National Treasure (DVD)

...Special Features

National Treasure on Location - This is a rather short behind the scenes feature which mixes interviews with footage. Annoyingly they seem to rush through everything never really going into any major amounts of detail as to how they achieved things in the film. Better than a promotional feature but would have been even better if it had been longer and less rushed.

Opening Scene Animatic - This is a computer ...
...It comes with an introduction from the director as well as an optional audio commentary which helps to explain what they were trying to achieve.

Alternate Ending - Although enjoyable I can understand why they dumped this ending in favour of the one in the film. This again comes with an introduction and commentary from the director where he emphasises that they didn't want the ending to be a set up for a sequel, which is quite funny ... more

►►► Synopsis

Ever since he was a young boy and his grandfather enthralled him with tales of a vast treasure which over the years has grown bigger and bigger, Benjamin Gates (Nicolas Cage) has been on a mission to discover the mythical treasure. But having discovered the latest clue to the treasures whereabouts, which points to one of America's most important documents, the Declaration of Independence, Gates is forced into taking drastic action and steals the historic document before his corrupt partner; Ian Howe (Sean Bean) gets his hands on it.

With both Howe and the FBI, lead by detective Sadusky (Harvey Keitel), on his trail, Gates with the aid of his assistant Riley (Justin Bartha) and the beautiful Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger) must unravel the clues to discover the location of the treasure before it is too late.

►►► Opinion

Some days I wake up yearning for a film which will challenge the way I think, whilst on others I just want a film which will entertain the pants off of me. "National Treasure" definitely falls into the latter category as it discards any attempts to be thought provoking but takes you on a well polished rollercoaster ride of action and adventure which leaves you thirsty for more, just as well seeing a sequel should be released later this year.

Although not mentally challenging, "National Treasure" has an entertaining plot which holds your attention even though it pushes the boundaries of feasibility. The two main aspects of the film revolve around the hunt for the treasure and then the theft of the Declaration of Independence which results in a crime/ heist aspect to the movie. To be honest "National Treasure" does very little to reinvent any of these storylines sticking to good old traditional plot aspects like a police chase, the good guy - bad guy element and a very stereotypical romance aspect. But the storyline was never going to be the focus of the movie, especially when you realise that this is a Jerry 'action supremo' Bruckheimer production. Saying that, the film does have a certain amount of ingenuity about it, especially in the way it ties in the clues to many aspects of American history giving it a slight plausibility about it.

But as I have already said, "National Treasure" is not about a thought provoking storyline but about a roller coaster ride of thrills and spills. As we have come to expect with Bruckheimer, no expense is spared and we are treated to a visual delight of special effects and action which from the minute the film starts right up until the climax never ceases to drop in its intensity. Although thoroughly enjoyable it does feel like you have seen it all before in a number of other movies, especially from the Bruckheimer back catalogue which includes "The Rock", "Con Air" and "Gone in 60 Seconds" which all happen to be collaborations with actor Nicolas Cage. But even if it does feel a bit predictable, in both plot and action, it does not detract from the overall enjoyment of the film and it definitely achieves what it sets out to do.

One of the main reasons the film is so enjoyable is the casting of Nicolas Cage as Benjamin Gates, as he is at his exuberant best in these sorts of action films. What is also quite remarkable is the fact that the character of Gates is not overly detailed; yes he is the good guy and his intentions for discovering the treasure is not about self profiting but other than that there is very little to him. But it is the charismatic performance from Cage which brings him to life on the screen and makes him so enjoyable. Of course having a nice guy in a film means you also have to have a bad guy, and in the case of "National Treasure" this takes the form of Ian Howe played by Sean Bean. Again this is not the most detailed of characters, and one which is stereotypical in the fact that he is bad because he acts using brawn rather than brains, it is still one which is enjoyable. Sean Bean actually did a remarkable job to give this quite flat character some life and in doing so was not over shadowed by Cage, which is a remarkable feat in itself.

