dewey Decimal System. Bob Newhart and Jane Curtin add welcome comic relief, with Newhart, of all people, getting into the action by film's end. The humble hero (who would rather be known as "Flynn, the rather pleasant at parties"), somewhat cheesy special effects, and corny comedy make The Librarian a fun guilty pleasure. As Carsen proclaims, "Being a librarian is actually a cool job." This looks like the beginning of a beautiful franchise. --Donald Liebenson

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64% liked it

9,511 ratings

Unrated, 106 min.

Directed by: Peter Winther

Release Date: December 5, 2004

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DVD Release Date: August 30, 2005

Stats: 585 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (585)


  • February 9, 2009
    Charming, made for TV film, in which Noal Wyle plays a character created from elements of Indiana Jones mixed with a little of Sherlock Holmes ('The Red Headed League') and the three-stooges, pited against the evil Kyle MacLachlan in a quest to own the 'spear that pierced Christ....( read more)' If not actually a highbrow piece of work, it's certainly an entertaining way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
  • December 8, 2008
    The producer Dean Devlin is fully taking advantage of the age of the nerd. Noah Wyle's character Flynn is a socially awkward career student who has powers of observation and deduction similar to Sherlock Holmes. He is mysteriously drawn to an interview at a Metropolitan Library...( read more) for a real job in the real world. He is hired and introduced to the mythical treasures hidden deep (the military got their security measures from the library) within the library's halls. An evil organization manages to steal an artifact and Flynn is thrown into an Indiana Jones type adventure. Flynn is spastic and not used to physical exertion, all he knows is books. So a no nonsense, good looking blond, martial arts expert named Nicole is assigned to protect him (much like the NBC show Chuck that began in 2007). Well it turns out the previous librarian (played by MacLachlan), believed to be dead and a love interest of Nicole's, is alive and leading the evil organization trying to piece together the three parts of a spear (the spear that pierced Jesus' side at the crucifixion, and can grant the bearer the ultimate power over life and death). So now because Flynn is an innocent man-child and MacLachlan has become power hungry, it is a battle between good librarian and bad librarian. This TV movie is filled with corny jokes, silly special effects, and no real suspense or thrills. It is too neatly packaged and made to run in the allotted time slot.
  • July 5, 2008
    A little cheesy, somewhat of a rip-off to the Indiana Jones line. It doesn't have the "grandeur" of National Treasure, but i would still consider it a great family night movie to watch with the kids. Worthy of a watch, kids will probably love it (i'm thinking 8-12 year olds) but...( read more) adults won't help but compare it to the aforementioned movies. It's acceptable cheese!
  • December 24, 2007
    If it weren't for Noah Wyle (whom I've loved since his "ER" days), I probably would have given this Indiana Jones imitator a lower score.
  • August 16, 2007
    Was fun yet silly! Liked the fun capers less so the bad effects
  • November 10, 2009
    The plot was fairly original, the fight scenes were poorly choreographed and looked bad, It's a made for tv movie so it is worth the watch if you go in knowing that and expecting it to be a made for tv movie.
  • October 28, 2009
    Your typic Professor-turned Archealogist movie, although it turned out to be better than I expected it to be
  • October 9, 2009
    A low-budget pastiche of the Indiana Jones, National Treasure and Tomb Raider franchises.
  • September 19, 2009
    really funnuy and well acted and written
  • August 22, 2009
    J'ai bien aimé ce film d'aventures avec un bibliothécaire intelligent et maladroit. C'est drôle qu'il soit sans cesse sauver par une femme :)

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  • bssmith4
    March 25, 2007
    it is a gate family film I'd love to see a sires

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The Librarian: Qu... : Watch Free on TV


The Librarian: Quest for the Spear Trivia

The Librarian: Quest for the Spea... Trivia


  • what actor stared in the movie "the librarian: quest for the spear", also starred in a dramatic t.v. series?  Answer »
  • What movie had this quote: "If you want to hide something, put it in plain site."  Answer »
  • "I understand Thorazine comes in vanilla now." - what obscure movie is that line from?  Answer »
  • How long has Flynn Carson been in the class he attends at the present time in The Librarian : Quest for The Spear ?  Answer »

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