National Treasure (2007)

I'm surprised that this movie has attracted so much scorn. Is it silly and far-fetched? Well, duh, anyone could figure that out who's seen only half a trailer! So, if we accept that going in, the only remaining question is does it deliver sufficient entertainment value?

I vote yes.

The far-fetched plot owes a large debt to "The DaVinci Code", which itself owes a large debt to a time-honored history of conspiracy theories. Long before "The DaVinci Code" was published, I'd heard all sorts of whispered tales about the Knights Templar and the Freemasons usually involving the Holy Grail, though.

But none of that matters. This is a yarn, pure and simple. As such, it's well told with a good mix of likable and villainous characters, plus at least one you're not too sure about. Should you expect a tall tale to stand up under intense scrutiny? Not bloody likely! To keep you from thinking about the incongruities, it has lots of well-paced action.

This is also a family film. I saw it with 8 other family members ranging from preteen school kids to their grandpa (me). Everyone had a good time and everyone figured we got our money's worth.

National Treasure is proof of what us "common" listeners, movie goers, readers and observers have suspected for a long time; That critics are usually wrong/stupid. This movie got bad reviews. Not even bad abysmal reviews. And do you wanna know why? After everything is said and done, it's because there's no sex, no foul language, and it's entertaining instead of disturbing. Well we can leave them to the business of deciding what our likes and values "should" be, and we they can pontificate why movies they view with disdain end up as year-end blockbusters. With that being said, I feel I should come from a different angle. This movie is also NOT an anti-Christianity film (and I find it interesting that people would equate it as such, seeing as there are so many other mediums that are). The plain and simple facts: pretty much everyone involved in shaping this country: from establishing it, to breaking from England, from the signing of the Declaration of Independence, to the men we've elected as Presidents have been Christians. ALSO, more than half the men that signed the Declaration were Masons. Simple facts. George Washington was a Mason. Ben Franklin was a master mason. Lodges were established pretty much everywhere across the East Coast. There's no way to dispute these things because they happened. Coming to the conclusion that masonry is anti-Christian just shows a lack of knowledge on the subject (especially since most masons are Christian to begin with). This is a completely different topic (something that I wouldn't mind discussing with anyone via e-mail), so onto the movie.

It's well written, interesting, with a cliff-hanger look into history that more than acknowledges Dan Brown. (By the way, Dan Brown's new book is on the same subject as this movie. I'm not sure which is interdependent.) It's well produced, well casted, with very few lagging moments. The story is great and the American historical sights are filmed very well, showing masonic influence in virtually everything our Founding Fathers did. I really don't see how this can be construed as negative. Perhaps critics don't like Disney.

Seeing an early edition DVD of this movie, I can say that the special features are certainly lacking. Putting any type of "history channel" type documentary of the evolution of templars-to-masons would have been nice. Even masonry in American history would have been good. Basically, there's a 5 minute mini-history that covers the same ground as the movie or is common knowledge. Perhaps the "special edition" will have more. The lacking special features pales to the greatness of the movie. One of the best!

Overall: 9 out of 10.

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National Treasure reminds me of a scavenger hunt with guns. It kind of has the flavor of an Indiana Jones movie, just with Nicolas Gage instead of Harrison Ford. Now that there's two of them out see National Treasure 2 Book of Secrets (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) I guess it'll be like Indiana Jones, they'll keep making them as long as they sell.

Anyhow Nicolas Gage plays a modern day treasure hunter who runs from clue to clue, closely followed by a rival for the treasure. This is a "Jerry Bruckheimer" production, so I wonder if it'll be coming to TV soon.

Recommended for fans of Nicolas Gage Indiana Jones movies and scavenger hunts.

Gunner March, 2008

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What a great movie that the whole family can watch! I am a history buff, and it was very enjoyable to see this movie incorporate actual events from history into the mystery. The cast was well chosen, and the movie never had a dull moment. The different location shots were chosen, and showcased to intrigue the viewers.

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I didn't plan to see this movie at all. Even though I usually love Jerry Bruckheimer films (Pirates of the Caribbean is one of my all-time favorites), the plot sounded too out there and far-fetched to seem enjoyable at all. However, when some friends from college suggested a movie night at the dollar theater, and this was their chosen flick, I figured, "What the heck? It's only a dollar." It was honestly the best dollar I spent at the movies in 2004.

Putting aside the fact that the plot does sound a bit weird, there isn't much to complain about (which just proves what I have always believed professional critics know nothing about what makes a good movie). Nicholas Cage's portrayal of Benjamin Franklin Gates, history nut and treasure hunter, was outstanding (albeit his knowledge of history did border on an obsession). As his sidekick Riley, Justin Bartha had me in stitches.

The ONLY complaint I have is that it seemed fairly easy for Gates to actually get his hands on the Declaration of Independence. That point aside, it's an easy five-star movie.

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