National Treasure

Blu-ray Review

Walt Disney Home Entertainment

Release: May 20, 2008

MSRP: $34.99

National Treasure was one of those movies that no one really saw coming it seemed, but once it released, the movie took on a life of its own. National Treasure stars Benjamin Gates, played by Nicholas Cage. Gates is basically a modern-day Indiana Jones, with a passion for history, treasure, and adventure. The film has been released on the Blu-ray format day and date with its sequel, and Blu-ray fans shouldn’t be happier.

National Treasure was the type of movie that could have either bombed, or absolutely exploded with popularity. Thankfully for Disney, the film exploded grossing $350 million around the world, and doing very well with DVD sales.

The film has now hit the Blu-ray format, as you are once again introduced to Benjamin Gates who is trying to find the treasure hidden by the Founding Fathers.

Gates goes on a treasure hunt that is intertwined with acts such as stealing the Declaration of Independence, and also has a partner in Riley (Justin Bartha). The two make an absolutely fantastic pair, as does Gates and his female love interest Abigail (Diane Kruger). The three hunt for the treasure as they also have to fight off a group of bad guys led by Ian.

The film is far-fetched, and completely out there in every single way. The great thing about it though is that it does what a movie is supposed to do. It starts, the credits roll, and you get drawn in to its own world with its own set of rules. National Treasure, simply put, is one of the most enjoyable and engrossing films in a long time.

The video quality for the Blu-ray release is top-notch as it is presented in 1080p and encoded in AVC. Comparing it to the DVD version you will clearly see some nice upgrades in terms of colors, lighting, etc.

There are also some nice details and textures which simply could not be picked up on the DVD release. The only problems with the video quality lie in the darker scenes, which appear to wash about the film a bit at times. It may not be the perfect transfer, but it is solid.

The audio is presented in an uncompressed PCM 5.1 surround track which, to be honest, will blow you away. The film sounds tremendous with a great feeling of immersion while you are watching it with your home system up.

The rear speakers were the highlight here on the audio track as they get extremely involved in the entire film, far more than what was seen on the DVD release. You also get a lot more of the subtle noises here in there which were unable to be presented before. Not too much to complain about here at all.

There are some nice extra features in the Blu-ray release of National Treasure to help fill up the disc. You get all of the features from the 2-disc Special Edition DVD, which are all in standard-definition. These include the 45-minute Behind the Scenes Documentary, as well as a 12-minute feature on various types of secrets and cryptic messages, which is very interesting.

There is also an alternate ending, which is definitely a bit more cute than the one used in theaters, as well as 15-minutes of deleted scenes with optional commentary.

An early version of the opening of the film is presented with storyboards as well in Opening Animatic.

In terms of exclusives to the Blu-ray release, you get three extras here. The first is audio commentary with Director Jon Turtletaub as well as actor Justin Bartha. There is a lot of unique and interesting information which comes up during this audio commentary, especially when they talk about working with Nicholas Cage and others.

There is also an interactive game called Mission History, which allows users to explore the Declaration of Independence with decoding tools. This is basically a puzzle-type game but works well. The final extra is Trivia Track, which gives some interesting facts and tidbits.

Overall National Treasure has hit the Blu-ray format in style, and just in time to launch day and date with its sequel. The film is an absolute joy to watch, and one which kids and parents alike will be extremely interested in from start to finish. With the nice set of extras, this adventure is one you will not want to miss on Blu-ray.

Film: 9.0

A A tremendously engrossing and entertaining adventure film from start to finish.

Video: 8.7

For a Blu-ray release, it could have looked a bit better, but overall the video quality is a huge step up from the DVD version.

Audio: 9.0

The audio track is fantastic with great use of the rear channels.

Special Features: 8.5

A great set of features with all that were included in the past DVD release, along with exclusives to the Blu-ray format.

Final Score: 9.0