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National Treasure (2004)



National Treasure (2004)



6/10



Starring
Nicholas Cage
Sean Bean
Justin Bartha
Jon Voight


Directed by Jon Turteltaub


National Treasure is a movie I found very interesting. I think it was because I, along with Benjamin Gates, was solving riddles and clues left behind by his forefathers as we tried to find the lost treasure—a treasure so great that it’s too much for one nation to own.

A good treasure hunt is something we all wanted to experience as kids when we watched films and read books about pirates and all that. Then, add the flair and adventure that Indiana Jones brought to finding his relics, and you’ve got me hooked. I truly enjoyed this movie.
It’s totally fictional, and the idea or the story is what’s fascinating to me—a fictional story about a treasure hunt where all the clues are hidden around U.S. historical monuments is just fun.

Many of the clues and riddles are so bogus that you just laugh, but it was the idea that I liked, not the authenticity of the clues.

The story starts when young Benjamin Gates hears a story about treasure and clues from his grandfather, John Adams Gates (Christopher Plummer), much to the disapproval of Benjamin’s dad, Patrick Gates (Jon Voight). When Gates is grown (Nicholas Cage), the hunt for the treasure begins with the help of a wealthy financier, Ian Howe (Sean Bean).
Things started smoothly, and Gates, along with his friend Riley (Justin Bartha) and Ian and his crew, found the first clue, which then pointed them to the second clue hidden behind the Declaration of Independence.

Ian offered to steal it for Gates, but Gates refused to be part of stealing such a historic document. After an explosion and shots being fired, the group parted ways.

Gates now wants to steal the Declaration of Independence before Ian does, knowing well that behind it is another clue that will lead them to the treasure.

The actors in the movie were just on point. When you put the story aside and look at the acting, you’ll be impressed—the cast was good at their task. The movie is a comedy-adventure, with most of the humor coming from the interactions and weird events between the leads. Regardless, Sean Bean’s character, Ian, was an intelligent villain, but by the end of the film, he did something that seemed stupid and somewhat off. I believe the writers didn’t know how to end the movie, so they just wrapped it up quickly to put an end to the adventure.

Here’s a good movie I didn’t regret spending time watching again. During its release, it wasn’t a critical success, although audiences liked it, and it ended up being a financial hit, which led to a sequel: National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2008).

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