National Treasure, released in 2005 and directed by Jon Turteltaub, is probably one of the greatest treasure hunt movies in existence. It follows a treasure hunter searching for the lost Templar Treasures and the obstacles they face to find it before the antagonist, played by Sean Bean.
The comedic banter between Ben Gates (Nicholas Cage) and Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) is sure to provide endless laughs. The historical accuracy is believable and enticing and will keep you fixed on the story until the end.
Movies like National Treasure include:
- Da Vinci Code Trilogy
- Lara Croft Tomb Raider
- Tomb Raider
- The Mummy Trilogy
- The Goonies
- Indiana Jones series
- The Rundown
- Fool’s Gold
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Ocean’s Trilogy
If you enjoyed National Treasure and are searching for some more action rides with convincing historical accuracy, you might also enjoy the following titles.
Related to: Extended Thoughts on ‘National Treasure’ and ‘National Treasure: Book of Secrets’
1. Da Vinci Code Trilogy
Another action-packed historical race against the clock is Inferno (2016) with Tom Hanks. But to enjoy Inferno, you will first have to see Da Vinci Code (2006) and Angels and Demons (2009). The three films in the Da Vinci Code Trilogy are all based on Dan Brown’s books.
The Da Vinci Code (2003)
Director: Ron Howard
Writers: Akiva Goldsman
Symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is called in to assist in the murder of Sophie Neveu’s (Audrey Tautou) grandfather. This is the beginning of a series of clues and puzzles Langdon needs to solve to uncover what they think could be a conspiracy going back more than two thousand years.
All the symbols contain works of the famous artist Leonardo Da Vinci. The riddles will keep you wondering, even though it’s rarely accurate, but it’s believable and exciting to watch.
Angels & Demons (2009)
Director: Ron Howard
Writers: David Koepp, Akiva Goldsman
This movie is the second adventure in the series where Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) must investigate an attack on the Vatican from an ancient society. Even though the Vatican does not favor his methods (led by the Camerlengo Patrick McKenna, portrayed by Ewan McGregor), they insist on bringing him in for his expertise.
Their bias is based on Langdon’s previous dealings with the church in the Da Vinci Code. He must once again unravel symbols and underlying meanings in the works of Galileo Galilei to prevent an explosion attack that will destroy the Vatican City and the Holy See.
It is another fast-paced trip that will make you question the intricate balance between Christianity and science.
Inferno (2016)
Director: Ron Howard
Writers: David Koepp
Inferno is another action-packed race against an invisible clock. Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) starts his journey in a hospital bed without knowing how he got there. Through his billionaire friend, played by Ben Foster, he is led through a chase to find the source of a plague that will destroy humanity.
It is based on the famous poem Dante’s Inferno, depicting the nine circles of hell. Langdon is joined by the brilliant doctor Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones), treating him for his mind-blowing headaches caused by the visions of death and destruction. She helps him solve the puzzles and stop the devastation.
2. Lara Croft Tomb Raider
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
Director: Simon West
Writers: Sara B Cooper (story), Mike Werb (story), Michael Colleary (story)
In the first installment of this series, we are introduced to the adventurer Lady Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie), who is left a hidden clock by her father, Sir Richard Croft (Jon Voight). The clock leads her to various puzzles and quests she needs to complete to finally track down the Clock of Life, allowing the holder to manipulate time.
She has to win the race against a modern version of the Illuminati who wants to use the device for evil purposes, which are never revealed. The movie is quite genuinely based on the video game and tried its utmost to embody the character.
Jolie’s performance makes the storyline convincing.
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life (2003)
Director: Jan de Bont
Writers: Dean Georgaris (screenplay), Steven E. de Souza (story), James V. Hart (story)
Our fearless explorer, Lady Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie), has to track down the infamous Pandora’s box with this movie. The box might contain deadly organisms that can eradicate humankind, and she has to find it before Jonathan Reiss (Ciarán Hinds) get his hands on it.
This time she is led through dangerous journeys through Asia and Africa to locate the bearings of the box. To help her, she commissions an old partner of hers, Terry (Gerard Butler), who helps her fight the forces and navigate the quest.
Later she is joined by another friend, Kosa (Djimon Hounsou), to give her a hand through the African plains and help her save all of humanity.
3. Tomb Raider (2018)
Director: Roar Uthaug
Writers: Geneva Robertson-Dworet (screenplay), Alastair Siddons (screenplay), Evan Daugherty (story)
In this version of Lara Croft (Alicia Vikander), her father, Lord Richard Croft (Dominic West), went missing when she was much younger, and she had to deal with the loss and absence of a father figure. This theme is constant during the whole movie with different characters.
