Genres

Visitors Review

EmperorNortonII 2012-05-25 07:27:41

Treasure of Legend

"National Treasure" combines American history with legend in thisaction thriller. Nicolas Cage stars as Benjamin Franklin Bates, a manfrom a long line of men who have searched for a legendary treasure. Thestory takes a look at the rumors that have swirled around Americanhistory, of the influence of the Freemasons and other secret societieson the Founding Fathers and the origins of the United States. Whetherthe stories are true are not are best left to the imagination. There isa lot of action and suspense in this movie. The locations arebeautiful, using such well-known spots of Americana as Philadelphia'sIndependence Hall and the display room for the Declaration ofIndependence. This movie is worth seeing!

apdepetris 2012-05-24 17:25:09

Pretty Decent Movie

I just saw this movie on cable the other night and I actually liked it.I know it received bad reviews when it was released. It reminded me ofDan Brown's books 'The Da Vinci Code' and 'Angels and Demons' which Iloved. If you like those books you will probably like this movie. Asfar as being historically correct, well I think you just have to putthat aside when watching this kind of movie. I think people get toohung up on historical accuracy and whether this or that is plausible.If I want to watch something historically accurate I'll watch adocumentary. Personally, I'm not a huge Nicholas Cage fan but he did OKin this. And the character of Riley was great. He had some great dryhumor and one-liners. Really cracked me up. I also liked John Voight asCage's father. They way he was peeking around the corner and givingthem tips was really cute. He tries to have an adult sensibility thatthis quest is silly but he also has a boyish nature that wants tobelieve that buried treasure really can exist.

landlion32 2012-05-15 05:28:28

Good but ...

National Treasure seemed pretty good, but the minute I saw the preview,and later confirmed by watching the film, I felt the filmmakers rushedit into production to beat The DaVinci Code, which is coming in 2005.Two very similar plots. TDC, to be brief, is a best-selling novel from2003 about a somewhat flustered art professor and a beautiful girlbattling opposing forces. They each follow a set of intricate clues,starting with The Mona Lisa, to find the Holy Grail. It's a puzzle,just like National Treasure, filled with historical and religiousreferences. Nevertheless, there have been more than one good movieabout the Mafia, more than one good movie about serial killers, soperhaps it's just a coincidence but I doubt it.

2012-05-14 21:05:43

Don't be fooled by critics

This was a great clean family film. My little brother was able to see it without any problems. I love it!!

rdambroso 2012-05-10 05:30:28

Really not half bad! A very entertaining action, adventure, romance

My expectations were a little bit low for this. I was pleasantlysurprised. At first blush, it seemed like the Studio Bigwigs weretrying to piggy back on the success of DaVinci Code. That made meskeptical. Although I still believe that was the intent, they actuallypulled it off! While the ancient Secret Society, buried treasure, andIntellectual treasure hunt theme was preserved, it was executed withsurprising freshness and watch-ability. Nick Cage has been hit an missin many of his movies, but I think he did a very good job in this one,pulling off the Partly Nerdish, yet secretly Swashbuckling adventurerto a tee. I would watch this one again. I would even look forward tosome sort of equally well done sequel, but based on the outcome of thisone, don't really see how they could script that without making it seemreally forced.

love_god_love_tink 2012-05-09 18:35:18

Comment

I loved this movie, and I loved the Characters.Went to see it three times. Would recommend for kids 10+, a greatstory, and full of adventure, and no cussing(Disney). :)Learn about different historical events, and you learn about US mint,and the ways that they secure our "national treasures"Everyone in my family loved it, and my friends enjoyed the movie also.Hopefully more people will watch this movie, and if you have alreadyseen it, maybe watch it again, and catch things you didn't noticebefore.

