The Film
Every so often a film comes along that leaves one scratching one's head in disbelief, questioning why the executives in the boardroom greenlit such a project. Perhaps said film even leads one to question exactly how far along into the project -- if ever at all -- it was realized that the whole thing was turning into a joke. National Treasure is one such film.
Central to the plot is a centuries-old treasure hidden by the "founding fathers" of the United States during the Revolutionary War in order to safeguard it from the British. The film's main protagonist, one Benjamin Franklin Gates, has become obsessed with finding it, ever since being told the story as a young boy of the Knights Templar, the Free Masons, the Revolutionary War, the national treasure and the family secret. Unfortunately, Gates is played in a typically dull, nearly emotionless manner by Nicolas Cage; has this man had a role remotely convincing since Leaving Las Vegas?
The Gates family became the last people with the secrets and tools capable of unlocking the clues left behind by the Masons in order to uncover the treasure when Charles Carroll, the last surviving signer of the United States Declaration of Independence and a Free Mason, rode off to the White House in his carriage to give a secret to Andrew Jackson. Upon arrival, Carroll found President Jackson was not there, so he told the secret to the only one he could, his stable boy, Thomas Gates. What was the secret? "The secret lies with Charlotte," written on a tattered piece of parchment.
At the outset, we see Ben Gates in the Arctic Circle with his sidekick Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) and their employer Ian Howe (Sean Bean) uncovering an old ship named The Charlotte. It was Ben who determined Charlotte was a ship and on the Charlotte yet another clue was uncovered, a Meerschaum pipe with an inscription that revealed a riddle. The riddle leads them to the understanding that there is a map on the back of the Declaration of Independence. From there things take a turn, when Ian Howe decides they must steal the Declaration of Independence and Gates refuses. After a brief standoff at gunpoint in which the ship, filled with barrels of gunpowder, is blown up by a flare that Gates sets, Howe leaves thinking Gates and Poole dead; the film really begins to get silly from there on. The chase is in motion to steal the Declaration from the National Archives. Gates, who initially refused, decides that he must steal it to protect it from Howe and also to satisfy his curiosity about the map and the treasure.
On the film goes like that, with an overflow of ludicrous circumstances that ask the viewer far too often to suspend disbelief. For instance, the relative ease with which Gate and Poole are able to steal the Declaration of Independence is just silly, there's no other way to describe it. Even the character development is an insult to the audience's intelligence. There is Gates' sidekick Riley, who we are made to understand is his friend, apparently, and seems to be some sort of computer wiz, yet the role is written as if the character is a buffoon -- a completely non-intellectual bozo who just happens to be able to hack into the National Archives' security systems? Who in their right mind thought that was believable when they wrote that screenplay?
And, of course, there is Dr. Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger) from the National Archives, a woman Gates and Riley approach as a last resort to warn that someone is going to try to take the Declaration of Independence. She initially sends them out of her office thinking they are kooks, just like everyone else, but, on the night when Gates decides to pilfer it himself, there just happens to be a gala going on, and of course she is there, and of course she gets caught in the battle between Gates and Howe to get the document. Gates and Poole must rescue her from Howe. Suddenly, she's inexplicably caught up in all of the intrigue and mystery of finding the national treasure herself and helping Gates rub lemon juice on and blow dry the back of the Declaration. Did this film originally begin its life as a satire?
Ben Gates as a character is somewhere between a savant and an outlaw; one minute risking death to stand by his scruples and the next deciding to steal an historic document in a matter of seconds. And the downright humorous way in which he is seemingly capable of solving centuries-old riddles in a matter of minutes is mind-boggling.
Ultimately, National Treasure plays like a mixture of The X-Files and The Da Vinci Code, only it is far less interesting than either. Even with the clichéd premise of Knights Templar, Free Masons, and hidden treasure at its center, the film could have been made into a far more interesting work of historical fiction. Had they delved deeper into the mysteries of world history, and historical myths, something more substantial might have evolved. Instead, what we have here is a shallow action/mystery film that is short on the action and shorter on the mystery, as the central protagonist just seems to skip effortlessly from one clue to the next, solving each almost instantly. The history and meaning behind things are never developed and explored. Even Ian Howe, the film's antagonist, just seems to variably be working with or following Gates' every move throughout the film, which doesn't make for much suspense.
The Picture
National Treasure is presented on this disc in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 in a 1080p/24 high definition transfer. The picture is exceptionally sharp and detailed with a fine amount of film grain captured throughout for an entirely film-like presentation. Black levels are set just a bit too dark, as some amount of shadow detail gets lost, and the blacks crush ever so slightly as a result. Contrast is good, but flesh tones show just a slight bit of red push. Other than these minute issues, the transfer is very well done and shows no signs of compression artifacts or edge enhancement, although grain haters may find some fault with it. This definitely does not fall into the category of a transfer that has had a heavy amount of digital noise reduction applied -- in other words, as I stated previously, it looks very film-like.
The Sound
There are English uncompressed PCM 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit) and English, French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks available on this disc. I listened to the uncompressed PCM soundtrack for the purposes of this review. The mix was detailed, full, dynamic, and had great clarity. Dialogue was mixed well, sounding clear and natural, but the score was sometimes mixed too loudly. The difference in levels between the dialogue and the score was far too vast and could have been tempered somewhat. The mix also seemed to be slightly front heavy. Although the surround channels were used quite often for many discrete effects and ambience, their level was just a tad low, and most of the time the action seemed to be focused more across the front three channels. Still, the sound was engaging and cohesive, but not as good as it could have been. The LFE channel was also used quite effectively, particularly in the film's opening scene where The Charlotte explodes, giving it just the right amount of bombast.
The Extras
There are an abundance of extras offered on this disc. Unfortunately all but one of the video extras are in standard definition. There are a total of four "behind-the-scenes" type featurettes, and all of them recycle much of the same footage and interview segments. For the most part, I think this a case of quantity over quality.
Final Thoughts
Don't expect great filmmaking if you sit down to watch this movie, and do try to imagine you are eight years old and can believe practically anything, because this film's premise is outrageous. If you are in the mood for some mindless entertainment on a Saturday night to unwind from your weekly stress, then perhaps this is the popcorn movie for you. At the very least, the film-like video transfer and pleasant PCM soundtrack should be satisfying for home theatre enthusiasts.
Where to Buy
Product Details
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Video | |
| Audio | |
| Movie | |
| Extras |
