NATIONAL TREASURE
MPAA Rating:
 for action violence and some scary imagesReviewed by: Douglas Downs Average
Moviemaking Quality:
 Primary Audience:
Teens, Adults
Genre:
Action/Adventure, Comedy
Length:
1 hr. 40 min.
Year of Release:
2004
USA Release:
______
     “The greatest adventure history has ever revealed.” Producer’s Synopsis: “All his life, Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage) has been searching for a treasure no one believed existed: amassed through the ages, moved across continents, to become the greatest treasure the world has ever known. Hidden by our Founding Fathers, they left clues to the Treasure’s location right before our eyes… from our nation’s birthplace, to the nation’s capitol, to clues buried within the symbols on the dollar bill. In a race against time, Gates must elude the FBI, stay one step ahead of his ruthless adversary (Sean Bean), decipher the remaining clues and unlock the 2000 year-old mystery behind our greatest national treasure.” There is NO doubt that “National Treasure” is a fun, clean action adventure for the entire family. It is a wonderful offering for those that enjoy high wire suspense with an Indiana Jones type flavor. “National Treasure” is a great historical trip. Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage) takes us on a journey through several historical monuments. It is a whirlwind tour of Boston, Washington, D.C. and, of course, Philadelphia. Our journey begins in an attic above a Washington, D.C. residence. The year is 1974, and Ben’s grandfather Jonathan Adams Gates (Christopher Plummer) catches Ben reading a book about a family legend. Our sage begins to pass on the story of the Freemasons and their tireless pursuit to preserve historical treasures. The treasure is well hidden, and to find it you must solve some very difficult clues. Ben’s father (John Voit) warns Ben that pursuit of the treasure is a waste of life. The story cuts to 30 years later, and the next important clue is found encased in a 200-year-old ship that frozen in the Antarctic. Ben’s partners soon turn the tables and steal the next clue. Mr. Gates and his whimsical friend Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) are now in a race to examine the Declaration of the Independence. Director, Jon Turteltaub (“Cool Runnings,” “While You Were Sleeping”) handles this thrill-a-minute plot with tremendous ease. Our duo would not be complete without a female who is caught in the middle. Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger) is the director of the National Archives. Her character is drawn in when the Declaration is stolen. There are wonderful chases and the good guys always seem to be one step ahead of the bad guys. The cliffhanger suspense is similar to the classic Republic chapter serials. There are some exchanges of gunfire, but the villains usually leave our heroes to live through a perilous circumstance. Yes, as you can imagine, this movie is VERY well acted. The plot is predictable, but VERY enjoyable. There is almost NO language and absolutely NO sex. There is a fly in the cinematic plot ointment. I know there are some that feel they can watch a Harry Potter adventure and dismiss the strong occult overtones. This is after all the “Buffy” generation. You still cannot ignore well-crafted agendas. I know that John Travolta tried to pay tribute to Scientology, when he made the movie “Battlefield Earth.” “National Treasure” provides a strong platform of acceptance for the organization known as the Freemasons. The Freemasons is a secret, anti-Christian group with roots that go deep into the occult. Many Masonic oaths are alliances to pagan gods. The organization is a form of morality and ethical standards veiled in secrecy. It is difficult to argue with a group that promotes unselfishness, tolerance, brotherly love and other acceptable virtues. This group has various level or degrees of advancement. It is all an attempt to promote an unholy trinity that is built upon the so called lost name of God. The “Royal Arch” degree calls God as JAH-BUL-ON, or J.B.O. J- (Jehovah) Hebrew, B-(Baal) Babylonian and O-(Osiris) Egyptian. My grandfather was a Mason. I read lots of material trying to understand his position. I’m a minister/Christian counselor and have been recruited by the Masonic organization. First, Jesus NEVER did anything in secret. Second, the scripture declares, “what fellowship can righteousness have with unrighteousness? Can light have anything to do with darkness?” (II Cor. 6:14) The Freemasons work to elevate all beliefs that point to a supreme being. I do recommend the book, Should a Christian be a Mason? by E.M. Storms (written by a high ranking former Freemason and reviewed by a minister that was also a high ranking Mason.). I took my 13-year-old son to see the film. He has no interest in the Freemasons as a result of viewing this together. I have raised both of my sons with strong doses of discernment. My primary objection is the glorification of the Freemasons. You now have been informed and can make your own choice. Violence: Mild / Profanity: Minor / Sex/Nudity: None