ixnine 2012-05-09 12:29:31

Unexpected gem

Wow , is the word that comes in my mind when i think about this greatmovie .When i saw this movie i thought to myself " OK lets get trough with it." and then from the very beginning , i could not get my eyes off thescreen , i always wanted to see more and more until the very end ofthat great film .When i say great it is mainly because when i saw the previews i thought( well another Indiana Jones like movie ) not that i have anythingagainst Indiana Jones witch i like a lot but i usually am tired aboutripoffs or cheap movies that tries to copy on great movies plus I'm nota great fan of Nicholas Cage ( good actor but ... but there is a je nesais quoi about him , but he is still a good actor ) , but this onemovie was a rich and genuine blend of adventure , mysterious treasures, mystical quest , romance , action and comedy , plus the acting ofNicholas Cage was to my thinking , masterful .No violence or coarse language makes it the perfect Family movie and itshows good morale values at the very end .

kgrettum-1 2012-05-08 19:55:37

Realistic Action is Refreshing

Not realistic, in thinking that the Declaration of Independence can beaccessed (in 2 ways in 5 minutes which is unbelievable); but in how theaction parts are plausible, disregarding that a shotup van inWashington would have a relatively easy getaway. No sickening KillBillor ruthless Gladiator. This movie had a great plot, wonderful castingand amazing research. The directing got 100% from its actors, and eventhough the fiction rates up their with Indiana Jones, it matches thoseepics with glory. Give credit to it as did its cast and producer. Alsorefreshing is the subject of history with a bit of romance. Maybe Menare from Mars and Woman from Venus. History brings romance withsubstance. Although Maid in Manhattan is a fine Chick Flick withcharacter, I now have another gem that rates up their with Kate andLeopold; National Treasure. 9 popcorns out of 10.

2012-05-05 03:39:57

Excellent....in line of Indiana Jones!!

Yes, it is true as mentioned by other reviews, this film does fall into the line of the classic Indiana Jones realm. So What??? That genre of movie needs to be brought back!!! :) Cage and company did an excellent job with everything...the story, although somewhat unbelievable in some parts, was very interesting...be sure to rent this one!!!

stacew 2012-05-04 21:20:11

Fun movie

Regardless of any supposed historical errors, the movie was pureentertainment. It was nice to watch a movie that had nothing offensivein it. sometimes its good to have a break from gore and sex and cursingand so forth. I think this a very good for kids. Nick Cage is not one of my favorite actors but he was pretty good inthis movie. I definitely will buy this for my personal collection.also, the movie made me interested in learning more about the Masonsand the Templar knights, and about the historical cities of ourcountry. Yes, we learn a lot of this in school during history class,but at that age, are we really truly interested in it? Probably not.

claudiapuig7 2012-05-04 01:08:54

Too Slick and No Story

It's a really bad movie.And this from 'Cool Running's director? The problem is the story is so incoherent like the sequel. TypicalHollywood flash, but no substance.Also, where are the people of color? Disappointing to see almost no onewho isn't white. The plot is impatient, frustratingly predictable and simply boring thatone will tiredly find oneself looking at the watch as the story failsto surprise or even interest its viewers.Without the slightest touch of subtlety this movie tries to combine thebox office proved ingredients of the "Indiana Jones" movies with a"mission impossible" inspired action plot...and who mentionedconspiracy theories ripping off "da Vinci code"?

overfedcinemafan 2012-05-03 15:00:20

Good clean fun

A semi-sociopathic history buff and his geeky friend are convinced aseries of clues hidden in plain sight by the founding fathers of the USlead to a mythical treasure that dates back to the Templars. Thenecessary pretty girl and ornery father then aid him to find it andprotect it. Not bad! Sure, the paranoid fantasies and pseudo-mystical gibberishgets to be a bit much at times, but overall it's a relativelyfast-paced film that keeps things moving and keeps enough thingsblowing up that the audience isn't bored.This isn't a film to take seriously whether you believe in conspiracytheories and secret societies or not. It's a decent film for a rainyafternoon and taken in that context it's quite good. "Enjoyable" comesto mind.

tallguy62 2012-05-03 11:46:23

BORING as hell, pathetic waste of time and money...

