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National Treasure (2004)

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639 comments in total

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146 out of 166 people found the following comment useful :-
Take "National Treasure" for what it is., 4 January 2005

Author: dgrooms72 from United States

This is a fun movie that most everyone in the family can enjoy. It's rated PG, has some violence, but no nudity and no language. Younger kids will probably not understand the Masonic and Knights Templar references, but they'll probably still enjoy it. The only thing anyone needs to understand about the Masons is the Knights Templar eventually became the Masons, and many of our founding fathers were Masons, so there's a bit of Masonic lore/connection tied into the movie. Other than that, it's easy to follow. Ben Gates is chasing a dream of finding a lost treasure, the map to which is supposedly hidden on the back of the Declaration of Independence. He steals the Declaration, then takes off on his adventure to find the treasure. To put it simply, "National Treasure" will remind you of a cross between the Indiana Jones trilogy (minus the snakes) and "Ocean's 11" (minus the drinking and profanity). You don't have to be a genius to watch it, and you don't have to be a history nut to understand it. No, there isn't really a map on the back of the Declaration of Independence (Is there?), but Indiana Jones didn't actually find the Ark, either. It's a fun, fantasy, what-if, kind of movie. Enjoy it.

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139 out of 178 people found the following comment useful :-
Pleasant Surprise!, 20 December 2004

Author: krabby-patty

National Treasure was not on my must-watch list. but it turned out to be a most pleasant surprise. the history behind the show may not be accurate and it also has around it, an air of mystery, but it certainly was a fun filled ride with the face-paced action flicks! I'm NOT a particular Cage fan. nonetheless i had to admit he did a pretty good job as Ben Gates - slightly serious yet very witty! together with Riley, they provided the tickles that brought the audience through the entire film.

with no explicit language and scenes, National Treasure is well-suited for family entertainment! its a light-hearted film good for an evening of chilling out! the subtle love story also adds credit to the film.

well done!

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137 out of 188 people found the following comment useful :-
fun adventure, 12 December 2004

Author: MLDinTN from TN

This was a fun film, sort of like an Indian Jones movie, but the treasure hunter must figure out clues. I'm sure the reason this was made and released now has a lot to do with the Da Vinci Code. The plot is just like it except instead of involving religious history, the clues center around American history, and namely the founding fathers.

So Nick Cage, plays Ben Gates, the treasure hunter whose family has been looking for the treasure of the knights templer for years. One of his relatives possessed the last remaining clue from a dying Mason. So, the movie starts with Cage finally solving that clue, and the film goes from there. Of course, we have the evil billionaire guy who wants the treasure for himself and the funny sidekick. But, I think the sidekick failed because he wasn't all that funny. The movie could have used some more humor. And of course, Gates hooks up with a beautiful woman along the way to help him solve the clues, which sounds just like Da Vinci.

It is unbelievable that someone could just come up with the answer to these difficult clues after thinking about them for 2 minutes, but we don't have time to let the characters ponder them for a few months. It is meant to be fun, so forget about the plot holes. The whole set beneath the church looked very neat, but I would have to think all those wooden stairs would have been rotten by then and no one could walk on them. But who cares, it's fun.

And the theft of the Declaration of Independence was reminiscent of Ocean's 11. Funny how anyone can steal anything in a film, forget locked down security.

FINAL VERDICT: If you like adventure films, I recommend it. It is not like Tomb Raider, which some have compared it to. Tomb Raider was horrible. This is more like Indiana Jones.

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140 out of 215 people found the following comment useful :-
Did The Illuminati Fund This Movie To Further Mask Their Nefarious Schemes?, 12 December 2004

Author: hokeybutt from Milwaukee, Wisconsin

NATIONAL TREASURE (3 outta 5 stars) After hearing some of the initial reviews I was expecting something of a train wreck here. Actually, the movie is not bad at all... in a cheesy kind of Saturday afternoon time-killing way. Some of the actions of the characters strain credibility at times... but if you just sit back and let the plot play out it's all quite entertaining. A pair of eccentric treasure hunters pick up a female ally along the way as they try to beat a rich bad man at finding the greatest cache of treasure of all time. Nicolas Cage gives an effortlessly engaging lead performance. His male and female sidekicks (Diane Kruger and Justin Bartha) play off him quite well. The main villain (Sean Bean) is a more low-key bad guy than we tend to see in movies these days... he doesn't go on and on ranting and raving and screaming to prove how bad he is... he just proves it quite matter-of-factly through his actions. Jon Voigt and Harvey Keitel do alright in a couple of minor roles that don't do much for their acting cred but probably gave their bank accounts a boost. It didn't even strike me until the very end that this was indeed a Disney MOVIE... one very much like the adventure movies they used to put out in the 50s. I was also pleasantly surprised that there were less dumb action stunts than I expected. The two major stunt scenes in the film (a car chase and a stairway cave-in) were pretty un-inspired... the movie wisely concentrates more on plot and dialogue.

