a review by Josh Hurst
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There are a couple of different ways one could look at the new film National Treasure. The best case scenario: It’s The DaVinci Code minus the heresy. Worst: It’s Indiana Jones lite. In truth, though, neither of these views is an entirely fair representation of the film, because National Treasure has got one thing that Dan Brown and Indy never had: A good U.S. history lesson.
Nicolas Cage stars as Benjamin Franklin Gates. He’s an adventurer, a scholar, and, incidentally, a laughingstock of the academic community. See, unlike his skeptical father (Jon Voight), Ben believes the old Gates family story about a secret treasure hidden by the country’s founding fathers.
But being regarded as a lunatic does have its advantages. Ben and his team are literally the only ones looking for the lost treasure, and so it would seem like the riches are theirs for the taking.
Just one problem: In order to get to the treasure, Ben learns that he must first steal the Declaration of Independence. Bummer. And, with that, the treasure hunt is over. Then he finds out that his former partner, Ian (the criminally underappreciated Sean Bean), does not share his moral reservations, and is plotting to steal the Declaration for himself. And, with that, the treasure hunt is back on.
And it’s a pretty fun treasure hunt, at that. There’s more adventure and suspense here than their was in the second Indiana Jones movie. Unfortunately, that brings us to the downside. National Treasure is a highly unoriginal movie, borrowing heavily from Raiders of the Lost Ark. I won’t spoil any plot details, but one scene in particular reeks of shameless Raiders plagiarism.
And it’s not an especially well-written or well-acted film, either. Nicholas Cage does a decent job with what he has, but his character is about as wooden and bland as action heroes get. Diane Kruger is even more forgettable in her cookie-cutter role as Ben’s love interest. Justin Bartha fares much better, scoring a few big laughs as Ben’s geeky sidekick, but it’s the supporting roles that provide the film’s best performance moments. Jon Voight and Harvey Keitel are both convincing in their small parts, and Christopher Plummer turns his small cameo into the film’s most memorable character.
The one thing that really sets the movie apart, however, is its obvious respect for and enjoyment of U.S. history. My girlfriend, a big history buff, was delighted by all of the obscure historical details that the film included; as for me, I know far less about the founding of our nation, and I was shocked when the end credits began to roll and I realized just how much history I’d learned.
National Treasure also scores points for giving us an intellectual hero. Unlike Indiana Jones, Ben Gates’ weapons are not a gun and a bullwhip, but, rather, his knowledge of science and history. He makes education seem not just useful, but cool, making him a great role model for kids, even if, as far as movie heroes go, he’s a little lacking in the personality department.
In fact, the same complaint could be made about the movie that he stars in. There is far too little wit and imagination on display to give National Treasure the same spark that made Pirates of the Caribbean such a delight. But it does offer enough adrenaline-rush action adventure to make it well worth catching at a matinee.
Who knew that history could be so much fun?