National Treasure (DVD) Review

One of the surprise blockbusters of 2004, National Treasure evokes images of the Indiana Jones trilogy with its adventurous search for a mysterious hidden treasure. But more than likely, the film is the result of the massive commercial success of a "quest for the holy grail" novel entitled The Da Vinci Code. Since its release, Dan Brown's book has sold over twenty million copies, and its plot of a historian turned treasure hunter who uncovers ancient clues put in place by the Knights Templar and the Masons that hold the key to a treasure of unimaginable consequences from the era of the Crusades while doing so with the aid of a beautiful woman curator of the very archive which holds the crucial clues to its discovery, all while an evil competitor who seeks the treasure for himself follows on his heels - whew! is a plot device that's eerily similar to Dan Brown's bestseller. But National Treasure takes place in the United States instead of Europe, so you can rest assured that the book's success had nothing to do with the movie's production (wink, wink)