Post by Erik Rupp on Aug 29, 2009 3:50:07 GMT -5
National Treasure is just that - a treasure for families that are looking for a fun movie that everyone in the family can enjoy. It is a wild ride in the Indiana Jones vein, but with some James Bond thrown in for good measure!
On top of all that it also presents history in an entertaining light. Rather than just names and dates, it shows that history is filled with stories - exciting stories, intriguing stories, and, in the end, entertaining stories. It's the perfect movie to show your kids before they go into High School. It's also a flat-out entertaining ride of a movie that will appeal to adults as well. (It is not a, "Kids' movie," - it just happens to be a movie that is appropriate for kids over 6 or 7 years old to watch.)
For the generations that grew up on James Bond and Indiana Jones, National Treasure is a movie that feels right at home. While you may have to suspend disbelief at some of the details in the movie, that isn't very hard to do (no more so than in any of the aforementioned James Bond or Indiana Jones movies). The story is told at such a pace, and with such flair that most moviegoers (or DVD/Blu Ray watchers) won't have either the time or the inclination to try to tear the movie apart detail by detail - that job is left to other critics, some of whom let snobbery get in the way of just enjoying a fun ride of a movie. For the rest of us, however, National Treasure is pure entertainment.
Nicolas Cage is great as Ben Gates, and the supporting cast is very good as well (Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel, Sean Bean - he's always good, and even Christopher Plummer in a bit part as Ben's grandfather).
This is a movie that proves that it is still possible to make a movie that appeals to adults while still being acceptable to parents as a movie for their kids to watch. The concept of a "family" movie (outside of the computer animated genre) has been largely discounted in recent years, but National Treasure proves that it can be done, and done well.
The Blu Ray of National Treasure is also a treasure to behold. The picture is crisp, clean, and clear - with outstanding, natural color and solid blacks for great contrast. The sound quality is also quite good. Disney did another fine job with this Blu Ray.
Recommended.
4/5