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| National Treasure (Widescreen Edition) | 
 enlarge | Director: Jon Turteltaub
Actors: Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Sean Bean, Jon Voight
Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.99
Buy Used: $3.26
You Save: $16.73 (84%)
New (56) Used (56) Collectible (2) from $3.26
Avg. Customer Rating:  577 reviews
Sales Rank: 711
Format: Ac-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), French (Dubbed)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 131
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: DISD35990D
UPC: 786936242928
EAN: 0786936242928
ASIN: B00005JN5E
Theatrical Release Date: November 19, 2004
Release Date: May 3, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Ever since benjamin franklin gates was a boy he has been obsessed with finding the legendary knights templar treasure the greatest treasure known to man. Now in a race against time gates must steal one of americas most sacred & guarded documents - the declaration of independence. Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 09/01/2006 Starring: Nicolas Cage Sean Bean Run time: 131 minutes Rating: Pg
Amazon.com
Like a Hardy Boys mystery on steroids, National Treasure offers popcorn thrills and enough boyish charm to overcome its rampant silliness. Although it was roundly criticized as a poor man's rip-off of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Da Vinci Code, it's entertaining on its own ludicrous terms, and Nicolas Cage proves once again that one actor's infectious enthusiasm can compensate for a multitude of movie sins. The contrived plot involves Cage's present-day quest for the ancient treasure of the Knights Templar, kept secret through the ages by Freemasons past and present. Finding the treasure requires the theft of the Declaration of Independence (there are crucial treasure clues on the back, of course!), so you can add "caper comedy" to this Jerry Bruckheimer production's multi-genre appeal. Nobody will ever accuse director Jon Turtletaub of artistic ambition, but you've got to admit he serves up an enjoyable dose of PG-rated entertainment, full of musty clues, skeletons, deep tunnels, and harmless adventure in the old-school tradition. It's a load of hokum, but it's fun hokum, and that makes all the difference. --Jeff Shannon
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| Customer Reviews: Read 572 more reviews...
 Favorite Movie November 14, 2008
One of my favorite all time movies. Something exciting seems to be happening every second of the movie.
Dang, this movie is SOLID! (Yeah, so my review is late.) November 6, 2008
We're all familiar with the blurbs that punctuate movie previews: "A monumental achievement in filmmaking." "A triumph of the spirit." "There's magic in it!" Well, as much as I would love to have my quote on a movie trailer, I don't think I'll make the cut with "Dang--this movie is solid!"
But that's exactly what National Treasure is. It's a well-crafted mystery, a gripping action yarn, and the most entertaining (if not entirely accurate) American history lesson I've ever had. Part conspiracy theory, part Indiana Jones-style treasure hunt, there's plenty here for most everyone--especially if you happen to enjoy the history of the Declaration of Independence.
Because Jerry Bruckheimer produced it, it feels like a Bruckheimer movie, with sweeping aerial shots and bombastic music by regular collaborator Trevor Rabin, but director Jon Turteltaub, thankfully, doesn't share Michael Bay's love affair with excess. Chase scenes are never overlong or needlessly complicated, and while there are several opportunities for Nicolas Cage to pose for Bay's signature circular dolly shot (see Bad Boys and The Rock, for example), Turteltaub prefers to keep the story moving rather than take precious time to worship his lead actor.
The supporting cast was...well, very supportive, if not entirely noteworthy. You can't go wrong with Sean Bean, after all. Groundbreaking? Earthshaking? Not particularly. But it was two hours of solid entertainment, and that's exactly what I was looking for. Color me 100% satisfied.
 A Silly Game November 2, 2008
I remember playing this game during orientation in college. The seniors would hide clues all over the campus. Each clue leads to another and finally, the treasure.
National Treasure is a game of sorts - the kind played during freshmen orientation, except that it's on a much grander scale, involving the theft of the Declaration of Independence. Nicholas Cage stars as a descendent of the Gates family whose ancestor holds the key to a national treasure. None of his forefathers succeeded in finding the treasure but Cage's character (named Benjamin Gates) was determined to uncover the mystery.
