Strangely enough, the day after seeing Indiana Jones, Corey, Scott, and I decided to rent a movie, and I decreed that for once, the movie we watch together should not be gut-wrenchingly somber. The last time Scott came for the weekend, we watched No Country for Old Men and The Lookout, first-rate films I have reviewed in this blog, but not exactly full of rainbows and puppies. The fun choice that was acceptable to all - actually fun, not so bad it's good fun - was National Treasure 2, another film about a treasure hunter with a family who's in on it.
Not to say that National Treasure is anything like Indy in terms of feel, intent or quality, but it was entertaining enough for a Saturday night without feeling like we wasted Scott's money. It was highly American, trying to smooth things over with the French, mocking the British, emphasizing lasting unity between the North and the South, and lying to protect the family name of a thoroughly unsavoury man who tries to rob and kill our heroes - because every American deserves to be a hero, no matter how flawed. It was also highly contemporary, with our hero's love drama revolving around not whether or not he and his girlfriend will reconcile, but whether or not she will ask him to move back it.
The pacing and flow was good, even though the setup takes nearly half the film, because the setup involves two car chases, kidnapping a head of state for information, and robbing both Buckingham Palace and the White House. No, really.
And I was stunned that a Jerry Bruckheimer film had nary a gratuitous female underwear shot that he is so famous for - the closest it came was gratuitous cleavage. So, as a live-action Disney production, it is reasonably family-friendly...that is, if you're willing to explain that robbing and kidnapping heads of state in the name of family pride isn't a good thing. Kind of like Bruckheimer/Disney's last franchised outing, Pirates of the Carribbean, which taught us that you must be loyal above all else, even if that loyalty is to completely immoral/amoral men who will sacrifice you at the drop of a hat to suit their own greed, and that piracy and anarchy are acceptable lifestyle choices.
However, if you're old enough for an R-rating, and feel like watching a solid and entertaining action film starring Nic Cage as a hero and Ed Harris as a villain who does it all to make his family proud, just watch The Rock - also a Jerry Bruckheimer production, and featuring the patented Bruckheimer Lingerie Shot. And Sean Connery. And flamethrowers, biological warfare, and marines. And such classically delivered lines as "Ah'm gonna take pleahsure in guttin' you, boy" and "I swear I didn't see you shoot that gentleman. I swear I didn't see you throw that other gentleman out the window; I just want to know, are you happy with your hair???". And lots and lots of explosions. And no justified thievery. Now that's a classic action film of my generation. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a burning urge to kick Corey and Scott off the XBox and pop in my special collector's widescreen edition of The Rock. No, really.
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