At first glance, National Treasure appears mildly interesting but doesn't seem to have much to draw people in. The presence of Nicolas Cage and Jerry Bruckheimer however, will most likely be the biggest draw to some, as both of these gentleman...
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At first glance, National Treasure appears mildly interesting but doesn't seem to have much to draw people in. The presence of Nicolas Cage and Jerry Bruckheimer however, will most likely be the biggest draw to some, as both of these gentleman have proven themselves over and over.
The premise of this movie is that there was once a great treasure, supposedly too great for a single man to possess. Thus, a secret society was formed to protect it and keep it secret. Over the years, the members of this group and their families lost credibility and respect due to their claims that their ancestors left a map to the location of this treasure on the back of the Declaration of Independance. Nicolas Cage, as the star, is the one who, as a child, dreamed of finding this treasure. As a man who is very knowledgable about and has great respect for history however, he calls off the search once he learns that he must steal the Declaration to get to it. His financial backer won't give up so easily and the race begins, the two parties trying to steal the Declaration and follow the clues to discover the location of the lost treasure.
Initially the group starts out in Antarctica searching for a lost ship (boat, not plane) buried in the ice. The opening scene where the first clues are deciphered and the team breaks up is possibly the lamest point in the whole flick, as giant leaps are made and Cage's childhood dream is established. While vague sleuthing is retained throughout the film, it's not quite as unbelievable as the first scene, and in typical Jerry Bruckheimer fashion, the action does get better. The actual stealing of the D of I is nice because it builds tension on the two groups coming up with their own unique ways of doing it. Once the authorities get involved it makes things more complicated.
The main villian also plays his part pretty well. You may recognize him from GoldenEye (James Bond flick) and Fellowship of the Ring. I didn't expect this movie to get good reviews at all, as there is not much in it that critics typically deem positive. Apparently it did very well, though. It was far from the best movie I've seen; not even my favorite Bruckheimer venture, but still worth at least a rental or a matinee. It could've been a lot worse, but I feel that Cage and Bruckheimer bring it up considerably.