National Treasure (B or 3/4 stars)
'National Treasure' is an action film directed by Jon Turteltaub, & produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. One may compare this film to the best selling book, The DaVinci Code, it is actually quite different. Unfortunately, for Dan Brown (author of the aforementioned book), it seems that this film may wind up steeling the thunder of an upcoming book by the same author. Regardless of this information, 'National Treasure' IS a treasure, & a pleasure to watch.
1974: John Adams Gates (Christopher Plummer) lets his grandson, Ben (Nicolas Cage), in on a little family secret (a clue, if you will) that may unveil the spot where treasure has been hidden for centuries by a long list of heralded folk (Egyptians, Crusaders, Knights, & Free Masons). The Gates' are descendants of these Free Masons who founded America. They know the gentlemen affiliated with The Declaration of Independence, and who know the hints, clues, and whereabouts of this great treasure that expanded through the ages. Thirty years later, Ben is dead-set on finding this treasure, if only to show his speculative father (Jon Voight) that the treasure is attainable, and not a fable.
Action begins when Ben & Riley (a funny Justin Bartha) are trying to stop their enemy, Ian (Sean Bean), from stealing the Declaration of Independence. You see, an invisible map of where the treasure lies is supposedly on the back of the actual Declaration. What does Ben suggest the best way to prevent Ian from getting to the Document? Why, stealing it first, of course. Before thinking of stealing it from its vault (Plan B), Ben and Riley put up a good fight in actually trying to reason with archivists on why the Declaration must be secured from this weasel, Ian (Plan A). One of these officials is National Archivist, Dr. Abigail Chase (a beautiful Diane Kruger). She, among others, fails to believe Ben's story & therefore, he relegates to his Plan B. The Declaration IS stolen and there is a race between the good guys and the bad guys to figure out the myriad of mind-boggling clues that lead to the fortune. Along the way are several nail-biting chases, close calls, escape plans, tactical thinking, & even death-defying cliffhanger moments (almost literally). So, this is your basic action film, but it offers more than just action.
Nicolas Cage is excellent as Ben Franklin Gates. He's a great actor who commands the screen every time he is on it. As my friend, Kevin, has noted, Cage has a way of making us believe his convictions (no matter how realistic or campy the movie is). By the way, this film isn't getting away scot-free from criticism. There are a couple of cringe-inducing moments where something seemed either painfully obvious to the viewer, or completely unbelievable. And the love dynamic btwn. Cage & Kruger in some scenes is a bit over the top; almost making a mockery of Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones & all of his lovelies. But, it's all taken in stride & these moments do not take themselves seriously.
I had a lot of fun watching 'National Treasure'. The film is excellent at explaining every way in which Cage & his band of merry pirates figure out the endless seam of inane clues which could lead to the apparent treasure. Without the thorough explanations of where and how Cage was figuring out the cryptic clues, a lot of audience members would have been lost. In closing, I bow down, once again, & acknowledge how Bruckheimer can punch out blockbuster after blockbuster.
1974: John Adams Gates (Christopher Plummer) lets his grandson, Ben (Nicolas Cage), in on a little family secret (a clue, if you will) that may unveil the spot where treasure has been hidden for centuries by a long list of heralded folk (Egyptians, Crusaders, Knights, & Free Masons). The Gates' are descendants of these Free Masons who founded America. They know the gentlemen affiliated with The Declaration of Independence, and who know the hints, clues, and whereabouts of this great treasure that expanded through the ages. Thirty years later, Ben is dead-set on finding this treasure, if only to show his speculative father (Jon Voight) that the treasure is attainable, and not a fable.
Action begins when Ben & Riley (a funny Justin Bartha) are trying to stop their enemy, Ian (Sean Bean), from stealing the Declaration of Independence. You see, an invisible map of where the treasure lies is supposedly on the back of the actual Declaration. What does Ben suggest the best way to prevent Ian from getting to the Document? Why, stealing it first, of course. Before thinking of stealing it from its vault (Plan B), Ben and Riley put up a good fight in actually trying to reason with archivists on why the Declaration must be secured from this weasel, Ian (Plan A). One of these officials is National Archivist, Dr. Abigail Chase (a beautiful Diane Kruger). She, among others, fails to believe Ben's story & therefore, he relegates to his Plan B. The Declaration IS stolen and there is a race between the good guys and the bad guys to figure out the myriad of mind-boggling clues that lead to the fortune. Along the way are several nail-biting chases, close calls, escape plans, tactical thinking, & even death-defying cliffhanger moments (almost literally). So, this is your basic action film, but it offers more than just action.
Nicolas Cage is excellent as Ben Franklin Gates. He's a great actor who commands the screen every time he is on it. As my friend, Kevin, has noted, Cage has a way of making us believe his convictions (no matter how realistic or campy the movie is). By the way, this film isn't getting away scot-free from criticism. There are a couple of cringe-inducing moments where something seemed either painfully obvious to the viewer, or completely unbelievable. And the love dynamic btwn. Cage & Kruger in some scenes is a bit over the top; almost making a mockery of Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones & all of his lovelies. But, it's all taken in stride & these moments do not take themselves seriously.
I had a lot of fun watching 'National Treasure'. The film is excellent at explaining every way in which Cage & his band of merry pirates figure out the endless seam of inane clues which could lead to the apparent treasure. Without the thorough explanations of where and how Cage was figuring out the cryptic clues, a lot of audience members would have been lost. In closing, I bow down, once again, & acknowledge how Bruckheimer can punch out blockbuster after blockbuster.