National Treasure

Play trailer

2:22

National Treasure

PG

Released Nov 19, 2004

2h 10m

Adventure

Action

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

46%

Tomatometer

177 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Historian and code-breaker Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) has been searching his whole life for a rumored treasure dating back to the creation of the United States. Joining an expedition led by fellow treasure hunter Ian Howe (Sean Bean), Gates finds an ice-locked Colonial ship in the Arctic Circle that contains a clue linking the treasure to the Declaration of Independence. But when Howe betrays him, Gates has to race to get to the document ahead of his so-called colleague.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

National Treasure is no treasure, but it's a fun ride for those who can forgive its highly improbable plot.

Read Critics Reviews

Matthew Rozsa

Salon.com

It is a definitely guilty pleasure, and 90 percent of the reason why can be summed up in two words: Nicolas Cage.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 4, 2019

Full Review

Namrata Joshi

Outlook

There might be too many inaccuracies in the plot, the mix of the past and the present is naive and at times downright silly but makes for fun viewing if you don't put your thinking caps on. The film has enough to keep you involved.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 8, 2019

Full Review

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Historical adventure is a fun romp for tweens and up.

Rated: 2/5

Dec 26, 2010

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

It’s never as good as the properties it apes (some of which are copied copiously and brazenly; it struggles with a unique identity), but it’s still routinely funny and entertaining.

Rated: 6/10

Feb 6, 2025

Full Review

Jason Delgado

Film Threat

Fire up the grill and enjoy a little Cage madness mashed together with some over-the-top Jerry Bruckheimer action!

Rated: 7/10

Jul 4, 2022

Full Review

Micheal Compton

Bowling Green Daily News

Directed by Jon Turteltaub, National Treasure is nothing but a series of silly stunts and chases that just rush by.

Rated: D

Nov 18, 2019

Full Review

Read all reviews

Rich S

The film mixes fact with fiction on the subject of The Declaration of Independence. It does no service to history and little service toward making a good movie. But then again, "making a good movie" was an idea that went down the tubes when Cage used invisible ink to sign his movie contract.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

04/21/25

Full Review

Trevor B

National Treasure was pretty good!!!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/02/25

Full Review

T W

Adventure, History, Action, this movie is definitely a must watch for families and fans of history.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/03/25

Full Review

Jason B

As others have said, definitely a guilty pleasure that I just love to watch when its a rainy day. Yes, it may be a little bit rough around the edges here and there, and there may be some historical inaccuracies etc where one can imagine that these puzzles and places wouldn't exist in reality. Or... could they? If we've never seen them, how can we prove otherwise? Dun, dun, duuuuuun 0_0 Anyway moving on... the story is one of those stories that you really want to believe is real. Is true. I'm sure we've all had those before. Every time they make a discovery or solve a puzzle, it puts me on the edge of my seat. Thinking, "yes!" Borderline might even make you feel emotional. Be ready for a rollercoaster. Oh, and Nicolas Cage. Need I say more.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/19/25

Full Review

Elyse G

I really love the movie, and it had moments that make me chuckle. It's not too scary or violent and is great to watch with kids. Historical inaccuracies are present but it's not meant to be historical fiction but an action movie so it doesn't really bother me. Love watching this!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/15/25

Full Review

Rick O

One of our faves. Must watch every few months. Forget "guilty pleasure" - it's just a pure all out pleasure! Scene after scene of good memorable fun and excitement. I don't pay much attention to critics any more.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/02/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Jon Turteltaub

Director

Nicolas Cage

Ben Gates

Diane Kruger

Abigail Chase

Justin Bartha

Riley Poole

Sean Bean

Ian Howe

Jon Voight

Patrick Gates

National Treasure: Book of Secrets

35%

67%

National Treasure: Book of Secrets

Watchlist

TRAILER

for National Treasure: Book of Secrets

The Legend of Zorro

27%

48%

The Legend of Zorro

Watchlist

Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker

35%

53%

Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker

Watchlist

Speed Racer

42%

60%

Speed Racer

Watchlist

Raiders of the Lost Ark

94%

96%

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Raiders of the Lost Ark

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

National Treasure: Trailer 1

2:22

Rotten Tomatoes is Wrong About... National Treasure

57:11

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

Historian and code-breaker Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) has been searching his whole life for a rumored treasure dating back to the creation of the United States. Joining an expedition led by fellow treasure hunter Ian Howe (Sean Bean), Gates finds an ice-locked Colonial ship in the Arctic Circle that contains a clue linking the treasure to the Declaration of Independence. But when Howe betrays him, Gates has to race to get to the document ahead of his so-called colleague.

Director: Jon Turteltaub
Producer: Oren Aviv, Jerry Bruckheimer
Screenwriter: Ted Elliott, E. Max Frye, Jim Kouf, Marianne Wibberley, Cormac Wibberley
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Declaration Productions Inc., Touchstone Pictures, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Junction
Rating: PG (Some Scary Images|Action/Violence)
Genre: Adventure, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 19, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $173.0M
Runtime: 2h 10m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

Most Popular at Home Now