National Treasure (Steelbook) (4K UHD Review)
- Review Date: Nov 09, 2026
- Format: 4K Ultra HD
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Director
Jon TurteltaubRelease Date(s)
2004 (November 10, 2026)Studio(s)
Saturn Films/Jerry Bruckheimer Films/Walt Disney Pictures (Walt Disney Pictures Home Entertainment)- Film/Program Grade: B-
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A-
- Extras Grade: C+
Review
The early aughts delivered a spate of history-based puzzle box adventure films, occasionally with a dash of high-tech Mission: Impossible gadgetry and gloss, which intended to capitalize on the fact that the Spielberg/Lucas/Marshall team couldn’t get its act together to make enough Raiders of the Lost Ark sequels to meet moviegoer demand. There was Simon West’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) and its sequels, there was Ron Howard’s The Da Vinci Code (2006) and its sequels—the latter being the most successful, based on the Robert Langdon series of novels by Dan Brown. But arguably the most purely entertaining of the batch is Jon Turteltaub’s National Treasure.
With a story by Jim Kouf, Oren Aviv, and Charles Segars, and a screenplay by Kouf with Cormac and Marianne Wibberley—and keep all that in mind as we continue—the film tracks historian and professional treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage, The Rock, Con Air), a man who’s spent his entire life on a quest to prove the truth of a long-held family legend. Hidden for centuries somewhere in America, Gates believes, lies the mythical treasure of Solomon, once guarded by the ancient Templar Knights and later smuggled to the New World by the Free Masons, a group that counted the likes of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and many signers of the Declaration of Independence among its ranks.
Gates enlists the support of computer nerd Riley Poole (Justin Bartha, The Hangover) and financier Ian Howe (Sean Bean, Ronin, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) to find this treasure, and actually manages to uncover important clues that lead him to believe there’s a map to its location hidden on the back of the Declaration itself. But when Howe betrays him, Gates finds himself in a race to steal one of the most heavily guarded pieces of paper on Earth, hoping to locate the treasure first, so he can share its wonders with the world. And he’ll need some new help along the way, in the form of the lovely Dr. Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger, Inglourious Basterds), an archivist at the U.S. Government’s National Archives.
Though their roles aren’t particularly challenging, Cage and Bean are each in prime form here, and the supporting cast delivers mostly solid performances. The best are by Jon Voight and Christopher Plummer (as Gates’ father and grandfather), and Harvey Keitel (as the FBI Special Agent investigating the case). Turteltaub’s direction is workmanlike from start to finish, the Caleb Deschanel cinematography is stylish, precise, and evocative, and the film’s editing and use of transitions—combined with its synth-percussion score by Trevor Rabin—lubricate the action enough to keep things lively. And while the script-by-committee features one plot convenience after another, it’s also occasionally clever, builds genuine tension and intrigue, and it’s undeniably entertaining.
National Treasure was photographed by Deschanel (The Right Stuff, Fly Away Home, Wildwood) on 35 mm film (Kodak Vision2 500T 5218) in Super 35 format using Arriflex 435 ES, Panavision Panaflex Gold II, Panaflex Millennium XL, and Panaflex Platinum cameras with Panavision Primo lenses. Visual effects and transitions were produced digitally and printed back out to interpositive stock. The film was released in theaters at the 2.39:1 aspect ratio. For its release on Ultra HD, Disney has completed a new 4K scan and digital remastering of the original camera negative and master interpositive elements, graded the image for high dynamic range (compatible with both Dolby Vision and HDR10), and created a new 4K Digital Intermediate. The result has been encoded for release on a 100 GB disc, with data rates averaging 80-90 Mbps.
The visual quality is fantastic. The original camera negative reveals exceptional detail, with lovely and organic yet light-moderate photochemical grain. Digital effects shots and transitions (filmed out to interpositive) have modestly lower resolution than the OCN, but the difference is never jarring. The HDR grade is excellent, delivering impressively deep yet detailed shadows, a vibrant and accurate color palette, and highlights that are bold but natural looking. Gotta hand it to Disney’s remastering team—they’re crushing it right now with these 4K restorations.
The 4K disc includes its primary audio in a new lossless English Dolby Atmos mix. The soundstage is wide, but more impressively immersive. The mix uses every channel effectively, including the heights, but they’re remarkably subtle most of the time—they really just extend the immersion vertically and overhead. But atmospherics are great and sonically unique from scene to scene. As the mix gets blustery, such as when the Charlotte explodes or during the Intrepid set piece, there’s nice dynamic range. The characters’ descent into the underground passages beneath Trinity Church is a sonic highlight. Low end is ample, if not quite muscular, while panning and movement are smooth. Dialogue remains clean throughout. It’s a very good, though not quite reference grade, surround mix. It would have been nice if Disney had included the original DTS or Dolby Digital mixes as well in a lossless upgrade, but it’s not a big deal. Additional audio options include English 2.0 Descriptive Audio, as well as French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital. Optional titles are also available in English for the Hearing Impaired, French, and Spanish.
Disney’s Ultra HD release is a 2-disc set that includes the remastered film in 4K on Ultra HD, as well as 1080p HD on Blu-ray (unfortunately, that disc is the same one the studio released in 2008—it’s not remastered). It comes only in Steelbook packaging here in the States, but there’s an Elite/Amaray SKU in the UK. Both the 4K and Blu-ray include the following special feature, carried over from the original 2005 DVD release:
- Audio Commentary by Jon Turteltaub and Justin Bartha
To this, the new Blu-ray adds the following:
- Trivia Track
- Mission History: Inside the Declaration of Independence (HD interactive feature)
- Deleted Scenes (SD – 7 scenes – 16:04 in all – with optional Director Commentary)
- Opening Scene Animatic (SD – 2:51 – with optional Director Commentary)
- Alternate Ending (SD - 1:50 – with optional Director Commentary)
- Ciphers, Codes and Codebreakers (HD – 11:49)
- Exploding Charlotte (SD – 6:35)
- To Steal a National Treasure (SD – 5:46)
- On the Set of American History (SD – 6:16)
- National Treasure on Location (SD – 11:20)
- Treasure Hunters Revealed (SD – 8:36)
- The Templar Knights (SD – 5:00)
Most of these features are EPK-style shorts created for DVD, though a couple were added for the Blu-ray. Not included are the DVD’s interactive “letter hunt” and “secret key” Easter eggs, but the features those actually unlocked are all here, so you’re not missing any content. The commentary, trivia track, and additional scenes are definitely the best of this material. A Movies Anywhere Digital Copy code is also included on a paper insert.
Is National Treasure a great film? Not by any stretch of the imagination. But it is a well-made film and—in the end—it’s just plain fun. Cage’s earnest performance really does help to sell the story, despite its paint-by-numbers plot and generous helping of cheese. While Disney’s 4K remaster is impressive, it’s too bad the Blu-ray in the package isn’t remastered too. Still, though the Steelbook release isn’t exactly cheap, it definitely merits consideration by fans.
- Bill Hunt
(You can follow Bill on social media on X, BlueSky, and Facebook, and also here on Patreon)