Twenty years in the past, Nicolas Cage’s Benjamin Franklin Gates did the unattainable in the movie National Treasure: he stole the Declaration of Independence. Directed by Jon Turtletaub, the adventure movie follows Ben Gates, a historian and treasure hunter trying to find a secret American fortune that dates again to the Freemason treasure. With the assistance of pc skilled Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) and archivist Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger), Gates races to seek out the hidden treasure earlier than it will get into the palms of the grasping Ian Howe (Sean Bean), his former pal and treasure hunter.
Upon its launch, National Treasure divided critics and audiences. Critics rejected the unrealistic plot and premise, whereas audiences championed the Cage-led adventure. The movie’s A- CinemaScore and profitable field workplace haul led to a sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, a Disney+ show, and a possible third movie. National Treasure stays as pleasant a watch because it did in 2004.
Nicolas Cage’s return to motion stardom
Cage is the web’s favourite actor to meme. From screaming about bees in The Wicker Man to his singing in Longlegs, Cage’s performances can generally really feel like parodies of himself, particularly in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. These comedic moments make it simple to neglect that Cage was as soon as a bona fide motion star in the Nineteen Nineties, headlining huge hits like The Rock, Con Air, and Face/Off.
Cage leaned into his action-stardom persona for National Treasure. Ben Gates is Cage’s model of (*20*) — good, tall, and assured. National Treasure is extra adventure than motion, however the heist-style sequences, like buying the Declaration and escaping the USS Intrepid, are tense and heart-pounding. However, this position was meant for Cage, which means it has to have humor and meme-worthy moments. Nothing personifies that greater than Cage’s stoic supply of the absurd line, “I’m gonna steal the Declaration of Independence.”
History lead the cost
The secret of National Treasure is the way it presents historical past in a enjoyable, thrilling vogue. This isn’t a boring historic documentary out of your highschool social research class. National Treasure is a heist movie, with historical past as its foreign money. Yes, most of the concepts offered as info are utterly fabricated. Sorry to disappoint, however there isn’t any map on the again of the Declaration of Independence. However, Cage’s historic explanations are so entertaining and fascinating {that a} good story merely trumps accuracy right here.
The numerous settings assist drive dwelling the significance of preserving historical past. They additionally assist transfer the adventure — Ben finds a clue, solves the riddle, and heads to the subsequent landmark. From a misplaced ship in the Arctic and the Declaration on the National Archives to the bell tower at Independence Hall and the underground passage at Trinity Church, the movie is one big treasure map with scene-stealing areas.
Over the highest in all the perfect methods
Google “National Treasure premise.” Ridiculous, goofy, and unrealistic are sure to point out up in the outcomes. There’s fact to these adjectives. National Treasure’s premise is ridiculous. There isn’t any approach a treasure hunter and his tech-savvy pal can outsmart the safety at a federal authorities constructing to steal arguably an important doc in American historical past. Gates escaping the FBI by leaping off the USS Intrepid and touring underwater to New Jersey additionally exams one’s skill to droop disbelief.
National Treasure’s job is to entertain, which it does by combining components from a number of genres. National Treasure is an adventure movie that takes the viewers to a number of historic areas. It’s a heist movie, with standout chase sequences involving the Declaration and a number of coloured lenses. It’s additionally a buddy comedy that includes Gates and Riley, in addition to a rom-com with Gates and Abigail. Enjoy the ridiculousness of National Treasure, and also you’ll be rewarded with an thrilling 131-minute treasure hunt.
Stram National Treasure on Disney+ and Hulu.
