Benjamin Gates et le Trésor des Templiers

20 November 2004. National Treasure is the all-American movie about good vs. evil which is just what the American audience needs at this time in the face of America's war in Iraq. With a great dose of Lara Croft's lofty beginning theme along with Raiders of the Lost Ark sort of comedy and action adventure, throw in some nice high-tech, Enemy of the State themes and this movie is a gang-buster of a movie for the American public. It starts out with such action that it has difficulty keeping up the pace and the editing become a problem through its length and slower pace that it seems too long until the exciting climax that avoids the unbelievable ending of most movies. The romance and the nice contrast of bad guy-blow'em approach vs. the more subtle good guy approach makes this movie enjoyable. This is a great movie of the moment, for its time and audience, though not a classic by any means, it's great entertainment of the moment. Eight out of Ten Stars.

"National Treasure" is a thriller that was obviously targeted for young audiences. John Turtletaub, its director, has created a film that will resonate with those audiences because of the great ride and the adventure it depicts. On the other hand, heaven help us, should anyone feel inspired to emulate the hero of the film and attempts to do something similar, which in a way, doesn't say much about the security in guarding the real "natural treasures" of the country.

If we can believe Ben Gates can pull the caper, then there's no problem in enjoying this film, which offers an action packed couple of hours that could have been trimmed a little bit to make it even better.

Not being a Nicolas Cage fan, one was prepared for the worst, but this is one of the films in which Mr. Cage is at his mellowest intensity and it's easy to tolerate his antics. Diane Kreuger is a beautiful addition to the film that pays well. Justin Bartha does what he can being a computer nerd and pulling fantastic stuff to help his friend. Sean Bean, Christopher Plummer and Jon Voight, are seen in supporting roles.

This is a film that will play well with young minds and with adults that will allow for the silliness of the situation at hand.

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.

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.

Jon Turtletaub's best film must endure the critics propensity to penalize highly popular commercially successful family-friendly Disney films... "What does the common folk know about filmmaking?" It's much better than most of those reviews indicate.

Yes, this film works hard to be likable and appealing to a mass audience - perhaps it's just too preposterous a story, and has too much witty repertoire to be taken seriously by some critics. Witty repertoire CAN wear thin and become precocious in movies, but in 'National Treasure', it's the film's most endearing and appealing factor, carried off successfully by some of the most experienced actors in the business - They keep the film fun and pull off their quips with deft skill - Bravo!

A well casted, directed and edited film that doesn't pretend to be more than it is, and delivers what audiences came to see.

Enjoy this snappy-paced treasure hunt Disney ride without guilt - it's OK to have escapism fun watching movies, and this one does it as well as any, so grab a bowl of popcorn and indulge yourself.

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