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158 out of 260 people found the following comment useful :-
Excellent movie vastly underrated by critics, 15 December 2004

Author: peter0105 from Philippines

I went to see four movies this week (Birth, Incredible, Bridget, and this one, National Treasure).

I went to see National Treasure last because it got the worst rating by critics.

It turned out to be the best of four.

An excellent movie, packed with suspense, good acting, plot, from beginning to end.

Two thumbs down for critics. They missed this one just like they did for Riddick.

I heartedly recommend it to anyone.

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65 out of 90 people found the following comment useful :-
Fairly entertaining, 30 November 2004

Author: grahamsj2 from SE US

I am NOT, repeat, NOT, a Nicolas Cage fan, mainly because he relies too much on action to carry his films (instead of his acting), but this is a pretty decent flick. There is enough action and suspense to keep the viewer's interest and also to maintain the pace of the film. There's actually not very much actual violence (strange for a Cage film!), but the story is so well-written that even Cage can pull it off without any gore. The basic story has been reviewed several times, but it's the continuation of a 200 year old treasure hunt. Cage must solve riddle after riddle to find the ultimate clue to the treasure's whereabouts. The clue is finally determined to be on the back of the Declaration of Independence. How Cage figures the clue that leads him there is pretty far-fetched but its the key to the story. If you buy into that, the rest of the riddles are acceptable. There's also a double cross plot headed by the great Sean Bean that provides a lot of the action. The lovely Diane Kruger portrays the poor lady who gets caught up in the middle of all this intrigue. Overall, except for the figuring out of the clue found in the ship (the viewer just has to assume that he's that far above the rest of us in intelligence), a pretty exciting film with a little something for everyone.

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71 out of 105 people found the following comment useful :-
A Surprisingly Stunning Gem., 26 November 2004
Author: tfrizzell from United States

A descendant (Nicolas Cage) of a family of fortune hunters looks for a treasure chest that was hidden by the Founding Fathers of the new United States after the Revolutionary War. After being double-crossed by European Sean Bean and his men while obtaining another clue in the Arctic, Cage and sidekick Justin Bertha (who nearly steals the show with his quick-witted one-liners) travel to D.C. to obtain the Declaration of Independence. It is believed that there is an invisible map on the back of that historic document. A daring cat and mouse game continues between Cage and Bean as the ultra-hot Diane Kruger (who made almost no impression in the disappointing "Troy") gets involved as well. Jon Voight (Cage's skeptical father) also gets thrown in the mix as the movie progresses and he does some of the best work of his career in an endearing and quietly comical role. A brilliant scavenger hunt for clues along the major cities of the East Coast will leave you on the edge of your seat. "National Treasure" is a fun trip to the movies. The setup (told by Cage's grandfather, Christopher Plummer) is a bit uneven and I was worried that this was going to be a disaster, but I am glad it was not. The characters are all smart and intelligent and the pace is fast and furious. Wonderful entertainment for the entire family. Surprisingly one of the finer pictures of 2004. 4 stars out of 5.

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80 out of 123 people found the following comment useful :-
Indiana Jones minus the gore, 11 January 2005

Author: owlglass from Dunedin, New Zealand

This one gets my vote for the most enjoyable flick of 2004 (together with The Indredibles). You'd think it's just for kiddies, but any adult capable of just going to the cinema to enjoy themselves should be able to sit back, gobble the popcorn, suck the straw, nibble on the ice- cream and just have a couple of hours of unproblematic mania—with good and bad guys, daring thefts, lost treasures, romance, chases, near escapes, disasters and rescues and everything you'd expect in this kind of Bruckheimer production.

The whole thing is paced just right, the villains are just bad enough, and the goodies are nobles with a roguish streak. The cheesy bits are mellowed with a dash of wry humor, and those that aren't: well, just take them, don't cringe and, again, have fun!

I came out of this movie smiling, as did my wife and elder daughter (that would make all of us into definite 'adults'). Since a smile was what we all wanted that day, we got exactly what we asked for.

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18 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
Truly a lame movie from beginning to end, 11 December 2006

Author: Thomas Dye from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Nick Cage is Gates, a treasure hunter (oh, excuse me... treasure "protector", whatever that means) who is descended from a long line of treasure hunters. One of his ancestors had been given a clue to the whereabouts of a huge treasure that our Founding Fathers, most if not all Freemasons, had decided to hide because they just didn't want to finance their Independence all that badly.

