National Treasure

In a change of pace from last week’s animated fairy tale, here’s an action adventure with an historic flavor.

Ever since he was a child, Ben Gates has believed what his grandfather told him: that the USA’s Founding Fathers hid a grand treasure trove during the American Revolution, and that there remain clues pointing to its whereabouts, just waiting to be found. But when an adult Ben and his friend make a breakthrough in their search for these clues, Ben realizes that his friend has selfish intentions for the treasure. And so begins a race to unravel the riddles of the Founding Fathers to save the national treasure.

The wild trail of clues involve such historic elements as the Declaration of Independence, Independence Hall, and the “Silence Dogood” letters of Benjamin Franklin. Though one cannot take the adventure too seriously given the farfetched ridiculousness of the premise, the film still offers some family-friendly fun as historical elements from the USA’s founding take on new meaning as they become clues in the treasure hunt, and may serve as a memorable introduction to elements of American history that are easy to take for granted.

The film is rated PG, but does include some action violence and frightening images.

Runtime: 2 hours, 11 minutes
Rated PG
USCCB rating: A-II
IMDb Parents Guide