National Treasure is a silly, plodding, second rate fusion of Indiana Jones and, from what I'm told, The Davinci Code (I haven't read it so I can't confirm that one). The film comes courtesy of action producer extraordinaire Jerry Bruckheimer.

This movie would have us believe that the Declaration of Independence and the One Dollar bill harbor clues that may lead to an enormous fortune in a silly action tale that could be best described as The Goonies Go to Washington. Only National Treasure has little of the charm and smarts or real sense of discovery and adventure. Sure, The Goonies was a film primarily aimed at younger audiences, but it was infinitely more entertaining (and much more intelligent) than this movie.

Nicolas Cage stars as Ben Gates, a man who continues to follow the clues discovered by his ancestors. Through his ordeal, he must compete with a rival pack of treasure hunters (led by Sean Bean) who were once his partners. Ooooooo! Intense!

Now it could be argued that National Treasure is meant to be taken as light, breezy entertainment. I don't buy that. I really think that the film makers truly believe they've made a smart and taut thriller.

Cage practically sleep walks through this one. He really appears bored throughout much of the movie. Quite obviously, Mr. Cage can be an effective actor when given the proper material and the right director. I suppose he does these one-off Bruckheimer productions (see The Rock and Con Air) to have a little fun, but this time around, he should have just said no.

Bruckheimer did get some things right though. I thank the good Lord above he didn't get director Michael Bay involved in this one. Certainly, National Treasure has several moments that smack of a Bay film, but-thankfully--it lacks the egomaniacal vibe that normally comes with a movie like Pearl Harbor or Bad Boys II. This flick is far less cynical (and far less violent-it's PG), but that doesn't necessarily make it good.

Director Jon Turtlelaub is known for gentle, crowd pleasing fare (i.e. Cool Runnings and Phenomenon), and that's fine I suppose, but he doesn't have an eye for big action and pacing. I can't remember the running time for National Treasure, but it sure felt long.

At the screening I attended the gentleman next to me leaned over and told me he felt like he was watching a preview for a new Disneyland ride. I found that to be a humorous observation, and if they do in fact decide to make a ride out of it, I hope it's more exciting than the source material or I'm heading right over to Space Mountain.