He first locate the Charlotte, a boat that contained a clue to the treasure. The next clue was to be found on the back of the Declarartion of independence and Ben suggested to one of his treasure hunting partners that the only way to see what's on it is to steal it. Ben was against stealing, but the resourceful villian didn't care. So he reasoned that in order to protect the document from the villian, why not let me the good guy steal it first and while the document is in my hands, I might as well take a peek on what's on the back. He tried warning the FBI but nobody believed him. As a final resort, we went to the beautiful Abigail Chase at the National Archives who also didn't believe him. No choice, Ben had to steal it.
Sounds silly? Well, it is. But the action is so well choreographed that if you can suspend your disbelief for a moment, you may actually enjoy watching it. Ben steals the document so the bad guys couldn't get it. Somehow, Abigail Chase got dragged into the whole saga. After seeing the hidden message behind the Declarartion of Independence, she was convinced that Ben Gates was on to something and she joined his team. The FBI and villians went after them. Everybody went around in circles with lots of shooting and suspense.
Well, one clue leads to another. They ended up on Wall Street, inside a church, under a niche which led the way to what seemed like a very deep mine shaft. There was no treasure at the bottom. Another clue. Or so it seemed. Somehow, the stupid bad guys were tricked into leaving for the treasure at Boston while the good guys finally found it.
A happy ending. Ben didn't have to go to jail. Not a bad movie to watch but don't bother to buy the DVD or take it too seriously. I watched it on TV. Wouldn't have been worth the cinema ticket.
 Kind of meh... October 28, 2008
This has some moments of fun, but the characters are annoying and the action is dull. Either skip it or just rent it.
A must-see for lovers of history and action alike October 24, 2008
Who would not wonder at the idea of stealing a national treasure? Ever since "The Da Vinci Code" was published, much has been said about the Knights Templar and the existence of a magnanimous treasure, sometimes with religious implications, sometimes, as is the case in "National Treasure", just related to pure mutiny. I was never a fan of American history, yet this movie has managed to lit up my interest in it.
The story centers around Benjamin Franklin Gates, a role impersonated by Nicolas Cage. A descendant of THE Benjamin Franklin, historian, engineer and Navy ROTC Ben Gates is on a quest after a family's life pursuit about the ancient treasure of the Knights Templar, that somehow seems to have found its way to America during the Revolutionary War, and was hidden in this land by the Freemasons who, among others, counted the names of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin himself as members. But the Gates family has been the laughing stock of the historical community in Washington D.C. for generations due to the elusiveness of said treasure. Just when Ben Gates appears to have found someone rich enough and willing to fund a costly search that includes an expedition to the Arctic, Ben realizes that not everyone has the same solemn intentions as he does when it comes to finding the greatest treasure ever coveted by mankind. For starters, the clues leading to its discovery are to be found in the Declaration of Independence... but how does one get to it and, more importantly, how can the clues be interpreted? Ben has his friend and co-conspirator Riley Poole, played by hilarious Justin Bartha, and National Archives expert Dr. Abigail Chase (played by Diane Kruger) as his right and left hands to help him.
This is the premise of "National Treasure", a movie which unpacks fun and loads of action while taking the viewer on location to the National Archives and the Library of Congress in Washington D.C., the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, and the catacombs under Trinity Church in New York City.
I have enjoyed it immensely, especially the historical aspect. Although the acting is not stellar by any means, one must admit that Sean Bean still offers a fantastic view of the human male species even when he is getting on years, and the feminine element offered by Diane Kruger as Dr. Chase is... cute, though sometimes borderline callous.
True to a Jerry Bruckheimer production, the film offers great photography, and the 2-disc Collector's Edition is jam-packed with extras presented in the form of a treasure hunt, my favorites being "Riley's Decode This!", with three levels of discovery; and the featurette on "Ciphers, Codes & Codebreakers", a great documentary on code making and breaking that goes back to the first World War. The deleted scenes offer much needed background to the film, although it is understandable how they did not make it into it - at 2:35 hours, nothing else could go in.
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