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   Review: Worthless 'National Treasure'

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Topic: Review: Worthless 'National Treasure' (Read 312 times)

Rhune
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Review: Worthless 'National Treasure'
« on: Nov 18^th, 2004, 7:12pm »

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Review: Worthless 'National Treasure'
Not much fun deciphering car chases and gunplay
By David Germain
Associated Press
Thursday, November 18, 2004 Posted: 4:00 PM EST (2100 GMT)

(AP) -- When in the course of human events did it become necessary for Jerry Bruckheimer and Nicolas Cage to continue collaborating on bad action flicks?

The Founding Fathers might not have been so quick to put their John Hancocks on the Declaration of Independence if they had known Bruckheimer and Cage would use it as a cheap prop a couple of centuries later in "National Treasure."

The movie offers a potentially refreshing twist on the heist genre, with Cage playing a well-meaning adventurer plotting to steal the document to prevent a bad-guy rival from obtaining the treasure map concealed on the parchment.

Yet all "National Treasure" delivers is a series of obtuse clues interspersed with feeble car chases, gunplay and the odd explosion, the action paltry by the usual Bruckheimer standards, which produced such Cage vehicles as "The Rock," "Con Air" and "Gone in 60 Seconds."

Mining "Indiana Jones" territory, director Jon Turteltaub unearths something more akin to a "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" movie, where it's not necessary for things to make much sense as long as they remain in motion.

Cage plays Benjamin Franklin Gates, a painfully obvious name in a movie that makes little effort at subtlety.

A maverick historian considered a crank by colleagues, Ben Gates comes from a long line of adventurous misfits who have spent generations hunting down clues of a rumored fortune in antiquities hidden somewhere in America by Freemasons, successors to the legendary Knights Templar.

When Ben learns that the key to the treasure's whereabouts is contained in invisible ink on the flipside of the Declaration, he ends up in a race to filch the document against former partner Ian Howe (Sean Bean) who wants the fortune for his own bank account.

Ben, on the other hand, is a noble thief, trying to obtain the Declaration to preserve it and the legacy of the Templars.

"The fact is, the only way to protect the Declaration is to steal it," Ben concludes.

He enlists the help of techno-geek buddy Riley Poole (Justin Bartha), who follows Ben around unquestioningly for no apparent reason other than providing meager comic relief.

The two fall in by accident with National Archives historian Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger) -- who's conveniently attractive, available and willing to become Ben's partner in romance and crime.

Jon Voight is tossed in as Ben's skeptical father, who has come to view the Templar treasure as an elaborate hoax. Harvey Keitel is barely present in a small role as an FBI agent on Ben's trail, and Christopher Plummer appears in an even smaller part as Ben's grandfather, spinning the long history of the Knights Templar.

There's no real energy or chemistry among any of these people, the characters shuffling along awkwardly from riddle to riddle, solving each in none-too-credible fashion.

The idea for "National Treasure" has kicked around the halls of Disney since the late 1990s. After screenwriter Jim Kouf took a stab at the script, husband-and-wife team Cormac and Marianne Wibberly did a rewrite; the Wibberlys' credits include "I Spy," "Bad Boys II" and "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle," so that will give you an idea of the caliber of dialogue and story "National Treasure" offers.

The filmmakers toss in tidbits about Masonic symbols on U.S. currency and other little mysteries ascribed to the Founding Fathers, apparently hoping to smarten up the story. But these few morsels end up lost among the gibberish of a movie that runs half an hour longer than necessary.

"National Treasure," a Disney release, is rated PG for action violence and some scary images.

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Copyright 2004 The Associated Press.

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yesteach
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Re: Review: Worthless 'National Treasure'
« Reply #1 on: Nov 20^th, 2004, 8:22pm »

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Going to see this tomorrow, along with Spongebob and the Incredibles.. it's cold and rainy... a three movie sort of day... Cool

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AoM
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Re: Review: Worthless 'National Treasure'
« Reply #2 on: Nov 21^st, 2004, 9:31pm »

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I saw this movie

It was great! So much better than i thought it was going to be. It had humor, it had plot, it had action stuff. 4 Stars! (outta 5)

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Pau
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Re: Review: Worthless 'National Treasure'
« Reply #3 on: Nov 23^rd, 2004, 2:18am »

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yeah.. i watched it the other day and it was good... liked the movie... Cheesy

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luci
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Re: Review: Worthless 'National Treasure'
« Reply #4 on: Nov 23^rd, 2004, 10:45am »

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YEA

When the critics say it is bad, we know we'll like it!

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