National Treasure

Rating: 7/10 (31 October 2007)

Fasten your seat belt, the film National Treasure, is a real ride through time and history! Produced and directed by Jerry Bruckheimer and Jon Turteltaub, this film takes many twists and turns in trying to unravel the mystery of the a hidden secret kept through a family that dates back to the Knights of Templar. Partially ripped off from the best selling book, The Davinci Code, this movie takes an ordinary man, Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage), who finds out that his family has an extraordinary secret. Being the only one in his family besides his grandfather to believe in the fact that there is a secret to be revealed, Gates pursues the answer for most of his adult life. It was believed that the Knights of Templar were hiding a vast treasure which was passed on to be hidden by the Masons or in this case, the founding fathers of America. Benjamin is first introduced to this secret, when his grandfather, Patrick Henry Gates (Christopher Plummer), handed down to him a piece of the puzzle which is believed to be a clue in finding the treasure. This piece was handed down through the Gates family from Charles Carroll who was the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence. The first clue states that the "secret lies with Charlotte". This greatly puzzles Gates, but he remembers through history an event of an expedition with a ship named Charlotte. After many years of searching, he discovers the Charlotte, and clues aboard the ship lead him to believe that clues are written in invisible ink on the back of the Declaration of Independence. After thought, Gates decides to steal the Declaration of Independence in order to continue his quest for the treasure. While stealing the document, he meets a National Archivist (Diane Kruger) who insists they team up to keep it away from the villain figure (Sean Bean), and so she can insure the safety of the document. They become close through out the film creating a romantic side story. Many chases and close calls occur throughout the film, but somehow, Gates always manages to get away and find a new clue that all have to do with something historically within United States History. Being close to discovering the secret his father who did not believe is now convinced to join in. Eventually, they find themselves in a mine shaft beneath a church tomb and the clues do lead to a treasure, but there are still some questions unanswered. The heroes in this film are put through many tests. All of the elements to a great film are in this movie plot: action, adventure, speculation and a love story, but I it is not played out as well as I would have hoped. Having seen The Davinci Code, it is too much alike and not as believable. The search for the Holy Grail is one thing that is more realistic than finding invisible writing on the back of the Declaration of Independence that was stolen and then discovering a massive treasure. Overall the movie is well thought out and all of the elements help to create flow to the plot line. The actors/actresses were adequate and, I thought, well cast for the roles. Nicolas Cage, I would not have pictured in this film, but he did a great job fulfilling the role. This film is one that I would recommend for younger children and young adults who like the mystery sort of film. There is a sequel that will be coming out in December of this year and hopefully it will be just as good, but a little bit more believable.