NATIONAL TREASURE (2004)

SHORT REVIEW: Nicholas Cage once again gives us his spotless impression of someone acting. My long-suffering wife really likes this movie. I, on the other hand, found it forced and annoying. I was hoping for a simple no-brain action film. I received my no-brain action film in addition to an intrusive musical score, weak scripting and absolutely no passion. I know this is supposed to be a popcorn movie and not subject to scrutiny, but this movie was very drab. Then again, my long-suffering wife enjoyed that she didn’t have to give it a second thought – she really liked it. Look at similar movies like The Rock or Armageddon. These are big, fat stupid movies but they were done properly. They didn’t get too tripped up in their own narrative and were focused like a laser. They begin at point “A” then move directly to “B”, no fussing with the minutia. This script stops consistently to allow Cage to explain what he is doing and thinking. The motivations of characters should be as self-evident as possible. When explanation is needed, screenwriter(s) Jim Kouf (among others) handles the complex history well. My complaint is that he has to handle it too often. My long-suffering wife thinks that it was interesting and enjoyed the whole film. I really did want to enjoy this film. I love it when I can sit back and turn my brain off and enjoy a stupid Hollywood film. This defines much of Nicholas Cage's career. However, I couldn’t get into this film even when I wanted to. For me, it was like trying to get to sleep while a dripping faucet keeps tapping. I’d sit back and start to find something I liked and then ‘ping’ the overbearing musical score would kick in. I’d try to ignore it and settle back down – ‘ping’ I’d realize Nicholas Cage has been playing the same role for over ten years – he doesn’t even bother to comb his hair differently for his various roles anymore. The man is a talented guy, he's a gifted actor. Why does he waste his time...whatever, I can ignore that again…‘ping’ Cage would piece together unrelated pieces of the puzzle in mere seconds and come to a wild conclusion that would drag the narrative kicking and screaming to the next scene. Metaphorically, my wife slept like a baby. Overall, I can’t recommend this film. You can do far better for your money. Then again, I can’t see the forest for the trees with films like this. My long-suffering wife likes this movie immensely. She highly recommends this movie as a good dumb diversion. Given that I’m a loud-mouthed curmudgeon who can’t stop and smell the cinematic flowers - perhaps you’d be better off listening to her. I know I’m better off when I do. Categories: film, movie review, DVD, National Treasure, Nicholas Cage