National Treasure-Not

Rating: 4/10 (1 January 2007)

One of the enjoyable things about the whole series of Potter movies (aside from superb casts) is that they are pure fantasy and no one would ever get confused and think they were anything but that. And then come along things like the Da Vinci Code and National Treasure which blur the line between facts and fiction so badly that many people may get confused. No, I'm not talking about the back of the Declaration of Independence... the thought that there is a secret map on the back was so silly that surely few would believe it was true. But the idea that the Knights Templar formed into the Free Masons is not true. The Templars were disbanded in the 13th century. Free Masonry did not come about until the 1700s. But this confusion was used for plot simplicity, allowing the signers of the Dec. of Ind., many of whom were Masons, suddenly be transformed into Knights Templar. Then they could hide the Templars' Treasure. The problem of this nonsense for me is since so many people don't read (or think) they may actually believe this is true. It's not! The Masonic Order is non-denominational. It avows belief in a Supreme Being, but no particular one. The Knights Templar were catholic monks who became warriors. The two groups couldn't be further from each other. So that turns the entire plot into utter drivel. And that matches the dialog, the acting, the car chases...etc. Another Bruckheimer crowd pleaser which has the depth of a puddle. In the past, crowd pleasers could have some body, even a message about life. The message in this one is, save your money. (Note: The sets and special effects of the "Masonic Temple" underground were brilliantly executed, but not worth the wait.)