Great film, except for one major, gigantic, fatal flaw...

Rating: 10/10 (27 August 2006)

...and that flaw is, that this movie is an exact ripoff of the davinci code.
Now don't get me wrong, this movie is entertaining, fun, and thrilling. But it rips off the davinci code way too much.
Here are some examples: (note, these contain spoilers from both this and the davinci code)
DAVINCI: A man and a woman must uncover a secret before a mysterious man does, while constantly on the run from an unyielding agent and his force. TREASURE: Two men and a woman must uncover a secret before their former partner does, while constantly on the run from an unyielding agent and his force.
DAVINCI: A team member betrays the main characters. TREASURE: A team member betrays the main characters.
Now, the only difference in the above is that in davinci, the betrayal happens much later, for throughout the book, we don't know that the eventual betrayer is already betraying. however, we also learn that the mysterious man is the former team member, so switch "mysterious man" with "former team member" in the above plot descriptions and you'll see how much more national treasure is a ripoff. anyway:
DAVINCI: After taking something from a bank, the main characters travel away in an armored van and discuss the situation. TREASURE: After taking something from a museum, the main characters travel away in a service van and discuss the situation.
DAVINCI: The knight's templar hides and protects the grail. TREASURE: The knight's templar hides and protects the treasure.
DAVINCI: The things the templar found gave them enormous power. TREASURE: The treasure the templar found gave them enormous power.
DAVINCI: Most of the action takes place in 1 night. TREASURE: Most of the action takes place in about a day.
DAVINCI: The leading man and woman fall in love at the end. TREASURE: The leading man and woman fall in love at the end.
DAVINCI: The main character is an artifact expert. TREASURE: The main character is an artifact expert.
DAVINCI: The leading woman works for the government. TREASURE: The leading woman works for the government.
DAVINCI: In the beginning, the two main characters escape the Louve with a coded message. TREASURE: In the beginning, the two leading males escape the National Archives with a document containing a coded message.
DAVINCI: The two main characters are lead throughout the story by codes. TREASURE: The three main characters are lead throughout the story by codes.
DAVINCI: In one part, Teabing shows the two main characters another layer of the last supper painting, convincing the female lead that the stories the male lead told her were true. TREASURE: In one part, Gates uncovers another layer of the declaration, convincing the female lead that the stories he told were true.
DAVINCI: The male lead finds what he's looking for under the sign of the rose. TREASURE: The male lead finds what he's looking for under some sort of sign (i forgot what it was)
DAVINCI: We all learn that the secret is too great for the world. TREASURE: We all learn that the treasure is too great for one man.
DAVINCI: There are scenes, in chronological order, in a museum, a highway, a mansion (where the female lead is convinced totally of the male lead's ambition), the streets outside the church, and a church. TREASURE: There are scenes, in chronological order, in a museum, a highway, a house (where the female lead is convinced totally of the male lead's ambition), the streets outside the church, and a church.
DAVINCI: The mysterious man, aka former teammate, hires an assassin/tough guy to do his bidding and chase the main characters and the treasure. TREASURE: The former teammate has his team with guns do his bidding and chase the main characters and the treasure.
DAVINCI: The bad guys hold the old friend hostage in a church and kidnap him. TREASURE: The bad guys kidnap the old father and hold him hostage in a church.
DAVINCI: The agent has the main character work for him for a little bit, and then the main character escapes. TREASURE: The agent has the main character work for him for a little bit, and then the main character escapes.
DAVINCI: The main characters read the messages with black light. TREASURE: The main characters read the map with ultraviolet bifocals.
DAVINCI: The main characters must run all across Europe to find the location of the grail. TREASURE: The main characters must run all across America to find the location of the treasure.
...and there may be more ripped-off, unoriginal ideas.
But, that all aside, National Treasure is a great movie. It's fun for the whole family, fast-paced, and just a great adventure. When I gave this a 10, i was leaving out the fact that it was a ripoff of the davinci code. I rate movies based on what they are, not what they look like or should be. However, if I did rate it and included the fact that it was a davinci ripoff, I would've given it only a 5.
But taking away the fact that this is a dumbed-down copy ripoff of the davinci code, the movie is fantastic and fun.
So, if you're looking for something original that you've never seen before, then forget about seeing this, because it's not. It's unoriginal to the max. But if you just want to be entertained for a couple of hours, then this is the movie for you.
Forgetting about the davinci code, I give this a 10 out of 10.