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.
1 Comment
12/27/04
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
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.
07/23/08
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
This is a bravura film that genuinely understands the nature of true family entertainment and provides it in spades.
01/15/05
This movie couldn't be more stale if it'd been dug up by archaeologists.
12/14/04
Top CriticA mild holiday caper, for the wettest of afternoons.
06/24/06
Top CriticFew can argue that the movie is totally unbelievable, but if one is able to leave all sense of logic at the door, it's very hard not to have a darn good time in the process.
12/21/04
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
National Treasure is so silly that the Monty Python version could use the same screenplay, line for line.
11/19/04
Top CriticA National embarrassment.
11/19/04
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11/20/04
Definitely has minor moments of Matterhorn-ride amusement for what’s otherwise an insultingly preposterous, culturally barren clump of exploitative, flag-sticker patriotism.
11/19/04
Alluringly over-the-top without being overcooked.
11/18/04
A joyfully convoluted adventure yarn that moves lickety-split through clichés, plot holes and overall narrative mayhem until the whole unlikely rig screeches to a halt.
11/19/04
Cage . . . all but sleepwalks through the film with an expression and body language that could be the result of his jockeys being just a scooch binding
11/14/04
An awfully contrived and terribly executed adventure, particularly disappointing in that it sports a fascinating story and some decent actors.**
11/22/04
While it may be blasphemous to recommend 'National Treasure', it's probably not far off the mark to say [it will] keep fanatical fans of high-tech hesit movies content.
11/17/04
[Cage] ust cannot cut it playing an intellectual, and his Ben is convincing only in the scenes where he is evading bullets or hanging by one hand over an abyss.
12/03/04
Almost every scene in this generic action movie is ripped off from somewhere else.
11/18/04
Fluffy, frenetic and sometimes downright farcical, National Treasure makes gleeful fun of itself while leading us popcorn-munching escapists down a tangled, painless adventure trail.
11/18/04
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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