By Ali Ahmed

Staff Writer

Pictured above: Benjamin Gates (Nicholas Cage) with his partner, Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger)

National Treasure is a movie focused on the search for an ancient treasure in the middle east. The treasure itself is left behind through the ages until an investigator named Benjamin Gates works fervently to find clue after clue about the treasure against all odds.

A strange mixture of the Indiana Jones series and the Da Vinci Code, this movie incorporates both worlds in the mix. Unlike both movies, this movie has very mixed standings, some going to far as to call it a worse “Da Vinci Code”. Released in 2004, this Nicholas Cage starring movie grossed $347 million worldwide, in comparison to the $797 million that Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban made in that same year around the same time.

The movie is very neutral in my mind, as a huge Indiana Jones fan I could almost enjoy the chase for a treasure being constantly sought for in clues and in obscure things that the regular watcher would not recognize. 

Although the concept of the movie was going in the right direction, it was difficult to watch for a movie about finding hidden treasure. To start off, the clues were extremely obscure, so much so it was going in the direction of fantasy in a way with how Nicholas Cage managed to guess every obscure hint that leads him in the right direction. 

Another thing that caught my attention was how unrealistic it was for a realistic movie. Benjamin Gates (Nick Cage) believes there are hints on the back of the Declaration of Independence, yet to get said Declaration they had to go through the countless swing doors, chasms, and booby traps. If this was realistic as to the Declaration of Independence guarding, then I am sure that they would have been shot on the spot. 

Although I wouldn’t give this movie off as a total flop, with Nicholas Cage as the main actor it was almost obvious how this was going to have some entertaining value within it. His ability to fill any role makes it just that much more bearable to watch and borderline enjoyable.

Toby Wayne Moser, holder of the number one Google review for the National treasure as of when this was written, revealed some of his thoughts, “Honestly there is no such thing as a bad moment while watching National Treasure. You see, the only bad part is when the movie ends. This is because the lines of the movie and the way the actors acted couldn’t have been done and executed better than even god himself. The best part of the movie is definitely when Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) saves the character Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger) from his former acquaintances. You see, this is the best part of the movie because it shows just how selfless Ben Gates is, it’s showing that he’s willing to risk everything he’s worked for and his own life just to save someone he’s just met. This scene really helps portray the godlike man Ben Gates.” 

When asked about the things he would wish that National Treasure can work on he simply stated, “This movie could not be improved. It’s the greatest movie ever made, it’s perfect in every way. And it would be blasphemy to say otherwise.” 

After constant questioning of why he developed such a nationalistic movie, I was able to determine that this movie did extraordinarily well in one category…highlighting the skills of the actor Nicholas Cage. 

Personally, I wouldn’t watch this again for fun, but if I had to burn time and this movie was an option given I wouldn’t complain, out of a rating of 5 stars, it was a 3.