Somehow I Expected Nicholas Cage to Have a Whip and a Fedora

Rating: Null/10 (29 November 2004)

National Treasure is a good film, highly enjoyable, maybe even occasionally thrilling, but this movie wants so bad to be Indiana Jones but it is not. Overall this movie is a valiant effort, but it falls short of the brilliant adventure film it tries so hard to be. Nicholas Cage plays adventurer Ben Gates, a man who has been searching for a missing treasure that has been transported all around the world, most of his life. This treasure is supposedly something that has been amassed for part of the millennium. Now as Ben and his silly assistant Riley are about to find out their partners in treasure hunting are about to turn on them. The bad treasure hunters have a leg up now because they have some of the clues to the riddle, and they wish to steal the Declaration of Independence to see if they can find the treasure, as the map to the treasure is supposedly on the back of the Declaration. Ben Gates must steal the Declaration himself in order to keep the bad treasure hunters from doing wrong type things with it. Sound complicated it probably is, but it is much simpler to understand when you watch the movie. There are also a number of clichés, like the goofy sidekick, the numerous chase scenes, none of which really thrilled me all that much, but were well-done technically, didn't take away anything or add anything to the movie.
The movie tries to be a mystical retelling of American history, as we find out the long story of the treasure and how it ended up where it did, or if it is still around at all, which no one really knows. There are plenty of riddles and puzzles in this film which are interesting, but not the kinds that really make one perplexed or just dying to see what happens next. The film sports a nice supporting cast, including a small appearance by Christopher Plummer as the grandfather of Ben Gates, and Jon Voight in the role of Ben Gates' father. Sean Bean plays Ian Howe, the bad treasure hunter, but he falls into the cliché category and really does not show any good acting skills in this part. Then there is the love interest, played by Diane Kruger, who is not nearly as revolting as love interests in other similar films, she actually can manage to stand on her own two feet against Nicholas Cage.
Another problem with this movie is that Nicholas Cage is miscast. He does not fit the mold of a grand adventurer in the mold of let's say Harrison Ford. Cage just doesn't appear to fit into the part easily although he does what he can to act well in this movie. His miscasting does not take away anything from the movie just doesn't do too much for it. Let's face it that is what this movie is trying to be, another Indiana Jones. First it is important to say there will not be another Indiana Jones, so this movie was silly to try to be so grand in it's scale, it's not as good as Indiana Jones, but what is? Not much. Another problem compared with Indiana Jones is that when you watch the Indiana Jones films they never get old. You could watch them over and over again, and I know a lot of people that do. This is not a movie I am dying to see again. Indiana Jones was magical, this was a good movie far from one of the best of all time. And some of the scenes that are in caverns that are in mysterious places and things like that you expect Nicholas Cage to take out his bullwhip and jump across large crevasses and then the Indiana Jones theme to play. The movie does not try to be it's own film, or if it did it did not do a very good job of it.
And a final comparison to Indiana Jones Steven Spielberg said that when he was making Indiana Jones he was just trying to make a B-Movie. He wasn't trying to make a great film, just a great fantasy movie no one was expected to take seriously. This movie takes itself to seriously, doesn't want to be a fantasy despite the fact it is. The movies plot lines and developing action are rooted too much into American history to try and be a good fantasy movie, so it doesn't work on the level it is supposed to. Don't get me wrong some of the plot lines and the story are interesting but it is nothing spectacular. It was worth it but will it become one of the highest grossing films of all time like Indiana Jones? I highly doubt it.