Jerry Bruckheimer films guarantee sweeping panoramic shots, an impressive bellowing musical score, and unnecessary elaborate chase scenes. And in National Treasure (2004) and National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007), director Jon Turteltaub and action Bruckheimer regular Nicolas Cage deliver on those promises – to an extent, anyways. The attempt is there, no question, but the final product is a bit underwhelming.
In what can only be assumed was a move made since Independence Day was nearly a decade old at that point, National Treasure came out flag waving, touting how exciting and great United States has historically been. It was almost an attempt to do for American history what the Indiana Jones series did for archeology or CSI for forensic studies – the only problem being that it wasn’t nearly as slick as the those productions and had this feeling that it was tacked on rather than organically woven into the story.
The second National Treasure movie was more of a cash grab than anything else, after the first blockbuster film brought in more than $170 million dollars. I will not scare too many with the fact that a third movie is currently being discussed for release in 2014, but instead dive into both existing films right now:
National Treasure
To summarize - “free masons run the country!”
This film plays on the idea that the United States is the greatest nation in the world, the founding fathers some of the most brilliant minds of all time, and the American Revolution was quite possibly the most significant battle ever fought. If the audience, clearly meant to be residents of the US of A, ever forgot the fact, this was a nice little story in a blockbuster film made to remind them of their greatness. And it was also a chance to give the rest of the world a history project in the process so hey, everyone wins!
The story is focused around Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage) - yes, in a movie about US history the main character is actually named Benjamin Franklin. For some, that’s all they will need to know. But of the two films, this is actually the better one. Gates comes from a lineage with deep ties to American history, and has heard the tale of a secret treasure that has been fought over for centuries and changed hands many times.
It turns out that the Free Masons, that secret society favourite of many conspiracy theorists, are the group who founded and still help run the United States to this day. They hid this fantastic treasure roughly estimated to be $11 billion dollars, and the founding fathers built a series of the most elaborate clues ever to keep it from the British. It is implied that one of the reasons for the American Revolution was a fight over this very treasure, covered by the ruse of taxation without representation.
It is an unbelievable story - the Declaration of Independence is a treasure map, currency is also a measure of how to transport clues to the hidden treasure passed along by the Knights Templar. Much of American history is just a façade to protect this powerful treasure while forming their new country. If it sounds unbelievable it is because it is, but if you feel in the mood for an action film that requires a suspension of disbelief and little thought necessary this may suffice.
The acting itself leaves much to be desired. The comic relief provided by sidekick Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) is easily the best performance and worthy of a few laughs. The female love interest of the film Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger) (get it? her name is Chase and they’re on a…don’t worry, I won’t even finish that thought) is a strong female role, but the romantic subplot is forced when actually existent.
I am a Sean Bean fan, but he seems limited playing the villain of the film as Ian Howe. He does a good job of making sure you don’t like his character, however his character doesn’t have a lot to build upon. Jon Voight adds star power to the cast in a cameo role as Ben’s father, Patrick Gates, but he is barely used at all.
Cage himself gives a performance that appears to be a watered-down version of his role in The Rock. He does come alive from time to time in an emotional outburst, however, for the most part, his role as the incredibly smart and incredibly driven member of a family of patriotic treasure hunters is easily forgettable.
If you want easy fun, with some explosions but not too many, and a plot based around the mind of the bored and angsty student in the back a high school history class, check out National Treasure.
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
To summarize – families that play together, stay together.
If the first of the National Treasure movies was a stretch in terms of the story itself, the sequel is the world’s most difficult yoga position. A little while (it is never actually said how much time has elapsed) the treasure hunting crew has done their best to capitalize on their lives after the first film, but all those projects have blown up in their faces.
The relationship between Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage) and Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger) is on the rocks as they now live apart, and she has actually moved on to another man, played by Ty Burrell of Modern Family fame – and it is very unfortunate he did not have more than a very brief role in this film. That wacky Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) who tried to make a fortune by writing a book based on their first adventure has also run into misfortune, falling victim to tax fraud.
To make matters worse, a rich man of southern confederate descent presents a claim that an ancestor of the Gates family, Ben’s great-great-grandfather Thomas Gates, was tied to the Lincoln assassination as a previously unknown conspirator – which naturally is somehow rooted in another unfathomably large treasure hidden on US soil. There are more national monuments and significant pieces of history and architecture serving as a façade to hide the final burial place. Oh, and the adventure does require extremely impossible trips to the White House and Buckingham Palace as part of the journey.
So needless to say in terms of plot development, the writers decided that the first film had not gone extreme enough. Clearly they also feel that they did not have enough Jon Voight in the film either as he has some added scenes in reprising the role of Patrick Gates, Ben’s father. To help him out they introduce his estranged wife and Ben’s mother played by Helen Mirren - a strict university professor and one of the only people in the world with the skills required to complete this journey, naturally. Mirren does a very good job in this role and the two put together some quality work, which is not echoed that often throughout the picture. It is a shame their scenes are few and far between.
The villain this time around is Ed Harris, a southern man proud of his family lineage and a man with more wit about him than the first film’s treasure hunting bad guy. This time however the audience is given the chance to side with this character and feel for the bad guy. It is even more unfortunate that in this film the villain is limited by his script, because this is the best performance of the picture no question.
Bartha stole the show the first time around but in the sequel, while he still has his moments, the schtick has grown old. It is nice to see that they kept Kruger in the female lead role of Chase and did not do what so many films do and simply write her out of the picture for some contrived reason. But the story is predictable, and the romantic subplot even more tacked on than it was in the first film.
Cage doesn’t really change much from his first performance, pretty much a repeat of the watered down treasure hunting national hero role. Cage has done better in the past, and these films are really not what he will be remembered for.
The action sequences are even less impressive than the first film and the plot even more unbelievable, this certainly has the feeling of a film that was created to make money based on the success of the original, and even harder to digest as a result. If you have really created a strong bond with the characters of the first film, feel free to watch the next episode, however pure entertainment-wise it pales in comparison to the original.