Being a somewhat stereotypical film it is no surprise that we have an inclusion of a love interest, in the case of "National Treasure" it is in the form of Abigail Chase, played by Diane Kruger. Now although Chase has a purpose in the film, that being she is in charge of the Declaration of Independence, her inclusion in the actual chase element of the film seems a little too contrived and starts to have the single function of looking good. With this in mind, I have to applaud actress Diane Kruger for making the most of her role and making her a little bit more interesting than your usual love interests in these sorts of movies. Finishing off the main cast is Justin Bartha as Gates's sidekick Riley Poole. I have to admit that prior to "National Treasure" I had never heard of Bartha but he did a marvellous job in this role, playing it with an element of self depreciating dead pan humour, which works brilliantly against the exuberance of Cage. What is also noticeable is the number of famous names who appear in the film in a selection of minor roles, with enjoyable performances coming from Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel and Christopher Plummer.

"National Treasure" is directed by Jon Turtletaub who has done a brilliant job of not only pulling out some enjoyable performances from the films stars but in creating a film which is one of the best action movies to receive a PG certificate in many years. Where many action movies dwell on gore and violence, these elements are used in a sympathetic manner within "National Treasure" making the film much more fun.

►►► DVD Package

Usually most DVD special features appear in an easy to navigate menu system which allows you to pick and choose which ones you want to watch. This is not the case with the "National Treasure" DVD and my only real annoyance with this package. You are forced to watch the first 4 bonus features before it unlocks the second set of 4 bonus features. A novel idea and presented in a way which will appeal to the younger viewer with a certain amount of interaction but one which I find a little frustrating.

► Special Features

National Treasure on Location - This is a rather short behind the scenes feature which mixes interviews with footage. Annoyingly they seem to rush through everything never really going into any major amounts of detail as to how they achieved things in the film. Better than a promotional feature but would have been even better if it had been longer and less rushed.

Opening Scene Animatic - This is a computer animation of how they conceived the opening sequence to run. It comes with an introduction from the director as well as an optional audio commentary which helps to explain what they were trying to achieve.

Alternate Ending - Although enjoyable I can understand why they dumped this ending in favour of the one in the film. This again comes with an introduction and commentary from the director where he emphasises that they didn't want the ending to be a set up for a sequel, which is quite funny as a sequel is now in pre-production.

Deleted Scenes - We only get two deleted scenes, one which would have featured at the start which helps set the tale about the treasure and a slightly longer version of the climax sequence. Both of these come with an introduction and optional commentary from the director but both add very little to the film.

Treasure Hunt Uncovered - This is a short documentary which looks at the lives of real treasure hunters and what motivates them. A good feature, which is interesting to watch, but one which could have done with being much longer.

The Knights Templar - This is again a short feature which looks at the history behind the Knights Templar and the masons. Presented in a footage format with an overlaid narration this is an interesting piece which sheds some light on their history.

Riley's Decode This - This is definitely a feature aimed at the younger market as we get a look at how in the past people have encoded messages. This is then followed by a puzzle and quiz. Although a good feature for the younger viewer is not that interesting for adults.

Trivia/ Bonus Easter Egg - Here we get more information in the form of production notes on how the film was made and what the cast had been in before.

► Picture Quality

With such a visually impressive film it is nice to see the transition to DVD matches it. The picture is sharp and vibrant with solid colours especially in many of the darker sequences. I really cannot fault this transition as it is a pleasure to watch.

► Sound Quality

Again, the sound quality is equally impressive and adds to the enjoyment of the film. Whilst the sound track and special effects whiz round your room and bring the film to life, the dialogue transfers smoothly across the front three channels making it feel alive.

►►► Summary

Despite the lack of a reasonable plot, I absolutely love "National Treasure" purely for the entertainment factor. It makes no attempt to disguise the fact that this film is purely about action and special effects and in doing so makes it a very good fun film. Add into the scenario Nicolas Cage, who happens to be one of my favourite actors, and you have a very good film. What is also nice is that even though it has a PG certificate it has something for the much older audience.

The DVD package is quite a mixed bag as although it has some quite good bonus features, the annoying navigation system is a huge negative for me. Plus the fact that there is no audio commentary is also a major disappointment.

►►► Price & Availability

Amazon.co.uk: £5.97

►►► Technical Details

Certificate: PG
Duration: 126 mins
Year of Release: 2004
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Thriller

DVD Release: 2005
Subtitles: English
Audio: English, Dutch
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Region: 2

Director(s): Jon Turtletaub
Writer(s): Jim Kouf, Oren Aviv

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Sean Bean, Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel, Christopher Plummer, David Dayan Fisher, Stewart Finlay-McLennan, Stephen A. Pope

© Christianfilmcritic March 2007
 

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