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National Treasure Review
So, now that I've gotten my thoughts in order as for the movie, I'd like to share them with you if you will indulge me. ^^
National Treasure is a "Jerry Bruckheimer" film, which means it's pretty mcuh an action-adventure film, but it's tamer and warmer than his usual fair. The story follows -- as you probably know already -- the search for a war chest hidden by the Founding Fathers of the US. The protagonist is Benjamin Franklin Gates, played by Nicholas Cage.
To start with, the story. From a technical standpoint it was very well-done. The pacing was just right, I didn't feel the movie was dragging at any time. The history was pretty solid, I'm pretty sure that if I look up any of the events they mentioned that there'd be little or no difference. There were a few points where my suspension of disbelief was kind of strained; the bit with the spectacles, mainly. The conspiracy theory angles were downplayed; though it addressed two of the major conspiracy theories of history -- the Masonic influences amongst the Founding Fathers and the Knights Templar -- they were handled well and did not overshadow and weigh down the film.
The characters were good, as well. I liked them, the good guys were sympathetic and even the main villain wasn't terribly unlikable though he was a bit of a turd. Ben Gates was very likable; I found it very telling that his character always was more concerned about the other characters' well-being when things went wrong; he apologized sincerely. He was smart and bright and quick-thinking though he was a bit of an absent-minded professor type at times.
The female lead was fairly likable as well though as is typical with Hollywood she played a bit of a secondary role. She was not, however, the typical damsel in distress, I should note. Though she makes what could be considered one grave strategic error (in comparison to Ben Gates' several tactical errors) it could be debated this was a mistake at all, and it was needed to move the story along; in that sense, it was a bit heavy-handed, but the character remained likable. She possesses an intellect at least the equal of Gates', at many times the two coming to the same conclusion simultaneously. I also liked the touch where her German accent -- which Gates makes a note of early on -- is very much noticable in times of stress.
The sidekick is pretty much just that: a sidekick. He is, however, loyal and competent and in contrast to Sky Captain Ben Gates doesn't look down upon him or treat him as an inferior.
So, moving on from the construction of the story we come to the technical aspects of the movie. The cinematography was all in all very good except for once scene where they are discussing the National Archives. At this point the cinematography and compositing became a bit chaotic and confusing. I feel it was a bit egregious, since all the information they showed could have been presented in a much less chaotic and rapid manner. It was a bit jarring since that method was not done at any other time in the movie, for which I was grateful!
I particularly enjoyed the emphasis on the locations. The movie takes place in some of the most important historical sites and cities on the Eastern seaboard of the US. I do not know if they were actually filmed in these locations but if they weren't, great care was taken in the set design. And I'm a sucker for any movie that shows New York. ^^ (I mean, real New York, with landmarks I recognize. Ghostbusters was a treat, and Spider-Man likewise.)
The music was great. Trevor Rabin is clearly inspired by Hans Zimmer, to the point where I thought at first that the music had been done by Zimmer. I love soundtracks, and this is a definite keeper.
There was not a lot of CGI in the film, and what little there was, was little more than helping to tell the backstory. Though there was one that I really and truly very much liked....
CAUTION! SPOILER WARNING!
.
.
.
.
The treasure room. It wasn't littered with gleaming gold, it didn't have chests of rubies, silver statues, such things like that. It didn't look like the treasure chamber in Pirates of the Carribean. Instead there were Egyptian sarcophagi, closed chests, statuary, models, objects d'art.... Even some scrolls which the female lead identified as from the Library of Alexandria -- for me, that was a really powerful moment. Maybe your average moviegoer will be wondering what happened to all the gold and jewels, but you know something? I'm not enjoying this movie for THEM! ^^ I thought that scene was perfect just the way it was.
.
.
.
.
End spoiler space.
So, the final verdict. A good film. A little scary in places so don't bring very young children but if your kid is showing any interest in American history I would definitely say they will enjoy this film, and make them even more interested in the subject. A definite rental when it comes out on home video, and I would say go see it in a matinee if you have a hankering to see an action film that isn't ridiculously violent.
(Just as a side-note: I will hardly EVER recommend seeing a movie during the full-price admission hours. It has to be very exceptional to warrant that expense. Star Wars Episode I merited a midnight full-price showing just because it was Star Wars; in comparison, Episode II warranted the cheapest matinee showing I could wrangle out of the nearby cineplex. So just because I say to go see a movie in a matinee doesn't mean it's not a good film.
