The Librarian: Quest for the Spear (2004)

61% of users liked it
(11,824 ratings)

A "professional student" lands a truly remarkable job in this witty made-for-TV fantasy adventure. Flynn Carsen (Noah Wyle) is a 30-year-old graduate student who has managed to collect a whopping 22 university degrees; despite his brilliance, shy Flynn seems to have a hard time with the real world,… More A "professional student" lands a truly remarkable job in this witty made-for-TV fantasy adventure. Flynn Carsen (Noah Wyle) is a 30-year-old graduate student who has managed to collect a whopping 22 university degrees; despite his brilliance, shy Flynn seems to have a hard time with the real world, and his mentor at school finally has him expelled so he can start putting his knowledge to work. Things are not much better for him at home, where his mother, Margie (Olympia Dukakis), wants him to meet a nice girl and settle down on his own. Needing a job, Flynn finds an unexpected opening with the New York Metropolitan Library, where Judson (Bob Newhart) and Charlene (Jane Curtin) hire him to look after a special collection. And a very special collection it is -- unknown to the world, the library has been caring for the world's most precious relics, including the Holy Grail, Pandora's Box, the Golden Fleece, the Sword of Excalibur and the Mona Lisa (the real one...turns out the Louvre only has a copy). It isn't long before Flynn learns how dangerous his job can be when he's approached by Lana (Kelly Hu) and Rhodes (David Dayan Fisher), members of a secret underground mob known as the Serpent Brotherhood who happen to know that Flynn is the new guardian of the Spear of Destiny -- and will stop at nothing to take it from him. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 46 min.
Directed By: Peter Winther
Genres: Action & Adventure, Television, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy

In Theaters: Dec 5, 2004 Wide
On DVD: Aug 30, 2005

Critic Reviews

Joly Herman, Common Sense Media
Brainy Indiana Jones wannabe is a so-so adventure.
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher
It's all totally lighthearted and tongue-in-cheek and never dares to be serious about anything, which is refreshing.
David Cornelius, eFilmCritic.com
It's a fun cheesy cable TV flick, a slice of winking B movie giddiness that charms us into smiling through all the nonsense.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Bruce B

No more than the Indiana Jones of the library made for TV. 1st of 3 films in this series, I doubt I will waste my time with the other 2 movies, just to much better stuff out there. 2 1/2 stars
jay n

Mindless but fun spoof of Indiana Jones and the like. Wyle is a geeky pleasure in the lead with Sonya Walger beautiful and tough as his protector. Bob Newhart, Jane Curtin and Olympia Dukakis add nice touches in small roles.
EightThirty .

01/07/2010 (DVD) A good one for the family. This is another one that looks too much like a TV series than an actual movie but it is surprisingly a good sitting. A nice round of usual comedy that is fitting for the family with an adventurous story that keeps things interesting. The… More
01/07/2010 (DVD) A good one for the family. This is another one that looks too much like a TV series than an actual movie but it is surprisingly a good sitting. A nice round of usual comedy that is fitting for the family with an adventurous story that keeps things interesting. The CGI is terrible but the film managed to keep me entertained.
Wahida K

He didn't want to be a hero. He only wanted a job.
Jason S

This is a fun little movie. The special effects are normal for a made for tv flick but they do the job of letting you know what it is you are supposed to be seeing. The story was simple but the mythology was fun. The idea of this library that holds all the worlds secret things from… More
This is a fun little movie. The special effects are normal for a made for tv flick but they do the job of letting you know what it is you are supposed to be seeing. The story was simple but the mythology was fun. The idea of this library that holds all the worlds secret things from history is pretty neat even though it did take some suspension of belief for you to accept the way it was shown to you. As I said, this is a fun movie and it isn't trying to be more than that. The acting is fine and there are some pretty funny parts here and there to keep things light hearted. Noah Wyle plays the part well and it was an interesting character to see him play after being so dang serious for all the years he was on ER.
Byron B

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… More
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 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.
Marion R

I didn't expect much, I didn't get much.
Leo L

This is such a great film!
Chad R

uh...quit trying to be Indiana Jones...PLEASE!