Although the characters in this movie do have some good lines (it isactually quite funny at times), and I really enjoyed the script, thismovie was still boring beyond belief. How could ANYONE compare this toIndiana Jones? There is no comparison at all. Nick Cage ain't noHarrison Ford, that's for certain. He has no screen charisma like Forddoes.My complaint about this movie was that the story line goes on and onlistlessly. It is not interesting or engaging. After 2 hours in thetheatre, I walked out of this movie. The main reason was because I keptwaiting for the story line to get better and it never did. It was soun-interesting after an hour and a half of dumb clues that made nosense, I was just wanting the film to end! Also, the "bad guys" keptthreatening to shoot the "good guys," then they would cooperatetogether, then they would threaten them again. This plot got so tiredand old, I was not interested in watching it anymore.If you are into overly boring movies, I would recommend this one. Whenthey found the treasure was when I walked out, it was so boring.

jake_goff8 2012-05-03 00:48:43

Its like a history lesson....WITH YOUR FAVOURITE TEACHER!!!!

Being English i knew absolutely nothing about any American History.Sure, I'd heard about 'The Declaration of Independence' and 'The BostonTea Party' from television programs and local coffee shops :D but wasnever aware of the importantness of them and how many Americans stillfollow the examples made in their past. National Treasue is a lighthearted adventure for any age packed with real American history andbelievable past fiction. I'd usually switch off a film like this andnever arrange to see it at the cinema with friends. Being still a youngteen at 15 i still found this a film that any mature teen or adultcould enjoy. Nicolas Cage isn't as gormless as usual and is even quitewitty. Justin Bartha is the one who always has just random lines thatare supposed to make you laugh, and they did for me but maybe thats myyounger side thinking. I'm sure its this that makes me think that DianeKruger steals the show ;) ha ha

peter0105 2012-04-27 07:22:54

Excellent movie vastly underrated by critics

I went to see four movies this week (Birth, Incredible, Bridget, andthis one, National Treasure). I went to see National Treasure last because it got the worst rating bycritics. It turned out to be the best of four. An excellent movie, packed with suspense, good acting, plot, frombeginning to end. Two thumbs down for critics. They missed this one just like they didfor Riddick. I heartedly recommend it to anyone.

savagesteve13 2012-04-26 19:56:17

Incredibly silly movie

It would be best suited for children if not for the murders, accidentaldeaths by falling, and un-necessary car chases. I watched this and wantmy 2 hours back. I'm no fan of Nick Cage and this movie reminds me ofwhy I'm no fan of Nick Cage. If you want to see the declaration ofindependence get folded, spindled, mutilated, rolled up like a VanHalen poster, doused with lemons, and hit with a hairdryer then this isthe movie for you. I cringed as bad as when Mr. Bean ruined thepainting of Whistler's Mother. Did I mention it was an incredibly sillymovie? And the chemistry between Cage and the blonde chick was aboutzero. He just grabbed her and kissed her out of the blue, the man hasno timing. This is nothing but masonic propaganda. Propaganda filmsnever work their subject well. Look at other examples as "The Postman"(USPS), or "The Omega Code" (Christian Fundies). The only real actor inthis flick is Sean Bean, who plays the generic evil dude with guns whochases Nicholas Cage throughout the flick.My only question is this: If the masons hid all this stuff, why didn'tthey give it all back later if its destined for humanity? Lots of thatstuff didn't belong to them and I'm sure lots of foreign nations wouldbe angry that the founding fathers hoarded it. Zahi Hawas, head of theEgyptian antiquities museum would be none too pleased.

