National Treasure

MPAA Rating: PG

Entertainment: +2 1/2

Content: +1

Hidden deeply in the fabric of early American history, National Treasure takes its audience on a modern-day adventure to find a mythical treasure that was hidden in America during the Crusades. Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage) heard at a very young age from his grandfather (Christopher Plummer) the stories surrounding this secret treasure. Bens father (Jon Voight), while skeptical, becomes an unwilling participant in the search. Ben is joined by his friend Riley (Justin Bartha) as symbols on the dollar bill lead them to believe that a map to the treasure is hidden on the back of the Declaration of Independence. National archivist Abigale Chase (Diane Kruger) and members of the FBI led by Agent Sandusky (Harvey Keitel) seek to thwart any efforts to disrupt the national treasures that may hold clues to Bens action-packed hunt for a prize that has eluded historians for two centuries.

National Treasure is a rather implausible and yet enjoyable adventure. The unbelievable idea is that such a large trove of Egyptian treasure could be moved from the Middle East to America and skillfully and quietly buried where no one could find it. The enjoyment comes from the almost comedic adventure of Ben and Riley as they go from one clue to the next, closely followed by a money-hungry adversary, Ian Howe (Sean Bean). The addition of beautiful love interest Abigale adds femininity to the film without making her presence overtly sexual. There are a few inappropriate exclamations of the Lords name. The violence is moderate and primarily suspenseful. Also included are some slightly unsettling images of decomposed human remains. Please consult Previews summary before deciding to take in National Treasure.

Preview Reviewer: Brian Hughes
Distributor: Disney

Summary
The following categories contain objective listings of film content which contribute to the subjective numeric Content ratings posted to the left and on the Home page.

Crude Language: None

Obscene Language: None

Profanity: Few (4) times moderate (OMG 2, holy L 1, G 1)

Violence: Many times mild (many chase scenes between two groups looking to solve a mystery, man is duct-taped to a chair, people are taken hostage, man is hit in the face, woman hangs on the swinging door of a moving truck, police/FBI pursue those who have stolen various historical artifacts); moderate (several scenes where the bad guys are shooting at the good guys, boat explodes, people fall from breaking staircases); strong (man cuts thumb to draw blood to use as ink to find a clue to the mystery, man holds a gun to the head of another man, dead and decomposed bodies shown as crypts are violated and as bodies are found in ancient historical places)

Sex: Few times mild (man and woman kiss)

Nudity: Once mild (implied nudity or near nudity as a man and a woman are trying on clothing in department-store changing rooms feet and shoulders are shown)

Sexual Dialogue/Gesture: One man says to another while standing with a woman, Im in a little trouble, and the other man replies, Is she pregnant?

Drugs: Once mild (drinking of Champaign at a social gathering)

Other: A young boy swears allegiance to a secret society, references to superstition and omens

Running Time: 100 minutes
Intended Audience: Adults and Children

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