National Treasure

American history made by Jerry Bruckheimer? One cannot expect any action-packed extravaganza under the Disney studio's protective wings, even though the aforementioned advertising icon is involved in the production, and it is directed by John Turteltaub (Cool Runnings). With a PG-13 rating, you'd expect a rather entertaining piece for the whole family (hence the Disney studio), which National Treasure more or less delivers. Scriptural distortion of American history (even the briefest) is very entertaining for me as a Central European, and if similar logical entanglements appear in an action PC adventure, I will most likely be thrilled. However, this mix will probably be detrimental to adults who will (similarly to me) enjoy themselves at the expense of the creators, and also to children who will find it all too complex and somewhat contradictory within the framework of school history textbooks. I suggest that this film will quite unsuccessfully seek its target audience. Nevertheless, it managed to fill its pockets quite decently, which is mainly attributed to the cast, with Nicolas Cage not giving an outstanding performance but also not falling into the category of the worst. When Diane Kruger leans over the map, the male part of the audience subtly licks their lips, and her light Saxon-German accent increases her attractiveness to the boiling point. The metallic ornament, which could have been a pleasant fashion accessory instead of Diane in the movie, wouldn't have the same effect. Perhaps only the excellent Sean Bean can add some layers to his character as a despicable villain, making him truly captivating to watch. The audio-visual accompaniment of beautifully vivid camera filters by Caleb Deschanel (from The Passion of the Christ) and the most famous score by Trevor Rabin from movies like Con Air and Gone in Sixty Seconds is what makes National Treasure not only bearable but even enjoyable to watch, and in my case, it definitely won’t be just once. (08/07/2005)

A film that the should only fill an empty spot on a video store shelf grossed $170 million in the U.S. alone? I don’t get it. Actually, yes, Disney have always been masters of advertising hype, and the Bruckheimer name is a trademark with the hallmark of a certain commercial return. At least Cage gave his slowly fading career a bit of a boost, Diane Kruger proved that her lacklustre performance in Troy was no accident, Jerry put a few millions back into his piggy bank, and Disney patched up things after their animated flops. But I really don’t care. (04/26/2005)

It's a shame to have to write words on this topic. National Treasure is a film so phenomenally mediocre and cold that I can scarce believe it was a commercial success. Yes, the American monuments are fine, the action scenes are civil, the Masons and Templars are an interesting subject... but in Turteltaub's style, it all feels too soulless. In addition, all the acting stars are out like a fire in the fireplace around 4:00 a.m. Considering the possibilities this creator had, there is no choice but to rate the result with a below-average grade and discourage all those who like the quality sound of Indy's whip from watching this film. (02/07/2005)

The first half is unexpectedly great (if you immediately accept the B-movie nature of the story), but the second half is stretched more than the legs of a Thai hooker, degrading a relatively entertaining mystery into stupid family sci-fi. How someone like Harvey Keitel could appear in this screenwriting mess is a mystery to me, one that even the hard-working Nick Cage can't solve… (05/27/2012)

Overall, an average action-adventure popcorn flick. From Jerry Bruckheimer, I would expect a bigger action bomb. National Treasure is, in fact, a film that is average in almost all aspects. The story itself is couldn’t be more cliché, but it’s more or less saved by good action moments. (02/17/2005)