Two kids from the modern day and a child king from the past on a big adventure.
The Lost Medallion: The Adventures of Billy Stone is a 2013 adventure movie. In modern (2010s) times, Billy Stone and his friend Allie are in Thailand with Billy's researcher dad, and end up discovering an important lost medallion. This brings in some bad guys who threaten Billy's dad, resulting in Billy making a wayward wish that sends him and Allie back in time 200 years ago.
Now trapped in the past, Billy and Allie team up with child king Huko, and a local boy named Anui, to try and stop the evil Cobra.
This movie contains examples of:
- Alternate Timeline: After finally returning to their original time, Billy and Allie find out that the bad guys who captured Billy's dad are no longer bad guys at all, probably because their ancestors also turned good after Cobra's defeat.
- Bad Boss: Simply being told by a henchman that the people don't realize that Cobra is their king, is enough to make Cobra so angry that he kills the henchman by poking him the neck with his poison-tipped fingernail, then pushing him into a fiery pit.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Seeing his dad tied up and threatened by two men who want the medallion, Billy wishes that "this whole mess had never happened." Technically, that happens - Billy and Allie are transported back in time to when Cobra was trying to steal the medallion.
- Big Bad: Cobra, who raids villages and enslaves the villagers.
- Book Ends: The movie begins and ends with a group of kids at a foster home being told a story. Those specific scenes were added by the distributor, who wanted to give the movie a "Christian" touch. These scenes are jarringly out of place with the rest of the movie, which has better acting, directing, locations, etc.
- Bookworm: Allie loves to read books and tries to get Billy into them. This actually leads to the adventure itself.
- Calling Me a Logarithm: Allie tells Huko he's a jerk. Huko's response: "No, I'm not! What's a jerk?"
- A Child Shall Lead Them: With the king having been killed over an attempt to steal the magic medallion, his son, Huko, is now the new king. Until Billy becomes the new king by returning with the medallion.
- Common Tongue: Being (presumed) Americans in Thailand, and even traveling back in time 200 years ago, doesn't result in Billy or Allie having any trouble communicating with anyone, since everyone speaks English just fine.
- Dramatic Thunder: Get ready to see lightning flashes and hear thunder every time Cobra's lair is shown!
- Fakin' MacGuffin: Cobra pulls a Hostage for MacGuffin twice, and the second time, Billy has a plan: throw a fake past him in the hopes that he'll let go of Allie and chase after the fake. Cobra doesn't fall for it, as he catches the fake perfectly, then immediately demands the real thing.
- Foreign Queasine: Allie is offered cooked bugs to eat at a feast, and is immediately repulsed, especially when Aui eats one in front of her, since it's normal for him.
- Framing Device: The events of the movie are framed as a story being told to foster children in a foster home. Sometimes the story is interrupted by narration, or a kid in the foster home asking questions.
- Hermit Guru: Faleka, the old man who Billy searches for under the belief that he can help them fight Cobra's army.
- High-Dive Escape: Desperately need to escape Cobra, and running out of options? Just jump! Luckily, Billy and Allie have experience playing around in the jungles of Thailand and making wild jumps, so this escape isn't totally new to them.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Cobra accidentally pokes himself with his own poisoned finger during a fight where he otherwise dodges all of Billy's attacks, and it's enough to disorient him and allow Billy to win an otherwise hopeless fight.
- Hostage for MacGuffin: Happens three times.
- The two men who were spying on Billy later show up at Billy's home with his dad tied up, and offer an exchange for the magic medallion.
- Later, Cobra grabs Allie and threatens to kill her if Billy or Huko don't give him the medallion.
- And even later, Cobra does it again! This time with a fiery pit to push her into.
- How Dare You Die on Me!: Basically Billy's reaction ("Why would you die for me?") after Faleka's Heroic Sacrifice to protect Billy from a crossbow sniper.
