National Treasure Turns 2004 Heist Into a Delightfully Dumb U.S. History Lesson

1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 20

Disney’s 2004 blockbuster “National Treasure” is framed as a quintessential “good-bad” movie—ridiculous on its face yet highly watchable because it commits fully to its absurd premise.
Nicolas Cage’s dead-serious delivery of “I’m gonna steal the Declaration of Independence” anchors that appeal, with Cage later saying the movie works because he and Justin Bartha play it completely straight.
The film sends Benjamin Franklin Gates, Riley Poole and archivist Abigail Chase through Washington, Philadelphia and New York as they chase hidden treasure by decoding ciphers while evading villains.
Released as “The Da Vinci Code” fever was building, the movie tapped a broader 2000s appetite for historical puzzle-box plots, secret societies and scholarly action heroes.

Sources

Why do movies like 'National Treasure' remain so popular, even when critics call them ridiculous?

Could the blend of fact and fiction in 'National Treasure' change how viewers see real American history?

How does the treasure-hunt genre reflect our deeper cultural hopes or anxieties in today's world?

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