The first clue turns out to be in a long-lost ship hidden in the Arctic. Gates and his crew, consisting of financier Ian (Sean Bean), Movie Dork Riley (Justin Bartha of the immortal "Gigli") and a couple of faceless lackeys, enter the cargo hold of the ship. They immediately spill out tons of gunpowder all over the floor, not that this is significant in any way. At last they find the clue (a skeleton is hovering over it) and it turns out to be a pipe with writing... on it. Sort of. Don't ask me to explain.

It's a riddle, and despite the fact that his expedition is clearly miffed at not finding the actual treasure, Gates wanders around yammering to himself about the meaning of the riddle, in this frozen cargo hold, while the crew just stands around slack-jawed. I mean, come on. Someone should have been a little vocal in their disappointment of coming all the way to the freaking Arctic and not finding anything interesting, but they just stand there as Gates enters his own world, solving the riddle.

The next clue turns out to be on the Declaration of Independence. Ian decides to steal it. Gates is appalled. Various characters deliver gratingly obvious exposition (get used to it). All this leads to Ian's lackey pulling a gun on Gates, and the gunpowder going off in a big explosion. (oh, that's why they spilled all the gunpowder! Huh!!) Ian and his henchmen make their escape, and Gates and Movie Dork Riley walk nine miles in subzero temperatures to an Inuit village in order to stop them.

To stop them, Gates concludes after trying the FBI and Super Archivist Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger), Gates and Riley must steal it themselves. Riley then tells Gates in excruciating detail why they can not steal the Declaration, because it's so protected with metal and laser eyes and high tech security blah blah. Gates then tells Riley that there's an opportunity to steal it from the Preservation Room. Does Riley know what the Preservation Room is, Gates asks? "A place where they make jams and jellies?" I am not kidding; that's the actual line. Bartha doesn't deliver it like a joke, either. So Riley does all this research about the Library of Congress and the Archives and water and sewage, fercryinoutloud, but doesn't know what the Preservation Room is. This pretty much indicates what level this script is on.

To make the rest of this short, Gates does in fact make off with the D of I, in a ridiculous break-in that could only happen in a movie. (I also hate the way they depict computer monitor technology in movies -- full of improbable and impractical graphics and fonts.) Abigail Chase ends up tagging along for convenience's sake, and as an obvious "love interest" angle. At one point, the three of them, on the run from the law, discuss all their plans really loudly in a clothing store, surrounded by people.

A series of clues and the kidnapping of Gates' father, played by a dyspeptic Jon Voight, leads good guys and bad guys alike to a huge Indiana Jones fun-house located underneath New York City. Odd that the subway builders never found this thing. Gates and Gates Senior lead Ian off on a wild goose chase. Ian believes they're trapped in a cul-de-sac and leaves them there. However, after they're gone, Riley asks how they're going to get out. Gates...

... oh boy ...

... presses a button and a door opens. No, I'm serious. A button, like they might have on a vacu-flush lavatory in an office building. Good thing he knew where that was. Anyway, after some more knob-twiddling, they find this immense treasure room (remember, this is all underneath Manhattan!) full of all sorts of historyish golden things. Riley gets to deliver a really stupid line. Again. And FBI officer Harvey Keitel forgives them, arrests Sean Bean, and allows the two chemistry-less leads to get married.

For any viewer, I think it would be hard to ignore all the exposition, the leaps of logic, and the stereotyped characters for very long. Though some of its exposition involves nice history lessons inserted into conversation at random moments. I'd like more conversations like that in my life.

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56 out of 98 people found the following comment useful :-
Good Popcorn Movie, 21 November 2004

Author: dbborroughs from Glen Cove, New York

Completely unbelievable but fun romp around the world looking for treasure...it won't win any awards but its a good two hours at the movies.

The plot to trying to find a lost treasure a clue to which is on the back of the Declaration of Independence is so beyond belief that its best to simply begin by throwing up your hands and accepting it for what it is. Certainly the cast has thrown reality to the wind and appears to be having a grand time.

My only complaint, and its what keeps me from saying you you should see this in a theater instead of renting it, is that the pacing is off. It needs a zipper pace to get us from A to B. Certainly it moves well, but there were times when I just wanted to to move a bit faster. Its a minor fault, but one that prevented me from really loving this.

7 out of 10. Definitely worth seeing, preferably for less than what they charge for a full price movie admission these days.

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