Fun escapist hokum

Rating: Null/10 (12 January 2005)

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs
Ben Gates (Nicholas Cage) has descended from a long line of ancestors who are entrusted to protect a map,imprinted on the back of the Declaration of Independence,which leads to untold of fortune and gold.However,during a far off expedition,Ian Rowe (Sean Bean) a member of Gates's team,decides he would like to steal the map and pertain the treasure for himself.From here,a rip-roaring chase involving the FBI and the respective warring parties ensues...
This would be a big Bruckheimer production,so it's a big piece of popcorn cinema,with poor character development...sod character development,this film wants to get right on with it,exciteable child that it is,and who are we to hold it back? Actually,for such a movie,the big-budget action scenes and special effects are in extremely moderate amount.And the fact that the film is moving so quickly in the first half quickly pays off in the second half when the pace seems to drag a lot and the story (which you begin to wonder when will end!) becomes extremely wavey and futile.
But,there you go.The script is okay.And on the casting front,Cage brings his usual snazzy charisma to the lead role,while Diane Kruger supports him well as the heroine.Bean continues to carve a role for himself as a Hollywood villain with this and other roles casting a distinguishable not on his belt,never dumping his Yorkshire accent either (very Sean Connery!) Overall,this film is how I described it above.It's fun.But not always,and certainly never no more than that.Even a little disappointing,in some respects.***