Further comments about the Freemasons Dear Reader, I mentioned the Freemason element of the film because I have a responsibility to our Christian readers to point out any theme that some may find objectionable. It is true that the Freemasons have done many admirable things. My grandfather was a Mason, and I know of their charitable work and humanitarian efforts. However, generosity is not the measurement to prove salvation or a right relationship with God. Jesus openly declared that “He was the way, the truth and the life.” I Corinthians 13 declares that if I give everything to the poor and have not “Agape” Love (that comes from a right relationship with God) then “I am nothing.” Paul also called our “righteousness as filthy rags.” The most important thing is that we have been redeemed and follow Christ. There is NO redemptive value in works. My use of the prefix anti (above) is in the Greek/Biblical use of the word. The prefix anti in our language has come to mean simply against. The prefix anti, like anti-Christ, refers to a counterfeit Christ. The word Christian does presuppose the acceptance of Christ as the sole Savior and remedy for sin. Anti-Christian would be the acceptance of other religious belief systems. The scripture clearly presents one solution for sin and that their will be many other counterfeit choices. It is not called the “narrow” way by Jesus for nothing. “Narrow” does not mean narrow-minded, but the simple most direct path to redemption and a relationship with God. If you are a Freemason, I apologize if I offended you. However, I am not alone in my opposition of the Freemasons. There are various Christian denominations and organizations that are opposed to members belonging to the Freemasons (and organizations like it). for HIS glory,  POSITIVE Positive - If you are
boycotting Disney, it may be time to reconsider the method of getting
Disney’s attention. National Treasure is an absolutely wonderful film for
the entire family. It’s the kind of action film that Christians have been
longing to see on the big screen. Positive - Excellent family holiday movie for parents and older kids. I don’t
recall any bad language or taking the Lord’s name in vain. One throw away
scene, while showing no nudity and not sexual in nature has some slight
double entandra, if even that. The main role played by Nicolas Cage shows
good character and manners. The PG rating is mostly for violence and
peril. Positive - …excellent & the acting was superb, I am glad that it didn’t have any nudity or any profanity. I think that this type of movie is very clean for the whole family. Positive - I took my three children, ages 14, 11 & 8 to see this movie. It
was not an offensive movie, but it did bring up the subject of freemasonry
with my children. I was hoping for more laughs. My 8-yr old is normally
afraid of intense movies, but she settled down and enjoyed it after the
1st half hour, so I would say it is not too intense. All in all the movie
was exciting but I was not overly impressed with the acting and the plot
was downright unbelievable. But hey, the movie was for the kids. I
wouldn’t rush out and wait in line for this movie, but it is probably
worth seeing at some point. Positive - (Note: I only missed about three minutes of this film.) “National Treasure” is an example of the type of movie Disney USED to make and seems to be making more of today. The premise, let’s say right off, is rather silly, that there is a treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence. (I pity the
pour tour guides at the National Archives now.) However, once you decide
that it’s “only a movie,” you can have a lot of fun. Positive - Being the father of daughters, I have learned that my girls walk away from movies with different thoughts than boys. I saw this movie with my 11 year-old daughter. When I asked about the freemasonry elements and all the techno-gizmos, she said that those did not appeal to her; rather she was more interested in trying to solve the puzzles as the movie unfolded. One can nit-pick a movie apart, and to enjoy this one needs to suspend reality expectations. (i.e. a handful of men in two Artic snow cats discovering and digging-out in a few short hours a wooden American Revolutionary ship encased in ice for over 200 years?) At the end of the movie, we