Enjoyable hour and a half.

Rating: Null/10 (27 November 2004)

OK, when the main character's name is Benjamin Franklin Gates, you know this is not a movie to be taken too seriously. And yes, this one has obviously gotten a LOT of inspiration from "The Davinci Code" (as well as just about every treasure hunt/heist movie ever made), but it still is fun and enjoyable on its own. In fact, I thought this was a great movie--it's interesting, exciting, and suspenseful from start to finish. It also had some pretty funny lines, and to top it off, Diane Kruger is one amazingly beautiful woman!
Just a few things bugged me. For instance, I can't imagine the Declaration of Independence can be tossed around like that. When Nick Cage started rolling it up like a cheap poster, I wanted to shout at the screen, "CAREFUL, you idiot!" I really don't know how durable the thing is, but still. Plus, the grease and oil from all those people touching it with their bare hands can't be too good.
Also, how come, right when they need to drop lemon juice on it to read the invisible map, Jon Voight's character just happens to have about a dozen lemons on hand? This REALLY bugged me. No sane person would have that many lemons in their house. Barring some kind of lemon fetish, I would guess the average person goes through about two a year.
Small details aside though, this is a very enjoyable flick that is worth seeing in theaters. You won't be disappointed.
8/10 stars.