Review of National Treasure (2004) by Filipeneto — 06 Jul 2018

This film looks like the alternative and geek version of any Indiana Jones movie, combining an exciting adventure with an absurd story based on a false historical premise: the passage of the famous "treasure of the Knights Templar" to American soil, where it was hidden by Masons, allegedly heirs of the Templars traditions and secrets. It's true that the Templars were extinguished by the Papacy at the request of the French king Philip the Fair, who arrested and killed several former knights in order to confiscate the assets of that religious order. It's also a fact that it was a very rich order, with lands, castles and armies. But to believe that these knights ever set foot in America or had secrets to leave the Masons is insane. If their intention was to conceal something or to pass some knowledge, they would probably took the most viable option: Portugal, where King Denis asked the Pope to maintain the Templars, as it was convenient to the kingdom, thus arising the Order of Christ, which survived in Portugal until modern times. There was no reason to go to America, and Masons still didn't exist. Well, let's talk about the movie now...

The movie is good, it entertains the audience well, especially if we're not too attentive to the dozens of historical mistakes made by the plot, quite unrealistic. The special effects are very good and the film is visually pleasing. The characters, however, lack personality and the actors are never able to give that. Nicholas Cage is rather unconvincing in the role, never seeming to be truly an academic nor an adventurer. The romantic subplot between him and Diane Kruger is highly predictable, though it looks good in this kind of movie. In short, it's a good movie to entertain, but there's a danger that some people will think they have a true historical basis and that makes it dangerous.