felt we learned a bit of history, had a fun ride searching for the “National Treasure,” and we would bring mom and sister to the movie over the Thanksgiving weekend. Out of our post-movie discussion came a lovely teachable moment: we talked about what would happen if the Declaration of Independence was truly stolen. I was able to share that, while a precious piece of our country’s founding would be gone, our nation would not be diminished because our republic is built on the ideals contained within the Declaration…not the document itself. Likewise, I was able to make the analog to the Bible. While we do not have original documents for the entire Bible, our lives as Believers do not rest on the actual written documents but on the person of Jesus Christ . . who He is and His redeeming power through the cross. Of course we know who He is through the Bible, inspired writings that have been divinely protected through the ages that will continue to inspire generations to come.[Better than Average/4] —Jeff Mc, age 45 Positive - This was perhaps one of the best and most exciting movies my wife
and I have ever seen, and definitely the top movie that our entire family
has seen together (children ages 11 and 9). We are devout Christians, and I don’t understand the film critic’s hang-up with Masonry in the movie. The film doesn’t advocate any beliefs of this club, nor does it even mention what any of those beliefs are. The inclusion is strictly historical…The film uses the Masononic themes as strictly a cross-reference to our country’s founding fathers. Many of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were Masons, thus the need to include the reference. It was a joy to take my family to a clean movie, and see my children on
the edge of their seats for two hours. Positive - I took my three boys (12, 11, 11) to see this movie last night and
we all had a great time. It is a rare occurrence to not have to winch at
what Hollywood puts out. Even the most benign films usually slip something objectionable in for 'effect'. Not this film. Positive - This was a pretty decent family movie, nothing objectional in my opinion. You’ll especially like it if your a history buff, although I’m not sure how actual everything is. It has good action, some humor, and some very cheesy romance. Overall it was alright. Positive - I was pleasantly surprised as I watched this movie. There was no
gore (outside of a cut finger) and for once, the 'bad guy' was not bent on
destroying the world and being ridiculously vile. There are some
similarities to the “Indiana Jones” type movies and this one even makes a
comical 'jab' at the propensity of action movies to place an ill timed
kiss in the middle of tense scenes. Positive - Finally, a movie that makes learning History fun! I love American
History, but I always had the football coach or some old boring guy
teaching it (still done today, unfortunately). If I had had Benjamin
Franklin Gates teaching me, it would have been a joy. To actually watch as someone recites the Declaration of Independence sent chills down my spine! [Good/4] —Laura Maples, age 41 Positive - This was a pretty decent family movie, nothing objectional in my opinion.
You’ll especially like it if your a history buff, although I’m not sure
how actual everything is. It has good action, some humor, and some very
cheesy romance. Overall it was alright. Positive - How nice to come out of the movie theater and realize I hadn’t
been assaulted by sex, ultra violence and/or foul language. How nice that
I could take my 10 year old to see it and not be embarrassed or tell him
to cover his eyes or ears. How nice to see that the guy did the right
thing and still won. How nice to see Hollywood can still put something
like that out! This was an all around great film and one I feel good about
recommending. Positive - “National Treasure” is a movie. As Christians sometimes we have a
tendency to forget that Hollywood portraits fictional work for the purpose
of entertainment. I was entertained. I know of several friends who are
Masons who chuckled at the Masonic references, knowing them to be
inaccurate. The movie is action packed, suspenseful, no sex, bad language
is at a very minimal. If you are a Freemason conspiratist, you may want to
think twice about it. I do recommend it and rate it very well. Positive - I particularly enjoyed National Treasure, it weaves an exciting
story that keeps you on the edge of your seat right to the end. For young
people it even relates a little history, and the views of our capitol
alone are worth the price of admission. I am a Christian and a Freemason… Positive - I found the film to be very interesting, If anything it leads you
