Posted by jukkahoo
I came across this single movie ticket the other day (Saturday). It had to be used RS (as in by yesterday), so I had no room to dilly-dally. Sari was (and is) pretty fluish at the moment and I myself have been feeling rather woozie these past few days, so nothing brainy was on the menu. Sunday would've been great, but I wasn't feeling too good and almost didn't make on Monday, but after a hearthy lunch I decided to brace the elements. And went to see the new Nicholas Cage/Jerry Bruckheimer -vehicle National Treasure.
Worth every penny. There be spoilers.
In fact, it wasn't that bad. Sure, it's mindless, crashboombang wall-to-wall-action with plotholes the size of that asteroid in Armageddon - and as plausible as that piece of moviemagic, but it entertained me. Must've been the flu.
No. I'd give it weak three stars. A star for the entertainment factor, a star for silly-but-fun historical butchering of facts for bit of Hollywood-plotcoupons and a weak star for the surprisingly non-violent and non-destructive ending. Which is silly beyond belief: are we really supposed to believe that Sean Bean aka. The Evil Dude is going to leave those pesky do-gooders all by themselves, after that HUMONGOUS lie Jon Voigt pulls out of thin air?
Nicholas Cage has done at least two similarish Bruckheimer-blockbusters (Rock and Con Air) and this is simply the most subdued of the lot. It is a Disney-movie, so there is only one major blast and a single fatality on the movie. Lots of chases and odd camera-angled action shots with an incredible Boys Adventure Tale -like plot. It's neither Rock nor Con Air though. Jon Voigt ain't Sean Connery and Declaration of Independence is not a Fairchild C-123K "Provider". Actually, I better take that back as Declaration of Indepence could probably kick C-123's butt any given day.
But it was the locations that endeared this to me more than anything. After the initial DC-scenes, the action went to Philly, and then to NYC. There's the Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Now they're running thru the Market Fair, the City Hall and Nick seems to be heading towards Benjamin Franklins grave (and they don't even mention it in the film!). That's Intrepid! Trinity Church! Boston!
As expected, Sean Bean is good, but he isn't given that much to work with. It's kiddie-movie, so he can't really kill or mutilate anyone. As it happens, he lets people get away a bit too often: "Let them go, we have it!" [rustle, rustle, rustle] "DAMN! I've been hadde!" Again.
Pleasant and good-naturedly amusing (I snorted rather forcefully with all the Templar/Masons-mumbojumbo at the beginning, but other that that it's fairly run-of-the-mill humour), National Treasure is an entertaining 134 minutes of your time. It moves at fairly brisk speed, has little or no slow moments and delightfully subdued ending. It's crap, but at least they don't destroy the bloody treasure (nor the surroundings) in the end, since apparently the 9/11 didn't do too much damage either (Trinity Church is just around the corner from WTC). At least it looks like a sequel would be more or less out of the Q. Hey, isn't that something that Bruckheimer-blockbusters are more often than not, sequel-free?
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