FILMBRATS - REVIEWS

Ben Gates is searching for the most well hidden treasure in history. It’s a legend that was passed down to him from his grandfather, which heard it from his grandfather and so on. They have one clue to work from, but no one has been able to figure it out…until now. Ben not only figures out what the clue means, he also finds the next clue that will lead him closer to the treasure. There are only two problems. One is that the clue is hidden on the back of the Constitution of the United States. The other is that there’s an evil man tracking his every move, trying to beat him to it. Oh my. What a crazy adventure this is going to turn out to be.

I thought this was going to be a huge crap fest, actually. It was pleasantly not. I was expecting something like another “Tomb Raider.” Surprisingly, the technology and the clues and devices used don’t exhibit some hidden techniques that no one had ever seen before or anything like that. It’s mostly very straightforward and logical. However, the further the movie progresses, the more outrageous it becomes.

Even though the technology and devices are mostly believable in a movie sense, the basic plot line and background story is not. Anyone going into this film can’t possibly expect pure logic from such a big budget film such as this. What’s amazing is that it took at least five people (counting only those that are credited) to come up with the story and script. The result is certainly nothing spectacular. What it does have going for it is a fast pace, but it’s a marathon. At over two hours, there’s a little bit too much hunt without any eggs in the basket to keep the interest high. The dialogue is typical. Ben’s assistant Riley is the token jokester with all the quick wit and sarcastic remarks. They are better than most films of this same type, but that doesn’t mean they all are winners.

Director Jon Turteltaub makes a very functional and undemanding action flick. What’s so odd about it is that it starts out with a big explosion and gunplay or whatever, and then it’s followed by a whole bunch of chasing to extremely non-exotic locations searching for the next piece in the puzzle. It’s basically a normal movie posing as an action movie. All the excitement is in your head. At least it gets in your head in that respect, though.

Even though I’m sure the history in the film is not completely accurate, I can see how this would spark some interest amongst young kids. That’s a definite plus. If you’re a high art lover through and through, then you already know to avoid this sucker. However, as far as mindless entertainment goes: you could do better, but you could also do a lot worse.

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