to want to learn more about your Country and its beginnings…As far as the Masonic references most people do not realize Freemasonry started out as a Christian only group, They did not use the term Grand Architect of the Universe until the 1700s before that they used Jehovah. Later men of the Jewish faith wanted to join, they could not say the name
of God out of respect so Freemasonry started using God than took the term Grand Architect of the Universe from John Calvin…Remember Jesus Christ is the only way for Salvation. Positive - I took my 11 year old daughter to see this and we both loved it .I
would say it is for 10 and up.we can’t wait to get it when it comes out on
dvd. Positive - My husband and I rented this movie last week. We were completely impressed! Way to go Disney! I know that some viewers were put off by the Mason-based part of the plot, but I simply viewed it as a part of the plotline based on a group in our country’s history. I was amazed that there was no foul language and nothing sexual to be offended by or uncomfortable with. I only wish that my husband, and I had seen it in theatres. I would gladly pay $8-$10 a ticket to support Disney’s awesome effort for a clean AND exciting movie! It can be done!! I only hope that they will continue to make actual family-friendly movies. If you have seen this movie yet, you should! NEGATIVE Negative - …this is actually the second time I’ve seen the film. If you heard this statement from Billy Graham, after he made one of his films, it would make sense to you. “If one person gets saved from watching this movie, it was worth it.” If one person becomes a Free Mason because of this movie, it was a very bad movie. I grew up on “Raiders Of The Lost Ark.” When I was a kid, I thought that was the coolest movie I had ever seen, save Star Wars. When I was a child I thought as a child! Now it’s hard to watch films and not look at them through Christian eyes, especially since I have kids, which is why I went and saw the film the first time, to check it out for the kids. Is the film good? Negative - This was probably one of the worst “adventure” movies I have ever
seen! I think the director/writer tried to include every thrill scene
from every adventure movie ever made. The dialog was stilted and most of
the scenes had at least one unbelievable thing . For example, torches
catching on fire (and lasting for a long time!!) after 200 years. Yea,
right. Don’t waste your money. Go out and rent or buy an Indiana Jones
movie. About the only thing good was that it was not offensive, which is
not a resounding reason for spending money on this piece of junk. Negative - This film is rubbish. An unbelievable and illogical plot with
every action scene stolen from every other movie. (e.g., two separate teams
break into the same impenetrable vault of th National Archive at exactly
the same time… yeah right.) Don’t waste your time or your money. My wife
and 18 year old daughter were of the same mind… the best part was the end so we
could all go home. Comments from young people: Positive - This movie rocks!! It has a lot of info on historical things.There
is no bad scenes in it. I recommend it! Positive - National Treasure is awesome!
I had received MANY promising remarks on the fact that it was a great
movie, so I came with great expectations that spending my money on it was
a good investment. But It turned out even better that I expected! I
ended up thanking God on the way home afterwards that there was actually a
clean movie this year in theaters! There have been other good movies in
theaters this year (Spiderman 2, The Incredibles) but even those had some
suggestive content in them. Positive - Enchanting! I haven’t seen a good, curse word-free movie like this
in a while (that’s not an insult, because some good movies do have one or
two curse words, it’s just the truth). The acting, action, and special
affects were awesome, and the screenplay? It fit the story perfectly, and
still had room to give out some history on the side! I agree with the
fifteen (or so) people that said Hollywood should make more movies like
this. Shout it at the top of your lungs, everyone, because it’s happened:
a box office smash hit that doesn’t have sex, nudity, cursing, gore, or
*too* much violence, has been made! Positive - …really a genius plot and well done. Plus it’s clean…Overall the movie was great. It was a MOVIE so of course they had to make up something unrealistic. And what better way to do that then use our money and Declaration of Independence to send them on a treasure hunt? I thought the movie came together quite well. It kept me
