Mixing history, quasi-history, adventure and discovery, “National Treasure” (2004) is a film that takes the viewer on a wondrous journey.

The story revolves around the search for the Templar Treasure, a vast collection of ancient historical artifacts, documents and riches thought by most to be a myth, but considered to be very real by Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage).

Gates, though honest and sincere in his quest to find the treasure for posterity, becomes associated with Ian Howe (Sean Bean). Howe is a wealthy treasure seeker with criminal ties who is not opposed to violating the law and using force to achieve his goal.

A series of clues leads Gates and his computer-whiz sidekick, Riley Poole

(Justin Bartha), along with Howe and his team, to the Arctic to find the Charlotte, a Revolutionary War-era ship. After finding the Charlotte, Gates realizes the next clue involves the Declaration of Independence. When Howe suggests they steal the document, the men disagree. The partnership ends when the Charlotte explodes and Howe leaves Gates and Poole for dead. They survive and plan the next move to stop Howe.

Gates and Poole find their way to Washington, D.C. and an appointment with Dr. Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger) at the National Archives. Their attempts to warn Dr. Chase of the possible theft fail and Gates decides to steal the Declaration himself to thwart Howe’s sinister motives. With Poole’s help, Gates successfully steals the Declaration during a National Archives gala moments before Howe arrives. Dr. Chase, suspicious of Gates actions, follows him, and eventually becomes entangled in the search for the Templar Treasure.

Gates, Poole and Chase wind up at the home of Gates’ father, Patrick Henry Gates (Jon Voight). Patrick, a treasure hunter himself in his younger days, now saw the endless following of clues as folly and a waste of time. He chastises his son as another clue is found on the back of the Declaration.

With the FBI on their trail, Gates, Poole and Chase drive to Philadelphia in search of more clues at Independence Hall. Gates locates an ocular device he believes to be invented by Benjamin Franklin. The device included interchangeable colored lenses that enhanced the clue on the Declaration.

With Howe in close pursuit, Gates is apprehended by the FBI. He is questioned by Agent Peter Sadusky (Harvey Keitel) and explains his theft of the Declaration was an effort to protect the document and stop Howe from stealing it himself.

Sadusky is skeptical. While Gates is in custody, Poole and Chase make an arrangement with Howe. During the interrogation, he calls Gates to set up a meeting on the flight deck of USS Intrepid in New York. The FBI allows the meeting, hoping to use Gates as bait to catch Howe and retrieve the Declaration.

Howe helps Gates escape FBI custody but he has double-crossed his former partner by kidnapping his father. With the Declaration, the ocular device and a meerschaum pipe discovered on the Charlotte, all the treasure seekers enter Trinity Church in New York.

After using the ocular device to again read the back of the Declaration, Gates, his father, Poole, Chase, Howe and his henchmen descend several stories below the church through a series of centuries-old staircases, pulleys, ropes and dumbwaiters to finally reach the treasure room. When it is found empty, Howe and his men abandon the others and leave for Boston after being given a false clue.

Gates, dejected at not finding the treasure, is encouraged by his father to keep looking. Using the meerschaum pipe, Gates and the others gain access to another room and discover the Templar Treasure. Howe and his men are arrested attempting to break into the Old North Church in Boston after a tip from Gates.

The treasure is divided among several museums and historical archives throughout the world. Gates gets the girl, Dr. Chase, and he and Poole receive a percentage of the treasure’s enormous estimated value.

“National Treasure” is a combination of adventure and imaginary history. Mixing real-life historical figures and events such as Benjamin Franklin, the Crusades and the American Revolution with a fantasy treasure hunt adds a new element to action movies.

The film spawned a sequel, “National Treasure: Book of Secrets,” in 2007.

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Tom Laub is the Lifestyles Editor of the Lewistown Sentinel.