She revisits the last place her father was seen, a mythical island off the coast of Japan where the cursed tomb of a Japanese queen is situated, Queen Himiko. Her crypt holds a deadly virus within her remains that can be weaponized and kill millions of people.
To enter the tomb, Lara Croft has to overcome numerous puzzles and booby traps with her quick mind and sharp reflexes to beat the mercenary Mathis Vogel (Walton Goggins) to the chase.
This Lara Croft, although also based on the video game character, has more realism to her. She experiences more emotion, and her physical fights are more believable.
4. The Mummy Trilogy
If you are an enthusiast of ancient Egyptian myths and legends, this is the series for you. The movies are filled with beautiful scenery and historical storytelling of Egyptian pharos and dig sights.
The Mummy (1999)
Director: Stephen Sommers
Writers: Stephen Sommers (screenplay), Lloyd Fonvielle (Screenplay), Kevin Jarre (screenplay)
An American soldier, Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser), and a librarian, Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz), searched for the lost city of Hamunaptra during 1925. They accidentally bring to life a mummy, Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo), who has been dead for three thousand years.
The mummy is said to be the bringer of all the Biblical plagues in his quest to revive his long-lost love. It is a suspenseful chase against time through the Sahara Desert where O’Connell and Carnahan have to stop the creature from regaining his full strength, leading to world destruction.
Fraser’s comedic timing is excellent, and with the help of a few other characters, they provide a torrent of amusement on this thrilling ride.
The Mummy Returns (2001)
Director: Stephen Sommers
Writers: Stephen Sommers (screenplay)
In the second movie of the series Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser) and Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz) are now married and have a witty and quite clever son called Alex (Freddie Boath).
The mummy Imhotep (reprised by Arnold Vosloo) is resurrected by the reincarnated version of his true love, who died with him almost three thousand years ago.
Once again, it hinges on the two people who have dealt with this creature before, O’Connell and Carnahan, destroying him before he beats the Scorpion King (Dwayne Johnson) and takes over the world. In their quest, they also have to save their son from being killed from impending doom.
It is a rapid race against time to save the world once more, but it is also endearing how they brought in the family element.
The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor (2008)
Director: Rob Cohen
Writers: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
This time, Rick (Brendan Fraser) and Evelyn’s (Maria Bello) son is all grown up and inadvertently revives the two-thousand-year-old Dragon Emperor (Jet Li), who will bring about world domination.
Rick and Evelyn find their son by chance in the middle of this crisis and have to join him in destroying the Dragon Emperor and his followers. The scenery will take you through the streets of ancient China up to the glacial Himalayas.
It is fast-moving action from start to finish and even has time for a love story. The constant quips and banter will keep you entertained as armies of the dead fight each other to overcome the evil forces who try to rule humanity.
5. The Goonies (1985)
Director: Richard Donner
Writers: Chris Columbus (screenplay), Steven Spielberg (story)
From the genius Steven Spielberg comes a family adventure that will have you smiling, laughing, crying, and pinned to the edge of your seat through the whole movie.
Mikey (Sean Astin) and Brand (Josh Brolin) are two brothers who, together with their gang of friends called the Goonies, find an ancient map that promises the pursuit of treasures of unspeakable value.
Since the band is about to lose their childhood homes to developers, they set off on the quest for the treasures through underground tunnels, dangerous boobytraps, and deadly peril. They are being chased every step of the way by an Italian crime family not opposed to murder.
The expedition brings the gang closer together with a happy ending. This is a heartfelt movie full of feel-good moments that will have you cheering for the group until the end. No wonder it is still a classic!
6. Indiana Jones series
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Lawrence Kasdan (screenplay), George Lucas (story), Philip Kaufman (story)
Archaeologist, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), is commissioned by the U.S. government to locate the lost Ark of the Covenant with the Ten Commandments of God still inside.
He has to beat a group of Nazi officers to the chase through boobytraps, explosions, snakes, and giant spiders with his partner in crime, Marion (Karen Allen). The Raiders of the Lost Ark is a pure teenage boy adventure filled with drama and challenging junctures that will have you biting your nails in anticipation.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Willard Huyck (screenplay), Gloria Katz (screenplay), George Lucas (Story)
In this episode, our hero, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), has to escape from being chased by treacherous killers and near-death experiences with his comedic sidekick, Short Round (Jonathan Ke Quan), and his romantic interest, Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw).
On their adventure, they come across a village from which all their children have disappeared. They beseech Indiana and his company to track down a mystical gem with immeasurable value that belongs to their village.