IMSandman 2012-04-26 12:24:24

Indiana Jones/James Bond Wanna-Be Flick

I give this movie a 4.5 out of 10.If you want to watch a good comedy, this is the movie for you. Thecomedy from this movie stems from the fact that it is so bad, it isactually sort of amusing.This entire movie is basically a pathetic version of "Indiana Jones andthe Last Crusade." The only real difference (besides the poorly writtenscript) is that the treasure hunting takes place in the United Statesinstead of Europe. Notice that the Last Crusade has a rating of above 8on here and is currently ranked in the Top 150 movies on IMDb of alltime, whereas National Treasure has a weak 6.6 rating (at the time ofthis post). In reality the gap between the quality of these two moviesis massive... it's the difference between winning the SuperBowl andyour high school league championship.There are a few funny parts to the movie and overall the acting wasabove average. However, the mistakes and inaccuracies throughout themovie were laughable at best. Based on the movie, it might be easier tosteal the Declaration of Independence than it would be to steal anarticle of clothing from your local department store. LOL All of themain items in the National Archives can immediately be dropped downinto vaults that can withstand a nuclear holocaust, so the lack ofsecurity shown in the movie was simply hilarious. Many websites needyou to include at least one number in your password for securitypurposes, but not the National Archives. I used to work at a bank andeverything involving the vault involved at least two people forsecurity reasons... but at the National Archives in this movie, Cagecan just waltz right in by himself since double authorizationapparently doesn't happen in the institution that houses our mostprecious documents. (roll eyes) Omissions like these occur throughoutthe movie and make much of it totally implausible.Anyway, if you really like treasure hunting and can look past theterrible writing along with the wanna-be James Bond/Indiana Jonescharacter, then rent it. But there are many better options out there towatch in my opinion.Good luck and happy viewing!

ianlouisiana 2012-04-25 23:44:04

Exciting,entertaining and amusing...what more could you want?

There is almost too much going on in "National Treasure".Parallel plotsinvolving the theft of the Declaration of Independence by two teams,one"goodies" team led by Mr N.Cage,one "baddies" team led by his erstwhilecolleague Mr S.Bean,clues that would baffle a "Times" crossword solver,feats of derring - do that Sir Ranulph Fiennes would baulk at,cops,FBI,Freemasonry,Knights Templar......everything a boy could wish for infact. An excellent cast have a lot of fun and I was particularlypleased to see Mr Bean shake off his dour working-class northern imagein a rare excursion up the social scale as Mr Cage's fellow treasurehunter who shares his ambitions but not his scruples. Mr H.Kietelsports a Masons' ring on his pinkie as the FBI SAC with a grudgingadmiration for Mr Cage and his labyrinthine manoeuvres. Whilst tippingits hat to many adventure movies,"National Treasure" manages to createa groove as a clever and satisfying work in its own right.I found itintriguing and amusing,thought Miss D Kruger was a wholesome and pluckyheroine,took my Ovaltine to bed and slept the sleep of the innocent.

cancatan 2012-04-20 05:59:35

The National Treasure

The movie is containing the free-masonic elements. But some of thefree-masonic elements are misguided such as the Knights of the Temple,All Seeing Eye. This was also agreed by other blockbuster movie geeksas well. Additional to this the movie can not answer the most basicquestions about its plot. How the cash-strapped AmericanRevolutionaries did have their hands on all this loot (in gold andancient artifacts) in the first place? Why (and how) would they buildan air-plane-hanger-sized temple six stories underground to store itinstead of a putting it in museums, or b) selling it to fund theirrebellion against the British? See Rob Blackwelder comment on to themovie. But the movie contains the dynamic action and the preparation ofthe story was in good level.

Billy Hamby 2012-04-20 01:24:00

Worse Movie I've seen in awhile

This movie is just a poor excuse for an adventure. Sure I love thehistorical fiction, but it seemed like the writers of this movie werejust pulling something out of their ass every minutes, hoping it wouldfit together! And please, who wouldn't take the 10% offered by themuseum as a finder's fee! The camera work, the music, the lighting andthe graphics at the end were awful, the dialog was amateur at best, andthe plot was just a bad Angels and Demons or Da Vinci code. JerryBruckheimer is sending his career down river in an overpriced boat thatis bad movies. This movie was so cliché that even myMore-than-Paris-hilton-superficial twin sister hated it, and sheusually loves these stupid rat race movies. I am warning you that thisis a very drawn out, overly boring and horribly written movie, pleasesave yourself the two hours...even pulling out the little hairs on yourbig toe is more exciting than this movie!