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Movie Review - National Treasure (2004)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Jon Turteltaub |
| Starring: |
Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Sean Bean, and Jon Voight |
| Rated: |
PG (for action violence and some scary images) |
| Length: |
125 minutes |
| Genre: |
Action/Adventure |
| Tagline: |
The greatest adventure history has ever revealed. |
| Studio: |
Touchstone Pictures |
| Website: |
National Treasure |
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PLOT
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Benjamin Franklin Gates (Cage) comes from a long line of treasure hunters, although Ben likes to think of himself
as a treasure "protector." He's on the search for a treasure that was brought to the new world by Columbus and
hidden by the Founding Fathers after the Revolutionary War. Bouncing from clue to clue, Ben thinks he's finally
figured out where the final clue is - on the back of the Declaration of Independence.
One of his partners, Ian (Bean), decides he's gonna be a bad guy and steal the Declaration. Hit the ominous
music! It's up to Ben and Riley (Bartha) to get to it first. And of course, a movie like this wouldn't be
complete without the FBI's involvement. Will Ben find the treasure that has eluded his family for generations?
Or will the final clue lead him to a dead end? Or perhaps, Sean Bean will find the treasure, kill Nicolas Cage,
and live happily ever after. Yeah, probably not. A history lesson wrapped in a treasure hunt wrapped in a Jerry
Bruckheimer movie ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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If you're planning on seeing National Treasure then please do me a favor right now. Get a pen and paper.
What? Yes, a pencil is fine. Ready? All right, now write "plausibility" on the paper. Done? Good. Now go find
a window and open it. I'll wait. Got it? Cool, now throw that piece of paper out the window. Done? Excellent,
now you're ready to enjoy the movie.
This is a movie meant to be enjoyed with a big tub of popcorn in your lap, not picked apart and overanalyzed
under a microscope. Is it pretty implausible? Of course! It's a movie that focuses on the theft of the
Declaration of Independence! What were you expecting, an episode of National Geographic? But what I like is
the movie's self-awareness and mockery of its implausibility. One of my favorite scenes is when Ben and Riley
are trying to explain to Diane Kruger's character that they think there's an invisible map on the back of the
Declaration.
The scene works perfectly because Ben gives as little information as possible and is reluctant when Kruger
pushes for more info. He knows just how silly she's gonna think this is. It feels as if he's trying to
explain himself to skeptical members of the movie audience. On a personal note, I'm still waiting for an
explanation regarding Snake Eyes. Come on, Nick, you at least owe me that!
National Treasure serves as a reminder of why I used to be a big Nicolas Cage fan. A reminder of why
Face/Off, Con Air, and The Rock adorn my DVD shelf. Cage is at his sarcastic and
charismatic best. And Bartha does a great job as Cage's sidekick. Not only is he funny, but he also makes
himself an honest and believable character by questioning Cage and some of his outlandish theories and ideas.
I'm just sad there wasn't a scene where he questioned him about the whole Lisa Marie Presley fiasco. Perhaps
the clues can be found in the Jungle Room? *Johnny pats himself on the back for this clever reference to
Graceland while readers not familiar with Elvis just shake their heads*
This is the mix of humor and action that Joe Moviegoer has come to expect from a Jerry Bruckheimer/Cage
collaboration. But don't discount the story. Obviously it doesn't stack up with the likes of Memento,
but for a movie that's bound to be labeled a "dumb action flick" it's actually pretty good, providing just enough
mystery and twists to keep my interest. There are also little bits of history trivia dropped here and
there (such as the clue that dealt with the history of Daylight Savings Time) that add a nice touch.
I've always liked movies that have clues that need to be pieced together, so I enjoyed following along with
Cage and Co. as they chased the clues - clues on dollar bills, the clues on the back of the Declaration, etc.
In fact, I wish the movie had focused more on the treasure hunt. If some of the chase scenes had to be
sacrificed, then so be it. I still enjoyed the chase scenes, but it was the actual sleuthing that pulled
me into the story and held my interest.
Will it hold everybody's interest? No. My cousin said he fell asleep during the first 20 minutes. He tried
to redeem himself and said he really enjoyed the second half of the movie, but everybody around him (who all
seemed to enjoy the movie) started to beat on him because of his comments. So yeah, there'll be plenty of people
who don't like National Treasure. Big surprise. I can already hear them accusing me of being a studio
shill for writing a positive review. Ah well. You'll have to forgive me for enjoying a movie whose main purpose
is entertainment, not intellectual enlightenment.
Oscar can keep Leaving Las Vegas, and I'll take National Treasure. Congratulations Nick, I now
forgive you for Captain Corelli's Mandolin.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- Johnny's Bad Pun of the Review: This is One Treasure You'll Want to Hunt!
- The scene in Antarctica was actually filmed in Utah.
- Jerry Bruckheimer is a producer. Bruckheimer and Cage have also worked together on The Rock,
Con Air, and Gone in Sixty Seconds.
- Johnny has looked hard but can't find any clues to treasure in his dollar bills. Please feel free to send
him more, and he'll check yours out as well. The larger the bill, the more likely it is to contain valuable
clues.
- Nicolas Cage was in The Rock with Bokeem Woodbine who was in All the Rage with Josh Brolin
who was in The Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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I was surprised at how family friendly the movie is. Some of the action sequences might be a tad much for the
wee lads, but if they can handle, well, TV and pretty much any movie that isn't G-rated, then they should be
able to handle this. Even mama would have a hard time finding something to sigh and gasp about.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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I actually enjoyed the movie more than I thought I would after seeing the trailer. I feared the movie would be
more of a cornball than it was.
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THE GIST
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The formula is pretty simple. Have you enjoyed the previous Bruckheimer/Cage collaborations? If you answer "yes,"
then you'll probably enjoy National Treasure. If you answer "no," then either don't go see the movie or
don't cry about it afterwards. I know that's asking a lot. But in general, if you're looking for a November movie
that has a "summer movie" feel, and you like Nicolas Cage's brand of sarcastic wit, then National Treasure
will entertain.
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