National Treasure (starring Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, and Justin
Bartha)
Something about this movie just kept screaming "Goonies for
Grown-ups" to me. As a history buff and a fan of Cage, I figured this
movie would be better than the critics indicated. On the whole, I think
it was.
Cage plays a character who, like his ancestors before him, has spent
his life searching for a treasure supposedly buried by Masons who were
our Founding Fathers. His father, played by Jon Voight, gave up the
search long ago because he did not believe the treasure existed and did
not want to ruin his life.
In order to find the treasure, Cage's character must steal the
Declaration of Independence from the National Archives; however, there
are many other roads in the adventure. Kruger plays a beautiful
archivist both literally and figuratively pulled into the quest.
Although there are a number of historical inaccuracies to move along
the plot, there were enough accuracies to make it interesting. The
action gets moving within the first 10 minutes and never stops. There is
a little bit of everything--history, family relationships, action,
and--of course--romance.
The geography of the movie takes us from D.C. to Philadelphia to
Boston, often giving a glimpse of historic landmarks. While not all of
the scenes were filmed on location, you definitely got a sense that you
had been doing a little sight-seeing.
National Treasure requires you take a bit of a leap of faith in some
of the plot twists. If you can get past those moments, you'll enjoy the
movie. If it doesn't make your holiday theater-going list, definitely
get it on DVD.
Tricia Meyer
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