But these high-concept blockbusters were par for the course in the ’80s and ’90s. With these kinds of star vehicles, you could rattle off the idea in a sentence or two, plug in a big-name actor, and you were off to the races. Sometimes, these premises were endlessly tweaked: Die Hard (an NYPD cop visiting LA must save his wife and her co-workers from a cadre of criminals) would reappear as Die Hard on a Battleship (Under Siege), Die Hard on a Mountain (Cliffhanger), Die Hard on Air Force One (Air Force One), and so forth. Other times, the scenario would stand alone—like terrorists stealing a nuclear warhead (Broken Arrow); a cop and his archnemesis being cryogenically frozen only to reawaken in a pristine future (Demolition Man); or a bus that couldn’t slow down (Speed).
While these concepts may seem laughably outlandish, they still resonate with members today. “a near-perfect action rom-com tbh. keanu/sandy b forever!! if you ever get the chance, see this on the big screen,” lana writes about Speed. After seeing Broken Arrow, The Sonic Person remarks, “Never thought John Travolta and Christian Slater would be so good together in an action movie.” The vibes of Demolition Man were unmistakable to Neuralyzer, who notes, “Dude, this movie lifts my spirits up. Cheesy one-liners, ’90s action, ’90s opening font. Love it. Lethal Weapon Captain cameo. ’90s at its finest.”
Considering the joy that came from the outlandish concepts of those ’90s actioners, it should be no surprise that people flocked to National Treasure. When you’ve been raised on such silly premises, it’s no longer a shock to be told, “There’s a treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence.” Jackson correctly observes that National Treasure is “everything a fun popcorn mystery action adventure should be.” To the credit of director Jon Turteltaub and writers Jim Kouf and the Wibberleys, they don’t try to get serious with the hook, rather, they lean into the giddy enthusiasm of working American history trivia into a treasure hunt.