National Treasure

There is something about the very idea of uncovering hidden treasure. As a literary theme this theme has been around since man first started telling stories. The concept of finding vast riches that have been buried away for years, the thrill of chasing down clues just appeals to kids and adults like. This has been the basis for hugely successful films like the Indiana Jones movies and even older films like the classic ‘The Treasure of Sierra Madre’. While the Disney Studios have done many animated movies with this topic in 2004 they came up with a big budget, live action flick ‘National Treasure’. I have heard a lot of discussion about this flick with people riding it for an implausible plot but you have to keep something in mind. This is a Disney film, rated PG so it is targeted for more of a ‘tween market. If you go into this movie with an adult’s expectations you will be disappointed. You have to look at like a kid to get the most out of it. It reminded me of those Saturday afternoon serialized action movies that most neighborhood theaters ran. Each week we would all go off to the movies and watch a main feature, a second film, some cartoons and the serial. The serial was a large part of what kept us coming back each week. Every Saturday they would show about 15 minutes of a story. It usually had to do with danger, excitement and most of all action. The plots were ridiculous by any adult standard but hey, we were kids and didn’t care about such things, they were fun to watch. This is the frame of mind you should have going into this flick. Have an expectation of fun not something that is historically accurate or even possible. A good rule of thumb is watch the History Channel for the facts; watch Disney to be entertained.

Benjamin "Ben" Franklin Gates (Hunter Gomez) loves listening to the stories his grandfather, John Adams Gates (Christopher Plummer), would tell him. Most of them were about a vast treasure trove hidden the Freemason members of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Gramps would fill the boy’s head with tales of secret societies, hidden clues and how they entwined with their family history. When Ben grew to manhood, now played by Nicholas Cage, he never forgot those stories at his grandfather’s knee. Instead they became a passion, even an obsession for him. Together with his friend Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) they decide to go and track down the clues in the stories. They hire a professional treasure hunter, Ian Howe (Sean Bean) and set out to locate the treasure. Ben is especially suited for the task ahead. He has advanced degrees in American History from Georgetown University and one in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. The first clue allegedly comes from one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Charles Carroll. His clue is the quest begins with ‘Charlotte’. This means next to nothing to everyone except Ben. He knows of a Colonial era ship called the Charlotte that was lost near the artic circle. Off they go and naturally they find it. In the ship they find a tobacco pipe and what seems to be a blank piece of paper. Ben uses his own blood to find a hidden message and the next clue which is hidden on the back of the Declaration of Independence. One the ship Ian’s real purpose is revealed. He wants to steal the Declaration of Independence, something Ben wants nothing to do with. A fight breaks out and Ian explodes the ship. Ben and Riley get away and go to Washington to warn the officials. One of them is Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger) who works for the National Achieves. She is convinced that the document is too well guarded to take the threat seriously. Ben believes that the only way to save it is to steal it first. After a good number of shenanigans Ben gets the document. He then has to find a special pair of bifocals made by Benjamin Franklin to see the next clue. All this has to be done while keeping away from the police and Ian who are after him. There is more clues that lead from one location after another, a lot of chases and some incredible leaps of faith for the audience before the conclusion.

I somehow knew that this film would get a special edition from Disney. The Disney channel has been pushing the sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, on their afternoon ‘tween shows. This includes an online game and previews on television. This reinforces the fact that this is not intended for adults as much as it is for the younger set. Some of the topics and themes may be somewhat over the head of the main demographic. For example ‘tweens are not known for being into conspiracy theories that concern groups like the Freemasons. For them all they have to know is there are covert groups out there that are surrounded in mystery. As kids we really didn’t have to understand the Nazis in those serials, we just knew they were very bad guys. Even with the grown up there is no sense in trying to over think this film. Director Jon Turteltaub doesn’t waste time with the pacing of this movie. There is the necessary exposition to set things up but by the second act things really get moving. There is a familiar television style of editing. It is frequently choppy which serves to keep the audience disjointed. This comes off as a good thing since it helps in making the more predicable twists acceptable. Some of this is without a doubt the influence of one of the producers, Jerry Bruckheimer. This feels like a lighter, family friend film of his more than anything else. Turteltaub delivers well to the younger viewers but fails short with the more adult audience members. This shows up in the lack of depth the characters are given. To be honest a better compromise could have been reached. One positive side here is this just may get some of the kids interested in American history. The hero is able to save the day time and time again because of his vast knowledge of the subject. This makes history cool and exciting and that is a good thing.

Nicolas Cage is a great actor although often he seems to be drifting through his roles. This is not due to a lack of talent, he has that I good measure; it is just his style. This laid back approach somehow works here. He presents Ben as a very intelligent and driven man but one that is also able to take life as it comes no matter what. Diane Kruger is excellent in her role. She is able to keep up with the boys during the action scenes but is always the femme fatale. Some excellent actors are given very small roles here. Christopher Plummer does more in his one scene than most actors can do in an entire film. Jon Voight is a bit wasted as Ben’s father with nothing to showcase his abilities. Harvey Keitel does a great job with the little role as an FBI agent.

Since this is a Disney DVD release you know the video and audio are the best they possibly can be. Also typical of something from the ‘House the Mouse built’ are the extras. There are more here than you could possibly imagine. There are even some hidden features keeping with the theme of the film.

Hidden Features (click on the book near the title ‘Special Edition’