DVD Review- National Treasure
The entire movie teeters on the brink of ridiculous, yet the overall effect somehow transcends the stupidity, sucking you in and making you forget to eat the microwave popcorn that you so carefully prepared prior to it’s start.
The movie surpasses total stinker status for two reasons. Number one is Nicholas Cage. He slips easily into the hero persona and somehow makes his outlandish character almost believable.
The number two reason is the humor. As action-packed as the movie is, little bits of subtle humor have been peppered in at just the right moment, relieving the edge of your seat feeling the movie strives for.
Here’s the premise: Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicholas Cage) is the youngest of a seven generation family of treasure hunters. Ben and his ancestors have spent their entire lives searching for a vast fortune originally hidden by the Knights Templar of Europe.
Over the years, the treasure has been frequently relocated. It was finally brought to North America and hidden by the modern extension of the Knights Templar, the Freemasons, which included a number of the Founding Fathers. These crafty revolutionaries hid the treasure from those who sought to steal it.
At the beginning of the movie, Ben and his techie-guy sidekick, Riley Poole (Justin Bartha), are associated with a millionaire adventurer, Ian Howe (Sean Bean). Ian gives off a bad guy smell the minute he pops on the screen and even before Ben knows what’s happening, viewers undoubtedly recognize that an inevitable face-off is about to ensue. And ensue it does.
The moment Ian learns that a map to the treasure can be found on the Declaration of Independence, he proposes that they steal the historic document. Ben turns from treasure hunter to treasure protector and dismisses the idea immediately. Predictably, Ian has a tantrum and pulls a gun, thus ending the partnership.
This sends Ben and Riley off to warn government officials of Ian’s dastardly plan. Of course, no one believes the tale the heroes are telling, but the scene provides us an opportunity to meet the “love interest”, the feisty Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger).
Abigail is the director of the National Archives and in charge of the Declaration’s well being. She is also a cookie-cutter version of the classic action movie damsel, making you wish they would have left her part out altogether. Like the normal damsel, she unwillingly gets sucked into the adventure and before she knows it, she’s making doe eyes at the lead guy.
Now, everyone knows that when a cute guy and a cute girl are in danger, it’s only a matter of time before they fall hopelessly in love. However, knowing this does not make the romance seem any less contrived, so be sure to brace yourself for the unpleasantness.
The film carries on from there at almost breakneck speed. Ben successfully steals the Declaration of Independence and then makes a getaway with Riley and Abigail. The heroes move from clue to clue using the map and other gadgets that have been secured along the way.
Throughout what seems like a never-ending scavenger hunt, they are relentlessly pursued by the bad guys while dramatic music plays in the background. Ben’s father (John Voight) eventually joins the group, bringing with him a bit of comic relief, but not much else.
The sequences continue using the comforting predictability factor that Bruckheimer embraces. No surprise twists here. The somewhat bland ending is eventually tied up with a nice, pretty bow.
Even though the plot is overwhelmingly predictable, playing on almost every clichÃ?© in the book, the movie is fast-paced and energetic. You can’t help getting caught up in the whole crazy scheme. It’s also an all around good family movie. As long as you don’t take National Treasure too seriously, it may provide you with the entertainment you seek.
Special Features:
The DVD has some nice extras including “National Treasure on Location” (11 min.), two deleted scenes with optional director’s commentary (7 min.), an opening scene animatic, again with optional director’s commentary (2 min.), and an alternate ending (2 min.)
If you play through all of these, you’re rewarded with clues that will reveal four bonus extras. You get an eight minute featurette revealing footage from real treasure hunters, a challenge game, a five minute segment on the history of the Knights Templar, and a promo for Verizon.
