The first time I saw any part of National Treasure was about 10 years ago, when I was in middle school (yikes, I'm getting old). My dad was watching it on TV. I asked what he was watching, and after he initially told me, I left the room, thinking he was watching some crazy, grown-up movie entirely inappropriate for my age. Later that day, I asked if it was a movie I could watch, and he said yes. So I gave it the coveted number one spot in my Netflix queue, and waited paitently to receive it in the mail.
Once I was finally able to watch it, it didn't take long for me to become completely obsessed with the movie. I loved the premise: some guy steals the Declaration of Independence to find treasure. Although the general idea itself is a fairly standard trope, my 11-year-old self could not see far enough ahead to figure out what would happen next. Every "plot twist" of the movie had me balking at the screen. What?! All hope seems lost for the heroes but they found a way out and prevailed?! Who would've guessed! It seems silly now, but to me, watching everything play out, even if it was predictable to everyone else, was part of the wonder. I'll never forget how I triumphant I felt for the characters when they FINALLY lit up the treasure room.
Not only was it a fun movie, but it (as well as the sequel) was so intriguing (especially at the time), that it completely renewed my interest in American History. I wanted to know as much about history that Ben (Nicolas Cage) knew. I lived about 30 minutes away from Washington D.C., so I made it a point to go visit the National Archives. I researched facts that were mentioned in the movie. Because of National Treasure, I became more engaged with information that I was currently learning about in school. I even had the Declaration of Independence memorized, a skill I was EXTREMELY proud of. It was also around this time I decided I wanted to be an FBI agent (and I stuck with that up to about the halfway point of college).
When I re-watch it now (PSA, it's currently streaming on Netflix), I remember everything about it that kept me hooked. I think it's amazing how much I've changed since I first found it. I'm not nearly as interested in the history of it, but I still find it intriguing. The trope still works for me. I like knowing that everything is going to work out in the end as it should.
Regardless of the simplicity of the movie, perhaps even because of it, National Treasure remains a timeless movie. I doubt I'll watch it 40 times in one month again (yes, I really did that. It drove my parents insane), but every so often I'll turn it on either for background noise or to sit and watch. Even after somewhere close to 150 views (seriously), I never grow tired of it, and I don't think I ever will.