- Human Sacrifice: Huko is tied and gagged to a post to be set on fire, for reasons that are not made clear. This is even presented as a ceremonial event by Cobra, who holds an elaborate presentation for Huko's fate. Allie and Anui are in attendance with their hands tied, and no other slaves are at the ceremony.
- Improvised Parachute: Billy jumps off a waterfall, using a giant leaf as a parachute. It does nothing to slow him down. Allie points out the math for what Billy would need for that to actually work.
- Improvised Zipline: One is created from a thrown rope anchored on a tree, to allow Billy, Allie, Huko, Anui and Faleka to escape a group of Cobra's henchmen chasing them. Huko even says, "I can't believe that worked."
- Instant Expert: It sure didn't take the kids long to learn how to fight and organize in order to take back the kingdom from Cobra!
- In the Blood: In the past, Cobra took over a kingdom, and searched for the magic medallion. In the present, a man who looks just like him and is part of his lineage is continuing the legacy of trying to steal the medallion.
- Kid Hero: Billy Stone, Allie, Huko and Anui are the protagonists, and they are kids. They even end up telling adults what to do.
- Made a Slave: The fate of many townspeople, as well as Allie, Huko and Anui after they are caught in a trap at Cobra's hideout. They are all forced to work for Cobra.
- Make Sure He's Dead: After Billy, Allie, Huko and Anui jump off a waterfall to escape Cobra, Cobra isn't quite satisfied that they're actually dead, and tells one of his underlings to bring him their dead bodies.
- Memento MacGuffin: Billy was given a distinctive stone by his mother some time before her death. Surprise! It's actually part of the magic medallion that enables it to grant wishes, and only becomes active when near the medallion itself. Of course, the bad guys want it.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: The main villain is named Cobra. And he even has a poison fingernail!
- Narrator: Due to the interference of the distributor, a narrator occasionally interjects thoughts into the story now and then, to try to attach it to the Book Ends. Everything the narrator says is totally obvious, making it more clear that he was added to the movie later.
- No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Dine: After knocking Billy out and taking him prisoner, Cobra later treats him to a feast. One with strings attached, of course.
- Offered the Crown: Billy isn't literally offered a crown, but him returning with the medallion makes the people of the past immediately declare him king, over Huko.
- Only the Pure of Heart: Only those with a kind heart can use the medallion. Cobra is not happy about this.
- Parental Abandonment: Allie's mother always told her she was an accident, before abandoning her and leaving her in an orphanage. No wonder she hangs around Billy so much.
- Poison Is Evil: Cobra uses a poisoned fingernail to kill those who disagree with him.
- The Runaway: Allie intends to run away from the orphanage, where her life is very unhappy.
- Scenery Porn: Thailand is a beautiful place filled with jungles, mountains, rivers and waterfalls, and this movie is sure to let you know that.
- Shoot the Messenger: Cobra asks his advisor why the medallion won't work for him. Sensing trouble, the advisor tells him two lies: first, that the moon must be full, and then that the medallion must be worn a specific way. Cobra tells the advisor that if he tells the truth, no harm will come to him. The advisor, clearly hesitant, says that the medallion only works on those who have a kind heart. Cobra's response is to grab his neck and kill the advisor with his poisoned fingernails, say, "Why would you say a thing like that?" and then demand a new advisor to replace him.
- Taking the Bullet: Faleka spots a crossbow sniper aiming the bow at Billy, so he steps in front of Billy to take the shot and die in his place.
- Tampering with Food and Drink: One way the slaves can escape Cobra and his army, is to feed them tainted food that makes them fall asleep.
- The Stakeout: A villainous example. Two bad guys spy on Billy and hang out around his house, secretly recording his conversations in the hopes of learning about the medallion.
- Trapped in the Past: Billy's wish to escape danger in the present resulted in him and Allie being trapped in the past.
- We Can Rule Together: Cobra tries this on Billy after capturing him, and telling him that he needs Billy's heart to make the medallion's magic work. Billy of course refuses.
- Would Hurt a Child: Cobra has no problem punching and knocking out Billy.
