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- M.T Peters
My New Appreciation for National Treasure (2004)
It was a snowy afternoon on December 4, 2019. I had just finished watching the Christy TV series and its subsequent films for the umpteenth time, and I wasn't ready to let go of Stewart-Finlay McLennan quite yet. I decided to go on his Wikipedia page and find out what other films and TV shows he had been in. I was shocked to find that he had played a character called Powell in National Treasure, which was something that I had seen before but not since I was a young girl. In all honesty, the scene where Ben, Ian, and Riley find the skeleton in the Charlotte had frightened me so badly as a kid that I had developed an aversion to the film. That was why it had been so long since my last viewing. However, since it had been so many years since then and many things that scared me in the past no longer did so, I decided that the opportunity of seeing Stewart in a film that I had access to was too great to pass up. So on March 22, 2020, I embarked on a journey that felt somewhat familiar yet totally new all at once.
Making Discoveries
My first observation as the film began was that the young Benjamin Gates looked a lot like another young actor I had seen before. It took me a while to place who I was thinking of, but the sudden realization came to me that the actor was CJ Adams who played the titular role in The Odd Life of Timothy Green. I was struck by the similarity in looks between the two given that they appear not to be related.
My next observation brought a huge smile to my face: Christopher Plummer. I grew up watching and loving The Sound of Music, but as a kid watching National Treasure, I would never realize that the actor was one and the same. This surprising revelation made me realize just how wonderful this movie was going to be, even if it did make me a bit nervous. I couldn't help but grin like a Cheshire Cat when Chris said to "kneel", but this is something only a true Christy fan will understand.
While I could definitely understand my being scared by the skeleton scene as a kid, as is often the case, it didn't turn out to be as bad as I remembered. I was able to get past this scene and discover that this is exactly my kind of film. My favorite movie of all time is City of Ember, and I couldn't help but notice the similarities between the two in terms of style.
Possible Christy References
I have no way of knowing for sure whether the following were supposed to be Christy references, but I can't help pointing out these possible nods to the series.
Upon arriving at the gala, Ben gives Abigail a flute of champaigne, which she gladly takes. A few seconds later, Stan walks up to Ben and Abigail with two flutes of champaigne, one for himself and one for Abigail. This same thing happens in Christy, except instead of a gala it was a christening, and instead of champaigne it was punch, and Ben didn't end up drinking the champaigne that Stan brought for Abigail. But the idea is the same and made me laugh.
Much later on when Ben is being chased by Phil and Powell before being arrested, he is forced to knock Powell out to save himself from gunfire (strange to see the former doctor shooting at someone). Ben shakes his hand and says ow before taking off again. This reminded me of a scene where a drunk Neil sees Christy dancing with her "friend" Nathan Stone and gets jealous and decides to cut in. David takes matters into his own hands (or fist in this case) and knocks Neil out 'for his own good'. David is left there rubbing his sore fist as the scene changes.
My favorite scene of the entire film has got to be a Christy reference at least to a degree. After going through "the creepy tunnel inside the tomb", in case something bad happens to them, Ben stops and kisses Abigail before continuing. Powell, who is walking behind, comes into view and asks, "Why does that never happen to me?" Christy fans will know that in the series, Neil doesn't ever get to kiss Christy no matter how much he may want to at times. However, for those of us who watched the films that followed the series, when Neil does end up finally kissing Christy after wanting to for so long, she ends up slapping his face. Even though Neil and Powell are very different characters, I am almost sure that this is what they had in mind when writing this scene.
I could go on and on about the things that I love about this film, but these are the things that I most want to share with you, loyal readers. National Treasure has become my second favorite movie of all time, with its sequel National Treasure: Book of Secrets coming in third place. I was very excited to learn in preparing to write this article that the National Treasure franchise is getting a rehaul in the form of a brand new TV series that will utilize the format of the original National Treasure to explore a new adventure story. This series will be released on Disney+. I was also excited to find out that National Treasure 3 is still in production and will feature the original cast of National Treasure including Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, and more in a brand new adventure when it gets its theatrical release. I am only sorry that we will not see the return of our beloved "Scottish Eeyore".
National Treasure and National Treasure: Book of Secrets are available to stream now on Disney+.