Starring Nicholas Cage

Indiana Jones meets American history!

If you haven’t seen these delightful adventure movies, you are missing out. Perfect for family movie night, the duology follows Benjamin Franklin Gates, a treasure hunter with an obsession with American history. Believing that the treasure of the Knights Templar was passed down to the Founding Fathers and hidden for safekeeping, Gates and his sidekick, Riley, are determined to find it and give it to the American people. Problem #1: people think they’re crazy. Problem #2: a team of international thugs are after the treasure. Problem #3: the next clue to find the treasure is hidden on the back of the Declaration of Independence – and to find it, they’re going to have to steal the Declaration before the bad guys get it.

The second movie trades Revolutionary War drama for the Civil War and the Lincoln assassination. When Gates’ great-great-great grandfather is named as a newly discovered conspirator in the Lincoln assassination, Gates and his family set out to prove this new evidence wrong. To do so, they need to find the Native American city of gold the Confederate group was after. Of course, there are bad guys after this treasure, too. And, of course, there’s no shortage of clues wrapped up in American history. But car chases, French police, Buckingham Palace security, and the U.S. Secret Service are nothing compared to the dangers the team will face beneath the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Pros: For a lover of American history and all things adventure, this movie series is an absolute treat. A perfect balance of danger and hilarious one-liners, the National Treasure series is entertainment, yes, but it also makes you appreciate the sacrifice and dedication of our Founding Fathers. A bonus is that the series is pretty family friendly (there’s some “passionate kissing” in the second movie as part of a ploy.) I just wish I had discovered the movies when I was younger so I would have had more years to enjoy them!

Cons: There are some parts in the movies where you nod and go “yeah, I could see that happening. Makes sense.” And then the rest of it is like “nope, not possible, but I’m just gonna enjoy the show.” I wear more outerwear ice fishing than they did in the Arctic Circle! So, if you’re looking for realism, keep looking. If you’re looking for a patriotic Indiana Jones for the whole family, you have arrived!

Bottom Line: A patriotic tribute to our Founding Fathers, with a lot of treasure hunting thrown in.