National Treasure

Rating: 3.5/5

A movie that is more entertaining than it is well made, National Treasure is full of fun adventure and questionable historical accuracy.

Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) comes from a long line of history buffs and treasure hunters. His family has believed for generations that there was a treasure hidden by the Knights of Templar. On a trip to the arctic, Ben and a team of like minded hunters are in search of a ship called the Charlotte that had been lost at sea.

When Ben and his crew find the ship, they find a clue that leads them to believe that their is a message hidden on the back of the Declaration of Independence. When one of the team members, Ian (Sean Bean), hears Ben decipher the clue, he and his two sidekicks double cross Ben and attempt to kill him and his friend Riley (Justin Bartha), so they will be able to have the treasure to themselves. Unbeknownst to Ian, Ben and Riley survive their attempted murder, and set out on a mission to steal the Declaration of Independence and protect it, so Ian and his goons can't get their hands on it.

Going into National Treasure, you know that it won't be a great movie, but you know it will be entertaining. The idea of a scavenger hunt that spans over numerous continents and centuries is just too appealing to be bad. However accurate or not the historical information may be, it is presented in a way in which you really believe and wish for there to be a secret world of clues and puzzles based on important times in American history.

Normally, if I see that Nicolas Cage is in a movie, I tend to stay as far away as possible. He's just not my cup of tea when it comes to acting styles. However, this is one of the only movies where I not only can tolerate him, but I actually like him. The character he plays does not require any incredible acting talent, and perhaps that's why it works so well. Ben Gates knows a lot about history, and gets excited searching for it. Simple character, for a simple performance. My favorite character in the film is that played by Diane Kruger. Her character, Dr. Abigaill Chase, is an expert at looking and studying historical artifacts and Kruger plays it wonderfully. Her acting skill is definitely above the required calibre of the film and she easily gives her character the strong, powerful, and intelligent qualities that are needed.

What I like about National Treasure, is that even though the characters travel to many countries and cities, the movie is still easy to follow. This movie was produced by Disney, so the creators obviously knew that their film had to be accessible to a younger audience. What the character's are doing is fairly complicated, but by vocalizing their plans, though a sometimes overused tactic, allows for National Treasure to be enjoyable and not overly intellectual or complicated.

I think that most everyone who has watched this movie before, knows that there are certainly better movies out there, but that still doesn't make this a bad film. National Treasure appears to know exactly what type of movie it is, and doesn't attempt to be anything more than an entertaining and energetic adventure film.