i saw posters for this movie up at the local theatre a month or so before it came out. in the posters, nicholas cage is wearing a tuxedo and carrying a torch, leading a forelorn female into the depths of a creepy cavern. i thought it reeked of indiana jones and james bond and simply refused to watch it when it came out. but after watching the trailers, i was sort of excited; it looked like a good adventure story, a type of movie that hasn’t been achieved very well as of late.

national treasure wasn’t all that bad. i don’t really like nicholas cage — and this movie didn’t change that fact — but he wasn’t as obnoxious as he normally is. there were great comedic moments in the film that carried the story along well enough, and some neat action sequences. but don’t expect a genuine history lesson from this film; it’s quite shallow where actual american history is concerned, paying tribute to some of the country’s forefathers just for the sake of doing so.

throughout the movie, i was shocked at how easy cage’s character, ben, could figure out the clues when his own ancestors hadn’t been so smart. he didn’t even have to research anything to figure out the path to the treasure. he just stood there for a second and worked out everything in his head. ok, stephen hawking could do that without books, maybe — but nicholas cage? i highly doubt it. and what was up with his hair? was that real? he looked like a weathered elvis impersonator.