The legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer helped to usher Disney into the franchise age with the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, a gung-ho historical epic chock full of charm that helped the House of Mouse keep up with the likes of “The Matrix” and “The Lord of the Rings.” The king of the high-concept blockbuster is all about what he once referred to as “the transportation business. We transport audiences from one place to another,” and the “National Treasure” movies, starring Nicolas Cage, are a perfect example of his ethos, albeit on a more family-friendly ethos than the work of his Don Simpson days.
The set-up of a ragtag group of adventurers hunting treasure and taking on bad guys is the stuff of old-school Hollywood dreams, so of course it was perfect for the small-screen treatment, courtesy of Disney+. And fans of the two movies (with a third in the works) will be comforted to know that Bruckheimer and company have no interest in reinventing the wheel with “National Treasure: Edge of History.”
Instead of Cage, we have the earnest and charming Lisette Olivera as Jess, a wannabe adventurer living in Baton Rouge who has a knack for solving even the most impossible puzzles. While cleaning an abandoned storage unit, she uncovers a mystery that leads her to the door of Peter Sandusky (Harvey Keitel, briefly returning from the films.) It turns out that her late father, who died when she was a baby, was part of an elite group of treasure protectors, and that it’s her legacy to continue his work. That includes uncovering the location of precious relics from the era of Cortes and the conquistadors that could lead to riches beyond her wildest dreams. Unfortunately, a whole lot of very bad people also want the treasure.
The “National Treasure” franchise was never one with mighty ambitions, despite its commitment to high-octane entertainment. It was perfectly comfortable being B-tier “Indiana Jones”, more akin to Stephen Sommers than Steven Spielberg. Not much has changed in the transfer to television, at least stylistically. The budget is lower but not noticeably so, with filmmaker Mira Nair keeping the ship sturdy in the pilot episode. Everything is appropriately glossy, propulsive and engineered to keep you entertained.
Much of “Edge of History” feels like it came straight from the sadly-dormant genre of action-adventure TV that dominated the ‘90s with shows like “Relic Hunter”. That means the formula is well-worn but with strong enough foundations to support a familiar, trope-heavy cycle. It’s all here: the spunky protagonist with skeletons in their closet and family secrets; the shady bad guys; the scheming femme fatale.
Catherine Zeta-Jones, in the midst of a minor TV comeback between this and “Wednesday”, rocks a sharp blonde bob and impeccably manicured nails as Billie, a ruthless black market antiquities dealer also on the hunt for the treasure. It’s a delight to see Zeta-Jones have ample opportunity to use her lush camp energy in an old-school villainous lady role. She’s certainly doing more with the part than what is on the page. A few familiar faces turn up from the films, but Cage-heads will have to wait until Season 2 for the triumphant return of Benjamin Franklin Gates.
Even visually, this feels like a throwback, and not just to the original movies. Jess solves riddles with speedy precision, and clues handily light up for viewers to keep apace. Don’t expect as many explosions or car chases as your average Bruckheimer production, but be pleasantly surprised by how much action they milk from limited resources.
The true appeal, however, lies in the puzzles themselves. Half the fun of this genre is in the sheer satisfaction to be gleaned by watching someone figure out seemingly impossible things and making it seem as easy as pie. That’s something that “Edge of History” offers by the bucketful.
While the tropes are well-worn and the dialogue straight from the action-adventure story bingo card, there are some fresh threads woven into this tale. Our heroine is an undocumented immigrant. The threat of deportation forever looms overhead as she finds herself sinking deeper into the mystery. The treasure itself is rooted in the history of colonialism that ravaged Mexico for centuries, its legacy lingering to this day. In their first meeting, Sandusky even notes to Jess that America was founded by looters and thieves, and that retrieving lost relics is hardly a major crime in comparison. While the series doesn’t dig too deep into this aspect, its presence in this wider narrative is a welcome addition. It’s the inevitable flipside of Indy always wanting to put the stuff he plunders into a museum.
There’s something to be said for a series like “National Treasure: Edge of History” that sets small goals, achieves them, and looks good doing it. There is nothing here that will prove earth-shaking for viewers, although the increased diversity and knowing nod towards the subtext of its historical focus is more than nothing. Really, this is Disney and Bruckheimer making the kind of entertaining diversion that they do so well. In a market overloaded with more portentous action and speculative fare, this is more like a fizzy drink than the heavy red wine of, say, “House of the Dragon” or “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.”
It’s a welcome addition to a saturated field of streaming TV, the kind of ruthlessly efficient diversion that we relished in syndication before the Golden Age of the medium took over.
The first two episodes of “National Treasure: Edge of History” are now streaming on Disney+, with new episodes released weekly on Wednesdays.
