National Treasure is a classic Nic Cage adventure, throwing the star into an Indiana Jones-like narrative revolving around U.S. history and treasure seeking. As the latest descendant in a line of treasure seekers, Freemasons, and Templars of ancient histories, Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage) ventures out to chase a long lost Freemason treasure his family has sought for generations to protect its historical value. Finding the first clue in a frozen ship with the help of shady business partner Ian Howe (Sean Bean), Gates discovers the chase’s dangerous next step: he must steal– or at least “borrow”– the Declaration of Independence, as it contains an invisible map on the back to the treasure. Howe double crosses Gates as, unlike the latter, he does not care for the document’s historical value and will destroy it, forcing Gates to pursue it in hopes of protecting such vital American history from Howe. With the help of his nerdy computer whiz friend Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) and National Archives archivist Dr. Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger), Gates must get the map, get the treasure, and clear his family’s name as the intergenerational family of treasure seeking fools before the treasure and parts of the U.S.’s history are lost forever.

National Treasure is simple fun. While the script is generic, some tricks are ill-prepared, and typical white dominance over other non-white cultures is fully glossed over (with morality only a concern in white Western historical wrongs), there’s very clearly a lot of love and compassion for history and the U.S. in concept. Cage, for example, in one of his more mentally stable roles, is an enticing lead as he portrays Gates with a genuine concern for history’s preservation. He lives by what the U.S. stands for, as demonstrated through his continuous recitation of different parts of the Constitution from memory throughout. Such concern for the facts and American values drives his search for the truth rather than wealth or glory: “We’re more like treasure protectors,” he says to an increasingly unconvinced Dr. Chase. Watching as he learns of the Declaration of Independence’s security system—the camera crashing through different layers and sensors before it shoots off into a preservation chamber with the document—is exciting enough on its own even before the action’s started, because his honorable dedication matches the difficulty of the mission, hooking viewers in. Along with Bartha’s humorous one-liners, clever (ish– it’s still Disney) puzzles for protagonists to solve and action sequences for them to undertake, and optimistic portrayals of what the United States is at least meant to stand for—freedom, prosperity, and equal opportunity for all—National Treasure is an engaging historically charged adventure that deserves more credit than it’s given.

Thus, National Treasure is the rare adventure flick that shouldn’t work but does, thanks to an embracingly patriotic tone that—though it entirely ignores everything wrong with the U.S. even just back in the W. Bush era—infects its characters, dangers and set pieces with warmth and hope. For adventure fans, Nic Cage fans, and those looking for a comfortably easy but fun watch, National Treasure certainly feels like gold.

Screens Thursday, 6/26, 7:00 p.m. @ Coolidge Corner Theatre
Part of the ongoing repertory series: Rewind!