Twenty years ago , Nicolas Cage ’s Benjamin Franklin Gates did the impossible in the movieNational gem : he stole the Declaration of Independence . organize by Jon Turtletaub , the risky venture plastic film follows Ben Gates , a historiographer and treasure hunting watch research for a secret American portion that dates back to the Freemason gem . With the help of computer expert Riley Poole ( Justin Bartha ) and archivist Abigail Chase ( Diane Kruger ) , Gates races to find the hidden treasure before it mother into the hand of the avaricious Ian Howe ( Sean Bean ) , his former friend and treasure Orion .
Upon its release , National Treasuredivided critic and audiences . critic turn down the unrealistic plot and assumption , while audiences defend the Cage - led escapade . The film ’s A- CinemaScore and successful box office haul led to a sequel , National Treasure : Book of Secrets , aDisney+ show , and a possible third film . National Treasureremains as enjoyable a watch as it did in 2004 .
Nicolas Cage’s return to action stardom
Cage is the net ’s favorite thespian to meme . From cry about bee inThe Wicker Manto his vocalizing inLonglegs , Cage ’s functioning can sometimes sense like parodies of himself , peculiarly inThe intolerable Weight of Massive Talent . These comedic moment make it sluttish to forget that Cage was once a bona fide action lead in the 1990s , headlining monumental hitting likeThe Rock , Con Air , andFace / Off .
batting cage leaned into his activeness - stardom persona forNational Treasure . Ben Gates is John Milton Cage Jr. ’s version ofIndiana Jones — smart , tall , and sure-footed . National Treasureis more adventure than action , but the heist - way succession , like acquiring the Declaration and escape the USS Intrepid , are tense and heart - pounding . However , this role was meant for John Milton Cage Jr. , mean it has to have humour and meme - worthy bit . Nothing personifies that more than Cage ’s stoic delivery of the derisory line , “ I ’m gon na steal the Declaration of Independence . ”
History lead the charge
The clandestine ofNational Treasureis how it presents account in a playfulness , exciting way . This is n’t a boring historical infotainment from your high school societal field of study class . National Treasureis a heist film , with chronicle as its currency . Yes , many of the ideas presented as fact are altogether construct . Sorry to let down , but there is no map on the back of the Declaration of Independence . However , Cage ’s historical explanation are so entertaining and bewitch that a safe account simply trumps truth here .
The various configurations aid beat back home the importance of preserving story . They also avail move the adventure — Ben discover a clue , solves the riddle , and heads to the next landmark . From a drop off ship in the Arctic and the Declaration at the National Archives to the bell tug atIndependence Halland the underground passage at Trinity Church , the picture is one elephantine treasure mathematical function with scene - stealing location .
Over the top in all the best ways
Google “ National Treasurepremise . ” Ridiculous , goofy , and unrealistic are bound to show up in the results . There ’s trueness to those adjectives . National Treasure’spremiseisridiculous . There is no path a gem hunter and his tech - savvy booster can overreach the security at a federal governance edifice to slip arguably the most authoritative document in American history . gate escaping the FBIby alternate off the USS Intrepid and travel underwater to New Jersey also test one ’s ability to debar disbelief .
National Treasure’sjob is to entertain , which it does by combining elements from multiple genres . National Treasureis an dangerous undertaking flick that takes the audience to several historical locations . It ’s a heist film , with standout chase sequence involving the Declaration and multiple bleached lenses . It ’s also a buddy funniness featuring Gates and Riley , as well as a rom - com with Gates and Abigail . Enjoy the ridiculousness ofNational Treasure , and you ’ll be rewarded with an exciting 131 - minute treasure search .
StramNational TreasureonDisney+andHulu .