That's all for now, enjoy! Pax.
National Treasure is a "Jerry Bruckheimer" film, which means it's pretty mcuh an action-adventure film, but it's tamer and warmer than his usual fair. The story follows -- as you probably know already -- the search for a war chest hidden by the Founding Fathers of the US. The protagonist is Benjamin Franklin Gates, played by Nicholas Cage.
To start with, the story. From a technical standpoint it was very well-done. The pacing was just right, I didn't feel the movie was dragging at any time. The history was pretty solid, I'm pretty sure that if I look up any of the events they mentioned that there'd be little or no difference. There were a few points where my suspension of disbelief was kind of strained; the bit with the spectacles, mainly. The conspiracy theory angles were downplayed; though it addressed two of the major conspiracy theories of history -- the Masonic influences amongst the Founding Fathers and the Knights Templar -- they were handled well and did not overshadow and weigh down the film.
The characters were good, as well. I liked them, the good guys were sympathetic and even the main villain wasn't terribly unlikable though he was a bit of a turd. Ben Gates was very likable; I found it very telling that his character always was more concerned about the other characters' well-being when things went wrong; he apologized sincerely. He was smart and bright and quick-thinking though he was a bit of an absent-minded professor type at times.
The female lead was fairly likable as well though as is typical with Hollywood she played a bit of a secondary role. She was not, however, the typical damsel in distress, I should note. Though she makes what could be considered one grave strategic error (in comparison to Ben Gates' several tactical errors) it could be debated this was a mistake at all, and it was needed to move the story along; in that sense, it was a bit heavy-handed, but the character remained likable. She possesses an intellect at least the equal of Gates', at many times the two coming to the same conclusion simultaneously. I also liked the touch where her German accent -- which Gates makes a note of early on -- is very much noticable in times of stress.
The sidekick is pretty much just that: a sidekick. He is, however, loyal and competent and in contrast to Sky Captain Ben Gates doesn't look down upon him or treat him as an inferior.
So, moving on from the construction of the story we come to the technical aspects of the movie. The cinematography was all in all very good except for once scene where they are discussing the National Archives. At this point the cinematography and compositing became a bit chaotic and confusing. I feel it was a bit egregious, since all the information they showed could have been presented in a much less chaotic and rapid manner. It was a bit jarring since that method was not done at any other time in the movie, for which I was grateful!
I particularly enjoyed the emphasis on the locations. The movie takes place in some of the most important historical sites and cities on the Eastern seaboard of the US. I do not know if they were actually filmed in these locations but if they weren't, great care was taken in the set design. And I'm a sucker for any movie that shows New York. ^^ (I mean, real New York, with landmarks I recognize. Ghostbusters was a treat, and Spider-Man likewise.)
The music was great. Trevor Rabin is clearly inspired by Hans Zimmer, to the point where I thought at first that the music had been done by Zimmer. I love soundtracks, and this is a definite keeper.
There was not a lot of CGI in the film, and what little there was, was little more than helping to tell the backstory. Though there was one that I really and truly very much liked....
CAUTION! SPOILER WARNING!
.
.
.
.
The treasure room. It wasn't littered with gleaming gold, it didn't have chests of rubies, silver statues, such things like that. It didn't look like the treasure chamber in Pirates of the Carribean. Instead there were Egyptian sarcophagi, closed chests, statuary, models, objects d'art.... Even some scrolls which the female lead identified as from the Library of Alexandria -- for me, that was a really powerful moment. Maybe your average moviegoer will be wondering what happened to all the gold and jewels, but you know something? I'm not enjoying this movie for THEM! ^^ I thought that scene was perfect just the way it was.
.
.
.
.
End spoiler space.
So, the final verdict. A good film. A little scary in places so don't bring very young children but if your kid is showing any interest in American history I would definitely say they will enjoy this film, and make them even more interested in the subject. A definite rental when it comes out on home video, and I would say go see it in a matinee if you have a hankering to see an action film that isn't ridiculously violent.
(Just as a side-note: I will hardly EVER recommend seeing a movie during the full-price admission hours. It has to be very exceptional to warrant that expense. Star Wars Episode I merited a midnight full-price showing just because it was Star Wars; in comparison, Episode II warranted the cheapest matinee showing I could wrangle out of the nearby cineplex. So just because I say to go see a movie in a matinee doesn't mean it's not a good film.
That's all for now, enjoy! Pax.