Movie Reviews: 'National Treasure'

Most critics seem to agree that National Treasure is not. Jami Bernard in the New York Daily News figures that it's not much more than a "pedestrian ripoff of Raiders of the Lost Ark." (Several other reviewers refer to it as a ripoff of the best-seller, The Da Vinci Code.) Bob Townsend in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, referring to the film's allusions to American historical events, comments, "It fakes high concept, but turns into a whole lot of hooey." On the other hand, Bob Strauss in the Los Angeles Daily News calls it "state-of-the-art Jerry Bruckheimer entertainment. It combines elements of the industry's top producer's most interesting recent efforts."