National Treasure

This movie did not hold a lot of hope for me, a treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence was about the stupidest thing I could have possibly imagined, but due to circumstances beyond my control, I saw this movie...opening night, and I found myself very pleasantly surprised. The opening fifteen minutes are murder, the whole legend is laid out, and for moment the movie looks like it will live up to it's ridiculous nature, then the story begins following Benjamin Gates (Nicholas Cage), his often funny sidekick Riley (Gigli's Justin Bartha), and Dr. Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger in a much better role than her recent Helen of "Troy"). They are drawn into the race for the treasure, against Ben's recent partner played by Sean Bean. There are car chases and other such cheap thrills, but it's a family movie, and for all the action, it stays clear of bad language and crude humor, giving it a definite appeal to holiday movie goers with younger viewers. The story is far fetched, the stunts are those we've seen a thousand times, and the actors are never more than good, but for all it's qualms, National Treasure is a surprisingly fun movie, with enough laughs and suspense to entertain at all ages. Very bottom line; it may be the plastic fake kind, but it's treasure none the less.

B