on the edge of my seat the whole time. There are a couple of scenes of skeletons popping out of coffins and a little bit of suspense. But overall the movie will have you on the edge of your seat seeing where it’s going to lead you next. Younger children might not follow it as well so I recommend this movie for ages 12 and up Negative - Personally, I’m surprised at the amount of positive reviews for this movie. I was very much offended by the way the main characters broke in and stole things like the Declaration and justified it by saying they
were only stealing it to protect it from being stolen by someone else. Not only did they steal themselves, they also lied about their motive, when in truth they were after it to find the treasure just the same. I wasn’t impressed by this movie as I was by other Disney live actions like Hidalgo or Pirates of the Caribbean. Positive - I agree his movie can’t bring anyone to Christ just by seeing
it and its lame, the heavies shoots always missing the heroes, falling on
old boards from high and their not breaking. It was like the old westerns,
there’s a hero, a woman, a side-kick (Riley was great!), and an evil heavy
with his gang and lots of action. There is a scene when Gates makes a
toast to the Founding Fathers saying “Here to the men who signed the
Declaration that the risk of there lives, knowing that if the rebellion
felled they wound be hang and my favorite had their intestines pulled out
and burned!” For Hollywood to mention what our Fathers could of and did go
through for our freedom shows their coming around to there scenes! Maybe
they will even make a movie! Seen this film and think about our Christian
Founders and how God was merciful to them and be grateful to God for
giving us such men and our freedom and country. Positive - National Treasure is such an exciting movie! It has nothing wrong
with it! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! The reason the
Hollywood critics do not like it is because there is no bad language. I
suggest this movie to Christians and everyone! Positive - The movie was fantastic! The music and acting was very, very
good. It is a good fun movie that a mother and her kids can go see and not
be embarrassed by cussing,sex and nudity. And it is a good movie to spend
your money on. And I really don’t think it’s an occultic movie, it’s just a
good movie. I recommend it… Positive - I saw the movie last night for the first time I thought the plot
was far fetched and way out there but it was enjoyable none-the-less the
only thing I didn’t like about the movie was that one scene had the hero
and heroine in separate dressing rooms mind you but with just the door in
front of them that made me feel uncomfortable but everything else was
good. It does give your family something to talk about such as the
freemasons and the founding fathers which I think is good to talk about Positive - I thought this was very good, considering. No, it was nothing
spectacular. But it was a CLEAN movie, and that’s something I haven’t
seen in… a long time. Really, I don’t remember anything questionable.
Even if some of the characters were a little stereotypical (Gates' computer
friend, for one, I thought), they were actually fairly well-developed and
interesting. Dr. Chase’s thought process formed and changed throughout
the movie, and I thought it was good to see the “good guy” get arrested
for once. Sure, it was unrealistic, but so what? This is the movies.
The only slightly troubling thing was how easily everyone seemed to
dismiss Gates stealing the Declaration of Independence--stealing is
stealing no matter the reasoning behind it. But all things considered,
I’d have to call that a minor part of the movie. Positive - What an awesome movie. If you want clean, fun, adventure, then
look no further. this movie was one thrill ride after another, which is
hard to get without the junk. Also it had a fun story that you get trapped
into. relating to one of the other viewers comments, sure some of the
parts may not have been all that realistic, but what would a movie be
without things like that? Besides, that’s the last thing I had on my mind when I watched it. There just aren’t enough PG movies like this. Go see it… Positive - I think if you want to go and see a good a good movie with your
family that has no blood, sex, or nudity then this a movie to see. As far
as realism goes, how real do we have to get before we lose are god-given
imagination…Of course, I don’t believe that there is a
map on the Declaration of Independence, but this was a good film that the
whole family can enjoy without every thing that a “well” made R rated movie
has in it. Now this movie does talk about Freemasons which I personally
know very little of. I encourage you if you have any questions, Christian Spotlight has good sound biblical on this issue…Remember if we don’t start supporting good family entertainment Hollywood will not make it. Acting is
