National Treasure (2004)

All of a sudden treasure-hunting was cool again. Somehow thanks to the rumors of another Indiana Jones installment and the very overrated Dan Brown-adaptions.
And where there is money, there are dull films made without sense of quality.

As always, when the protagonist has an epiphany there are pan-ins of the bystanders' faces as they marvel at his deductions. It's rarely clever and never interesting.

There is the inevitable double-cross, this time early in the flick, the nervous sidekick, bad jokes, Jon Voigt, protagonist being chased by both bad guys and the authorities, the skeptic female slowly falling in love, torches (seriously, don't these idiots know there is a thing called "a flashlight?" the point where all seems lost, great heights to fall from, henchmen who all have special training yet can't shoot for shit. It's all been done before. There isn't a single creative idea or hint of originality to be found, whether it be the MacGuffin, the casting, the story, the set-pieces or otherwise.

Cage is uninspiring, as are the extras and certainly the predictable smaller parts filled with celebrities running out of money... or simply never feeling they have enough.

The music is dreadful and you can guess the rhythm from the suspense. Faster music means more happening. Slow means we're all very bored. Besides, the best thing this film had going for it was to be a hangover-flick on a Sunday afternoon and the music is really to bothersome for that.

There is enough happening to keep you slightly entertained for most of its duration, but this just doesn't cut it.

National Treasure is made utterly without a love for movies to fit a market that rushed by. It shows.

3/10