Les Jones

A&E > Review: National Treasure

Nicholas Cage plays the latest generation of the Gates family to track a legenday fortune from the birth of America. The clues are scattered across the colonies, to the arctic circle, and to the back of the 100 dollar bill and the Declaration of Independence.

The chain of clues and artifacts is easy to follow, and there's a strong feel of American history. The characters are easy to keep straight, too. The good guys have history degrees and early American artifacts. The bad guys have guns and Cockney accents. (Every time the villains appeared I expected Nick Cage's sidekick to yell "The British are coming! The British are coming!")

It's a fun flick, with the usual spy escapades overlain with on-your-feet academic sluething, but it would be better if the spectre of Hollywood didn't so frequently overshadow the Capital and Independence Hall. It was too easy to predict plot twists that followed tinseltown formulas.

You'll probably enjoy National Treasure, but you'll enjoy it more if you consume a healthy dose of disbelief-suspending chemicals before watching. (Especially the arctic scene at the beginning.) Speaking of pharmaceuticals, Nicholas Cage needs to back off the botox and Valium. If he gets any more relaxed he's going to wake up in a Bob Hope and Bing Crosby caper.

Recommended, but leave your disbelief at the door for maximum enjoyment.