National Treasure = Beany Goodness!
Nov. 19th, 2004 10:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
archetI should be catching up on emails, leaving comments, finishing fics and manips, instead I'm squeeing over National Treasure...
Oh, our Bean looked great, he looked scrumptious, and sounded even better, and we even get the smile within the first ten minutes or so, if one watches closely. ***SPOILERS ahead, if you don't want to know about events in the movie don't read***
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So there's this treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence that supposedly leads to the famed treasure of the Knights Templar, our hero steals the document before our villain can and the hunt for the treasure is on...
Since I do like adventure movies, this one was fun in the way that Disney movies are, good scenery (and I don't mean just the Bean), lots of running around and finding clues, figuring this and that out in order to move on to the next clue-and that's pretty much the movie right there. You have to overlook the fact that the Declaration of Independence, a 228 year old document, would not survive being rolled and unrolled repeatedly, smeared with lemon juice (in order to reveal the invisible ink in which clues are written on its back) and flung, tossed, dropped, nearly flattened by several automobiles at one point, even if it is tucked away in a nifty carry case.
Anywho, the characters were likable, though I really favored Riley (Justin Bartha) as Cage's really cute in a scruffy sort of way computer geek sidekick. I saw this movie with a packed audience and of the several laugh-out-loud moments it got, it was Riley that garnered all but maybe one or two.
Nicolas Cage did a nice job as Ben Gates, the 'hero', not just for the running around & deciphering clues bit, but for his enthusiasm in and for history and for just being likable and not your average hollywood hero-type.
Diane Kruger plays Dr. Abigail Chase, the National Archivist unwillingly roped into the adventure. On a unrelated note, I do find her pretty but not stunning as I keep seeing her described. I look at her and keep wondering what is it I'm not seeing. As 'Abigail' she does all right, though there really isn't time for her to do much but run after Gates and dodge the bad guys. The 'romance' between Abigail and Ben Gates seemed a little shoehorned in, a kiss here and there, I wouldn't have a problem leaving them as just friends but we all know the guy gets the girl in the end and here is no exception.
Sean Bean as Ian Howe: Beany does well as the 'bad guy', but then he should, he's played enough of them. Heh. I really liked him being all chummy with Gates in the first few minutes and was disappointed he went all dark side so soon into the movie. Frankly I thought he looked really good, better than in the pics I'd seen beforehand. Howe is the scoundrel, but he is the scoundrel with a brain, I liked that he didn't just stalk around with a gun and look menacing, but really went about figuring things out for himself and was given creit for not being dumb. I was also happy that he DID NOT get killed for once. Added to that is the happy surprise that Sean got more screen time than I'd expected, Woo-hoo!
Jon Voight as Patrick Henry Gates. Voight did a good job I thought as Ben's skeptical dad who thinks the treasure is mythical and running after it is a waste of time. In the end though he's proven wrong and he ends up being pulled into the hunt whether he likes it or not.
I was mildly surprised that the treasure didn't end up being buried-for-all-time so as to protect it, as usually happens, and would've liked more explaination as to why it was so important to keep it hidden other than 'it's too large for any one man to have'. In other words, keep it secret, keep it safe, yeah?
A person cleverer than myself could name all the things you have to overlook in this movie, but hey, I was entertained. Just seeing Sean Bean back on the big screen was worth it, and adventure romps have a special place in my heart. ;) I wouldn't mind seeing it a second time, tonight it seemed that everyone in the audience had to get up at least once. I've never been to a movie where people just can't seem to sit still. It didn't help that the door to the theater kept getting stuck halfway open, letting in light from the hallway. I closed it at least 3 times before giving up as it just didn't seem to occur to people going in&out, in&out to actually CLOSE THE DOOR WHEN YOU ENTER AND LEAVE THE DARKENED THEATER. Jeesh.
But then, there was Bean, all blond and pretty and not dying, so I'm happy. :)
Oh, our Bean looked great, he looked scrumptious, and sounded even better, and we even get the smile within the first ten minutes or so, if one watches closely. ***SPOILERS ahead, if you don't want to know about events in the movie don't read***
*
*
*
*
*
So there's this treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence that supposedly leads to the famed treasure of the Knights Templar, our hero steals the document before our villain can and the hunt for the treasure is on...
Since I do like adventure movies, this one was fun in the way that Disney movies are, good scenery (and I don't mean just the Bean), lots of running around and finding clues, figuring this and that out in order to move on to the next clue-and that's pretty much the movie right there. You have to overlook the fact that the Declaration of Independence, a 228 year old document, would not survive being rolled and unrolled repeatedly, smeared with lemon juice (in order to reveal the invisible ink in which clues are written on its back) and flung, tossed, dropped, nearly flattened by several automobiles at one point, even if it is tucked away in a nifty carry case.
Anywho, the characters were likable, though I really favored Riley (Justin Bartha) as Cage's really cute in a scruffy sort of way computer geek sidekick. I saw this movie with a packed audience and of the several laugh-out-loud moments it got, it was Riley that garnered all but maybe one or two.
Nicolas Cage did a nice job as Ben Gates, the 'hero', not just for the running around & deciphering clues bit, but for his enthusiasm in and for history and for just being likable and not your average hollywood hero-type.
Diane Kruger plays Dr. Abigail Chase, the National Archivist unwillingly roped into the adventure. On a unrelated note, I do find her pretty but not stunning as I keep seeing her described. I look at her and keep wondering what is it I'm not seeing. As 'Abigail' she does all right, though there really isn't time for her to do much but run after Gates and dodge the bad guys. The 'romance' between Abigail and Ben Gates seemed a little shoehorned in, a kiss here and there, I wouldn't have a problem leaving them as just friends but we all know the guy gets the girl in the end and here is no exception.
Sean Bean as Ian Howe: Beany does well as the 'bad guy', but then he should, he's played enough of them. Heh. I really liked him being all chummy with Gates in the first few minutes and was disappointed he went all dark side so soon into the movie. Frankly I thought he looked really good, better than in the pics I'd seen beforehand. Howe is the scoundrel, but he is the scoundrel with a brain, I liked that he didn't just stalk around with a gun and look menacing, but really went about figuring things out for himself and was given creit for not being dumb. I was also happy that he DID NOT get killed for once. Added to that is the happy surprise that Sean got more screen time than I'd expected, Woo-hoo!
Jon Voight as Patrick Henry Gates. Voight did a good job I thought as Ben's skeptical dad who thinks the treasure is mythical and running after it is a waste of time. In the end though he's proven wrong and he ends up being pulled into the hunt whether he likes it or not.
I was mildly surprised that the treasure didn't end up being buried-for-all-time so as to protect it, as usually happens, and would've liked more explaination as to why it was so important to keep it hidden other than 'it's too large for any one man to have'. In other words, keep it secret, keep it safe, yeah?
A person cleverer than myself could name all the things you have to overlook in this movie, but hey, I was entertained. Just seeing Sean Bean back on the big screen was worth it, and adventure romps have a special place in my heart. ;) I wouldn't mind seeing it a second time, tonight it seemed that everyone in the audience had to get up at least once. I've never been to a movie where people just can't seem to sit still. It didn't help that the door to the theater kept getting stuck halfway open, letting in light from the hallway. I closed it at least 3 times before giving up as it just didn't seem to occur to people going in&out, in&out to actually CLOSE THE DOOR WHEN YOU ENTER AND LEAVE THE DARKENED THEATER. Jeesh.
But then, there was Bean, all blond and pretty and not dying, so I'm happy. :)
