National Treasure (Widescreen Edition)
by Jon Turteltaub
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Diane Kruger, Jon Voight, Justin Bartha, Nicolas Cage, Sean BeanDirector: Jon Turteltaub
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
Producer: Barry H. Waldman
Producer: Benjamin Melniker
Writer: Charles Segars
Writer: Cormac Wibberley
Writer: Jim Kouf
Writer: Marianne Wibberley
Writer: Oren Aviv
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Dubbed), Unknown
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 131 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-05-03
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of National Treasure (Widescreen Edition)
Movie Review: An unbelievable adventure
Summary: 5 Stars
National Treasure is literally an unbelievable adventure. There are so many gaping holes in the plausibility of the plot that you must simply suspend your disbelief for the duration of the movie. If you can do that, you will be greatly entertained. What more can you ask of a movie?
First, let's deal with some criticisms. Is it a rip-off of Dan Brown's "The DaVinci Code"? Sure! The timing of the movie, the hidden clues beneath seemingly straight-forward public documents/paintings, and the secret society protecting its great treasure... we'll drop the word 'rip-off' and use 'influenced by' instead.
Does the movie require either the bad guys or the authorities to act naively in order to progress the story? Yep. However we have seen news stories frequently where crooks and lawmen have acted much more foolishly than the characters in this story.
Can anything in this movie be accepted as believable? Well, that's up to you. The pyramid with the glowing eye thing on a $1 bill seems pretty goofy to me, and the guys who dreamed that one up (our Founding Fathers) might be capable of just about anything. We know that the period around the American Revolution was full of secret societies and codes, handshakes, and ways to signify a rebellious spirit. Streets were named backwards, place settings at meals were opposite from the British standard, and documents were hidden in trees, in back of mirrors, and other interesting places. Check your attic!
Would the greatest treasures in the world be directed to an uncivilized colony in turmoil? Probably not. However, where would you bury treasure? In the middle of a busy city? The more you think about it the more plausible the partially civilized American colonies become for a hiding place.
But none of that matters in the least. The movie exists to entertain you. It does that well. Jon Voight is probably the most believable character when you learn that he spent 20 unproductive years chasing clues. His bitterness is well presented, as is his intelligence once he buys back into the dream. He's pretty annoying at times though.
Diane Kruger does as well as she can with the limited role she's given. 'Get in the way, screw things up, fall in love'. It is an old movie cliche. The role calls for her to be complicating eye candy, and she fills the role well.
Sean Bean has the obsessed villain role, and he excels. He makes a couple of implausible decisions, but if you understand that he is driven by money and not simply bad, it makes more sense. He wants the treasure. If he has to kill to get it, okay. If he can get it without killing, that won't bother him. He believes he is immune from getting caught, and that allows Nicholas Cage to live.
Mr. Cage. His sincerity, his obsession to solve the family mystery, his respect for American history, and his high regard for the lives of his friends are completely believable. He makes a few story-advancing bozoisms, such as having a nice chat with Abigail Chase outside the red van knowing that a group of killers are going to show up at any minute looking to make swiss cheese of him. Note to self: if a guy with a gun is chasing you, never climb scaffolding. For an intelligent guy, that move alone should have off'd him years ago. And where is he getting all of the money he needs to pay for all of the adventures and trinkets? The George Washington election badge alone would require that he hold down at least a manager position at the neighborhood McDonald's. Or better.
Okay, nobody donates stuff to museums without at least getting a copy of it. And the museum wouldn't display all of the letters, but would more likely display one or two and store the rest. Trifles, trifles.
Does the movie entertain? Yes. Is it worth buying? Yes. Should you buy "The DaVinci Code" instead? No. The book was exciting and thought-provoking. The movie "The DaVinci Code" was very disappointing. The movie checked off the clues as it went along, and remained as faithful to the book as it could, but it lacked the spirit of the quest that "National Treasure" captured. I viewed both movies expecting to love "The DaVinci Code" and dismiss "National Treasure" as a wanna-be. Instead, I loved "National Treasure", and found that the movie "The DaVinci Code" was the wanna-be for the book. Do I believe either one? Hey, I buy a lotto ticket each week. I'll believe anything!
Summary of National Treasure (Widescreen Edition)
From Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, and Jon Turteltaub, director of PHENOMENON, comes NATIONAL TREASURE. It's the thrilling, edge-of-your-seat adventure starring Academy AwardŽ winner Nicolas Cage (1995 Best Actor, LEAVING LAS VEGAS) as Benjamin Franklin Gates. Ever since he was a boy, Gates has been obsessed with finding the legendary Knights Templar Treasure, the greatest fortune known to man. As Gates tries to find and decipher ancient riddles that will lead him to it, he's dogged by a ruthless enemy (Sean Bean, THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy) who wants the riches for himself. Now in a race against time, Gates must steal one of America's most sacred and guarded documents -- the Declaration of Independence -- or let it, and a key clue to the mystery, fall into dangerous hands. Heart-pounding chases, close calls, and the FBI turn Gates's quest into a high-stakes crime caper and the most exciting treasure hunt you've ever experienced.Like a Hardy Boys mystery on steroids, National Treasure offers popcorn thrills and enough boyish charm to overcome its rampant silliness. Although it was roundly criticized as a poor man's rip-off of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Da Vinci Code, it's entertaining on its own ludicrous terms, and Nicolas Cage proves once again that one actor's infectious enthusiasm can compensate for a multitude of movie sins. The contrived plot involves Cage's present-day quest for the ancient treasure of the Knights Templar, kept secret through the ages by Freemasons past and present. Finding the treasure requires the theft of the Declaration of Independence (there are crucial treasure clues on the back, of course!), so you can add "caper comedy" to this Jerry Bruckheimer production's multi-genre appeal. Nobody will ever accuse director Jon Turtletaub of artistic ambition, but you've got to admit he serves up an enjoyable dose of PG-rated entertainment, full of musty clues, skeletons, deep tunnels, and harmless adventure in the old-school tradition. It's a load of hokum, but it's fun hokum, and that makes all the difference. --Jeff Shannon
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