National Treasure

Simply put, this movie is a star vehicle for Nicolas Cage where the star's cinematic charisma carries the film for most of the movie, and it either sinks or swims on the said charisma and watchability factor.

That being said, if you want a film heavy on plot, short on character development, and treats it like a treasure hunt of major proportions, I think you'll enjoy this film, as did most of the audience in attendance at the viewing I took in this afternoon.

Early on, the funny quips and exasperative bits seemed a little forced by the sidekick character, Riley, but as the plot unravels, Riley's comments get funnier, and the movie becomes a nice, tidy, amusement park ride. Does Cage sleep-walk through this role, yes, a little bit, and his chemistry with his on-screen dad, Jon Voigt, was okay. Diana Krueger isn't a good actress, but she's mighty easy on the eyes. Throw in some heist-like sequences, some big booms (after all, this is a Jerry Bruckheimer production), plenty of chase scenes, and the hope that there will be a payoff of mammouth proportions, you get a crowd-pleaser of a movie.

So, yes, it's somewhat movie-by-the-numbers, but as a genre piece, I still would recommend it for anyone looking for 2 hours of good escapist fare.

I give it 3 stars or a grade of B for knowing what it is, and staying true to its scope.