great, Plot is imaginative, Good family fun. Neutral - I feel I must take a neutral opinion after viewing this rather well-made movie. I must confess that it was refreshing seeing no sexual-overtones or obscene profanity when I go to the theaters. We took our youth group to see Dodgeball — and we were all embarrassed. But this movie is one I would CONSIDER taking a church group to see, if not for all the references to the Freemasons. Positive - This was a very good movie! With the exception of the masons part,
it was unobjectionable. In the believability area, though, it was kind of
not so convincing. He figured out the clues way too fast for any normal
person to believe. There’s no way, no matter how much training you’ve had,
that you could figure out exactly how to find the clue within the first 5
seconds of seeing it, unless you have a ton of previous information. Otherwise, it was great! And funny. So see it. Positive - “National Treasure” was great. It is by far the best time I’ve had at a theater in a while. It has a great plot (there are a few problems with accuracy, but Indiana Jones wasn't exactly a historical fountain of truth
either) with heart-wrenching action that’s ultimately FUN. I’m a young filmmaker and don’t really get involved in movies, but in “National Treasure” all I was thinking was, “RUN! NO WRONG WAY! GET OUTTA THERE!…” You won’t have much more fun at a movie this year. It’s a good-natured treasure-hunt movie with a twenty-first century spin. Neutral - The movie was alright, but I wouldn't like to watch it for $9.75. Too much for that. [Better than Average/4] —Brittney, age 14 Positive - It was the best movie I have ever seen! You couldn’t find out
where the treasure is until it gets to that part--it’s unpredictable. It has a few scary parts (skulls, bones, guns) so I would not take very young kids (young=5 and under). It had no unacceptable language. It was a very modest movie.
I hope they make more movies like these where the characters have great manners, incredible vocabulary, and appropriate for families. Positive - I thought this movie was incredible. It was like seeing Indiana Jones all over again, with more action and good graphics. I saw this movie with my family, and I think that kids of all ages would appreciate it. I think that Nicholas Cage did a wonderful job and the rest of the cast were phenomenal. I hope that Disney continues to make more movies with good moral content and no profanity or nudity. There was one scene where the young guy Riley takes the Lord’s name in vain, but other than that, there was nothing offensive. Positive - I missed the first minute or so of this movie, but from what I saw
this film is the perfect example of what a good clean movie should be. It
has great acting, Nicolas Cage always being a favorite, and although the
plot is unbelieveable, the director takes an incredible story and creates
something for the entire family. There were both light and intense
moments during the film which created the atmosphere of a terrific hunt.
Being a U.S. History student, I could appreciate the historical references
while also becoming engulfed in the story. It was a great movie for
anyone up for an Indiana Jones/007 Treasure Hunt. Christians who enjoy
good clean films should support this movie so more will be made in its
likeness. I give this film a 10. Positive - Watching movies at the theater is a very rare thing for my family, but all in all we saw this one 3 times [at the theater]. First my parents saw it, then my dad took my brother and I twice. Since it has come out in VHS/DVD, my brother and I have seen it too many times to count… Writing this for both of us, this was an awesome movie, and one of our favorites. Yea, it was a little predicable, but it was clean too, which is soooo rare. Definitely not for someone who doesn't like action films, but aside from that I don't really see why anyone wouldn't like “National Treasure.” Movie Critics
“…refuses to let you be bored…” “…there is not a single moment in the movie that isn’t complete nonsense. But with a script decked out with fascinating historical tidbits from the American Revolution and Masonic lore, set pieces in and around numerous East Coast monuments and historical buildings and a tongue thrust firmly in cheek, 'National Treasure' is an above-average popcorn movie…” “…rip-roaring…” “…an adventure zipped up with a light smattering of history. But, unlike “Da Vinci [Code],” “Treasure” doesn’t expect us to believe in its hooey…” “…'National Treasure' is fun. Or fun enough… fast-paced treasure hunt…” |
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