Turteltaub manages to stitch it all together well enough so that the ludicrous nature of the characters' quest doesn't hit you until the final credits roll.
Comment
07/23/08
National Treasure (2004)
43
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:166
Fresh:72
Rotten:94
Average Rating:5.3/10
Consensus: National Treasure is no treasure, but it's a fun ride for those who can forgive its highly improbable plot.
Runtime: 2 hrs 11 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Synopsis: A secret from our nation's past will lead to the greatest adventure in history. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer ("Pirates of the Caribbean,""The Rock," and "Armageddon") and director Jon Turteltaub... [More]
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Justin Bartha, Sean Bean, Diane Kruger
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Reviews for National Treasure
Top CriticA mild holiday caper, for the wettest of afternoons.
06/24/06
Top CriticThis is a bravura film that genuinely understands the nature of true family entertainment and provides it in spades.
01/15/05
National Treasure may be dumb and relatively short on action scenes, but it's still a lot of fun, largely thanks to Cage and Bartha.
12/27/04
This movie couldn't be more stale if it'd been dug up by archaeologists.
12/14/04
Top CriticAbout as edgy as a child-friendly TV movie.... And despite being at least a half hour too long, it's great fun while it lasts.
11/30/04
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04/29/09
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02/27/09
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11/20/08
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10/18/08
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10/18/08
Not only safe for Junior and Grandma but also pretty entertaining.
08/25/08
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08/07/08
It's so completely okay it hurts. It would make a perfect screensaver.
05/18/08
If you can see the film through the eyes of a child -- one who thinks a cheesy thriller is the ideal way to pick up new facts about history -- then this isn't that bad a yarn.
09/27/06
Has almost nothing to recommend it (Justin Bartha’s performance being the lone high point), not even any gnarly explosions, which doesn’t bode well for our man Bruckheimer.
12/06/05
The treasure hunt is cool in this DVD, it's a whole game of numbers and quizzes go get to some of the Easter eggs.
10/14/05
The film plays on every cliché and every stereotype imaginable, and part of its charm is playing them exactly to an audience's happiest expectations.
04/20/05
The historical touches make the film more akin to classics like "Raiders of the Lost Ark" than to duds like "Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (and ended simultaneously)".
04/17/05
A big, overblown wazoo of absurdity.
01/24/05
Latest News for National Treasure
September 25, 2008:
Nic Cage Officially Hunting for More National Treasure 
To no one's surprise, Disney is officially moving forward with "National Treasure 3," as announced yesterday by Nicolas Cage, Jerry Bruckheimer, and studio executive Dick Cook. More...
December 20, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: Five New Films Fight For Holiday Cheer
Moviegoers are in for a feast as studios will unleash a wide menu of new options on Friday trying to reach holiday patrons on the weekend before Santa comes to town. With so... More...
December 17, 2007:
Talks Begin for National Treasure 3
National Treasure was never intended to be a franchise. When the first installment did well, the filmmakers started from scratch to come up with a sequel. This time, though,... More...
October 01, 2007:
National Treasure 2 Poster Online!
We've seen stills and a pair of trailers for National Treasure: Book of Secrets, due December 21. How's about a poster? More...
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