To read the tribute to SFC Marcus Muralles, please click here
Sunday, November 28, 2004
National Treasure: A Movie Review
Last night, we went to see National Treasure, the new adventure movie starring Nicholas Cage. For a super-quick description, think Indiana Jones set in the US.
There's a certain need for "suspension of reality"- you have to buy into the Masonic traditions and the legend of a treasure (or ignore it for two hours) or you'll just shake your head the whole time. One good thing is that they addressed the disbelief in the movie, and they approached it in a manner that made it almost believable.
The story: Nicholas Cage's family had been given a clue to the whereabouts of the Knights Templar / Freemason treasure back in the 1800s, and it has been handed down from father to son ever since. Ben Gates (Cage) gets funding (from someone he should have probably done a background check on first) and finally figures out the clue. One thing leads to another (big explosions, etc) and he and his friend, Riley, need to save the Declaration of Independence from being stolen. When the FBI and DHS ignore them, Gates decides to steal it himself to keep it out of the hands of the bad guy (well portrayed by Sean Bean). The adventure takes them from the Artic Circle to D.C. to Philladelphia to New York City, all in a quest to save the Declaration and find the mythical treasure.
Is this a good movie? I thought so. Would I recommend this movie? Sure thing, even for kids (as long as they can handle explosions and some tense situations, but even those aren't so bad.) You'll really like it if you like a lot of 'one-liners"- the script is full of them. (This movie got thumbs up from everyone in the household, so I'm not alone in this.)
There's a certain need for "suspension of reality"- you have to buy into the Masonic traditions and the legend of a treasure (or ignore it for two hours) or you'll just shake your head the whole time. One good thing is that they addressed the disbelief in the movie, and they approached it in a manner that made it almost believable.
The story: Nicholas Cage's family had been given a clue to the whereabouts of the Knights Templar / Freemason treasure back in the 1800s, and it has been handed down from father to son ever since. Ben Gates (Cage) gets funding (from someone he should have probably done a background check on first) and finally figures out the clue. One thing leads to another (big explosions, etc) and he and his friend, Riley, need to save the Declaration of Independence from being stolen. When the FBI and DHS ignore them, Gates decides to steal it himself to keep it out of the hands of the bad guy (well portrayed by Sean Bean). The adventure takes them from the Artic Circle to D.C. to Philladelphia to New York City, all in a quest to save the Declaration and find the mythical treasure.
Is this a good movie? I thought so. Would I recommend this movie? Sure thing, even for kids (as long as they can handle explosions and some tense situations, but even those aren't so bad.) You'll really like it if you like a lot of 'one-liners"- the script is full of them. (This movie got thumbs up from everyone in the household, so I'm not alone in this.)
