Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage) is the latest in a long line of treasure hunters who were told that the Founding Fathers had taken a treasure that has been growing for thousands of years and hidden it away somewhere. Now Gates puts his problem-solving skills and vast knowledge of history to the test as he uncovers the latest riddles in the hunt for the Knights Templar's treasure.
His latest clue leads him to believe that there is a map hidden on the Declaration of Independence. Unfortunately, he isn't the only one who knows this. Gates' benefactor, Ian Howe (Sean Bean from The Lord of the Rings trilogy), also knows the location of the map and plans to steal the precious document and get the map by any means necessary. In order to save the Declaration, Gates and his comic-relief, techie side-kick Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) have to steal the document themselves. During the heist, historical restorer, Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger) joins the hunt.
As the trio race against time and Ian's thugs, they travel to numerous historical locations like Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. following a trail left by high-ranking secret society members like Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. National Treasure is simply a fun, smart movie that leaves you trying to solve the next riddle alongside the characters.
Unfortunately, National Treasure is completely without features, something unheard of with DVDs (they at least mention "animated menus") and rare on UMDs. Actually I think this is the first UMD video I've seen yet to be without at least a featurette or outtakes.
Even though National Treasure lacks spacial features, the movie is still a must-see full of interesting historical tidbits. Whether you should get this flick on UMD and DVD depends on whether or not you want the portability of the PSP or the features on the DVD.
