National Treasure: Edge Of History Review: Maybe Some Mysteries Are Better Left Unsolved
For the last 15 years, a vocal group of fans has clamored for the schlocky, B-movie thrills of "National Treasure" to be brought to a satisfying, trilogy-ending conclusion with a third big-screen blockbuster. Released in the early aughts and unabashedly of its time (for better and worse), the Nicolas Cage-starring duology released during a very specific and now-nostalgic moment in the industry: when an A-list actor's gloriously unhinged energy, a dash of adventure pulp, and an easily-marketable sales pitch — we're going to steal the Declaration of Independence! — could catapult a film and its successor to upwards of $800 million in global earnings at the box office. In the years since, however, prospects of a threequel have faded right alongside general audience interest in original, star-driven blockbusters that remain utterly unconnected from established IP.
Fast forward to the year 2022, and what fans have received instead of a "National Treasure 3" (which might have a glimmer of hope, after all) is the Disney+ streaming sequel series "National Treasure: Edge of History." Glaringly bereft of any Nicolas Cage wackiness and starring a new, younger cast meant to patronize appeal directly to Gen Z, none will mistake this for the lightning-in-a-bottle joys of its big-screen predecessors. What this "extension" of the franchise lacks in a clever story, interesting lead characters, and a taste for genuine adventure, it tries to make up for with a stock villain played by an A-lister drained of any charisma (and to whichever wig master apparently held a vicious grudge against Catherine Zeta-Jones for some reason: I just want to talk!), a stale formula of conspiracy-laden treasure hunts for ancient MacGuffins, and cameos by some of the more obligatory holdovers from the movies. Despite everyone's best efforts, one gets the feeling that the studio hoped this half-hearted concept would be enough to move the needle — simply because it has the familiar words "National Treasure" in its title. Reader ... it is not.
Based on the first two episodes made available to review, this particular relic is one that probably should've been left well enough alone.
Going through the motions
While it's never entirely fair to judge a full season of television based solely on its early returns (another Disney+ series, "Andor," famously required three episodes worth of patience before fully kicking into gear), it rarely bodes well when things get off to as rocky of a start as it does here. The very first scene paints an ominous picture of what's to come, right from the opening exposition-dump flashback narrated by Harvey Keitel, who's brought back (and stuck on autopilot, seemingly) to reprise his original role from the movies as FBI agent/secret Freemason Peter Sadusky. "Edge of History" immediately treats viewers to a tiresome backstory about lost Aztec treasure presumed to be stolen by the invading Spanish conquistadors, with clues to their location hidden by a mysterious group of Aztec women inside three separate puzzle boxes — ones that might give you a whole new appreciation for the actual wit and imagination on display in "Glass Onion." The story hardly improves from there.
Following all the most expected narrative beats, it's quickly made clear that the main protagonist of this new adventure, Lisette Olivera's Jess Valenzuela, has a sort of preordained and generational connection to this treasure. From there, the plot unfolds in a painfully straightforward and inelegant fashion, rushing to get the table setting out of the way as quickly as possible. Although it's somewhat of a relief that we don't spend the entire premiere spinning the narrative wheels and waiting for the inevitable moment where our young hero finds herself thrust into the overarching plot, the ease through which Jess solves every initial obstacle thrown in her path only makes it come across like less of an achievement and more like cutting corners. If the show itself hardly seems invested in building out the mysteries at its heart — and the underlying focus on such a rote, uninspired inciting element like lost Aztec gold doesn't exactly inspire confidence — then why should we be?
As for Jess and her diverse friends' group, they're calculatedly likable and blandly inoffensive enough, but "Edge of History" wastes no time at all in having them embody the laziest Gen Z stereotypes. (One character is both a viral YouTuber and a brilliant computer hacker, and words like "shipping" and "stanning" get tossed around with little to no finesse.) Introduced in a wincingly literal way, Jess' first scene directly establishes her love of treasure hunts, but only by conjuring up memories of that subtext meme. We find out that our main character has a preternatural ability to solve puzzles; partly through the use of thuddingly simplistic visuals walking us through her thought process, but mostly because she keeps talking about how much she loves solving puzzles and is all too willing to state at the drop of a hat — multiple times — that she dreams of putting those skills to use as an FBI agent someday.
Throughout it all, it becomes impossible to ignore the sense that, unlike its namesake movies, this series is only interested in evoking the superficial sheen of "National Treasure" and little else.
Missing the mark
None of this is to say that the story is entirely without flashes of promise, as evidenced most refreshingly by the bold choice to make Jess an undocumented immigrant living in Baton Rouge. As the young adventure-seeking teen dives deeper and deeper into the dangerous mystery, cooler heads around her constantly caution her on the importance of avoiding reckless behavior — not least of all because of the sinister actions that the United States government would take on a Dreamer. These storytelling instincts of the creatives behind the premiere episode "I'm a Ghost," written by creators Marianne Wibberley and Cormac Wibberley and directed by Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair, feel entirely on-point for a series with a historical backdrop about Indigenous cultures colonized by foreign invaders ... right up until it crashes up against the usual procedural elements inherent within this genre.
Unfortunately, such themes can't help but feel undermined once the plot of episode 2 "The Treasure Map," written by Rick Muirragui and directed by Nathan Hope, requires seeking help from cops (over the incredibly valid objections of Jess' Black activist friend Tasha, played by Zuri Reed) and following one subplot about rookie FBI Agent Ross (Lyndon Smith) attempting to overcome systemic workplace sexism to prove her worth (who, once again, only becomes involved against the clear-headed warnings of Tasha), the latter of which feels particularly misguided and tone-deaf in the early going. Although you can practically feel the writers struggling to wrestle with the unsightly optics of a franchise where predominantly white people chase after ancient objects stolen from people of color, such well-meaning attempts really only highlight the futility of trying to strip-mine this IP with a Disney+ series in the first place.
Two episodes in, "Edge of History" struggles mightily to define itself apart from the manic, go-for-broke tone of its big-screen predecessors. Like a well-worn rerun that has since lost any charm that it used to have, it doesn't take long for once-entertaining tropes — secret compartments and hidden rooms behind bookshelves, clues hidden in plain sight, and bad guys with unlimited resources itching to cause trouble for vague reasons — to fall entirely flat.
Unfortunately, this series might as well be the cure for anyone feverishly hoping to see more "National Treasure" movies someday. Rather than reminding us of what general audiences once found so enticing about this franchise, you might just find yourself questioning what felt so special about it all in the first place.
"National Treasure: Edge of History" will hold its two-episode premiere December 14, 2022 on Disney+, with new episodes airing every Wednesday.