Treasure Indeed

Rating: 8/10 (13 June 2005)

With critics hanging crepe weeks before, I didn't expect much from the opening weekend for NATIONAL TREASURE. But when one walks into a theater on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis in winter and sees the place packed with kids and gray hairs, you know something good is up. Nestled in my comfy stadium lounger, I leaned back next to three dads and four sons behind a couple older than whatever. And for the next 130 minutes, I didn't sleep a wink. In fact, while I'd heard the script had been re-sculpted many times, my only conclusion is "who cares." The action, the innuendo, the fantastical story line were all in keeping with the action-adventure genre and a jolly good time was had by all. One critic on CNBC had said that the action was good, the story was good though fantastic, and the acting was good, but it just wasn't a good film. Just goes to show you how becoming a professional critic addles the brain, numbs the senses, and results in bad reviews.