This movie is on the same fast-paced train as its predecessor, with heaps of comical moments by the cute Short Round.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Jeffrey Boam (screenplay), George Lucas (story), Menno Meyjes (Story)
Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) has to race against his old enemy, the Nazi’s to find the Holy Grail. It is said that drinking from the cup will give you eternal youth. He comes across this quest in search of his father, Henry Jones (Sean Connery), who has gone missing searching for the same treasure.
This film gives new meaning to the phrase, keeping up with the Jones’s, as the two provide countless witty banter and, as always, endless nail-biting adventure that will keep you pinned to your seat. The father-son element makes it genuinely inspiring. It is probably the most original film of the series.
Indiana Jones and the Kindom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: David Koepp (screenplay), George Lucas (story), Jeff Nathanson (Story)
Now, years later, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is still at it, running from a Russian femme fatale (Cate Blanchett). Indy joins a younger version of himself, Mutt Williams (Shia LeBeouf), and his old flame, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), from the first movie.
They rush through the Amazon down waterfalls, swordfights on speeding vehicles, and subterranean caverns of gold to find the legendary Crystal Skull, giving the holder the power of the city of pure gold. In this movie, the makers also threw in a visit from extraterrestrials.
It’s an action-packed chase from start to finish which almost makes you wonder how the actors can do all the stunts at their age. But it still doesn’t fail to entertain until the end.
7. The Rundown (2003)
Director: Peter Berg
Writers: James Vanderbilt (screenplay), R.J. Stewart (story)
A tenacious retrieval expert aspiring to be a chef named Beck (Dwayne Johnson) is recruited to fulfill his last assignment. He has to bring home the son, Travis (Seann William Scott), of a crime boss who is out in the Amazon jungle searching for an ancient gold relic.
However, the statue belongs to the indigenous people who try to claim it back from him every step of the way, led by the beautiful Mariana (Rosario Dawson). In the end, they team up forces against an evil dictator called Hatcher (Christopher Walken) and run him out of town.
It’s a heartwarming story of loyalty with oodles of hilarious moments, cementing Johnson’s career as a comedic actor.
8. Fool’s Gold (2008)
Director: Andy Tennant
Writers: John Claflin (screenplay), Daniel Zelman (screenplay), Andy Tennant (screenplay)
For the last eight years, Finn (Matthew McConaughey) and Tess (Kate Hudson) have been searching for the lost treasures of The Queen’s Dowry, which sank to the bottom of the ocean in 1715. But Finn has spent his last dime on the hunt and even sank his boat.
On the same day, as he was to divorce Tess officially, he finally found a breakthrough clue that would lead them to the treasure’s location. Together with the billionaire Nigel Honeycutt (Donald Sutherland), the two join forces again their competitor Moe Fitch (Ray Winstone) to find the loot.
The scenery of the hunt is breathtaking, the location is stunning, and the treasure hunt is addictive until the very end. The love story between Finn and Tess is just the icing on the cake.
9. Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Director: Gore Verbinski
Writers: Ted Elliot (screenplay), Terry Rossio (screenplay), Stuart Beattie (screenplay)
This is a story about a ship crew cursed with immortality because they stole a chest of Aztec gold. They cannot feel, taste, smell, or touch anything; however, if they return all the pieces of gold, the curse will be lifted.
As the holder of one of these pieces, our heroine, Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), gets kidnapped by the creature crew and taken to the island where they hold all of their treasure. Because she is his true love, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) tries to catch up with them to save his beloved.
Reluctantly he accepts the help of the crazy Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), another famous pirate. These two become such fast friends that Turner and Swann help Sparrow escape by the end. A decision they might turn to regret in future episodes of the franchise.
Depp’s quirky performance in the Pirate movies alone is reason enough to watch it. There is always a surprise turn of events which makes the film anything but dull.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
Director: Gore Verbinski
Writers: Ted Elliot (screenplay), Terry Rossio (screenplay), Stuart Beattie (screenplay)
In this installment, the curse is upon Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), who needs to escape eternal servitude to Davy Jones (Bill Nighy).
Our hero and heroine from the first movie, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), is roped in to track down Sparrow to save themselves from incarceration by the evil Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander).
As things progress, Davy Jones loses his most giant bargaining chip, the chest containing his heart, and everyone ends up on the run from Beckett. There is a dark tone to this movie, and it feels like the villain wins, but it’s only to set up the cliffhanger for the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
This film is about family bonds, love, and loyalty, but still filled with chases, sword fights, good vs. evil, and death-defying stunts that provide bundles of entertainment.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
Director: Gore Verbinski
Writers: Ted Elliot (screenplay), Terry Rossio (screenplay), Stuart Beattie (screenplay)
In the last movie in this trilogy, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is lost in Davy Jones’ Locket and has to be rescued by Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), and the indomitable Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) who contributes marvelous performances as the nemesis to Captain Sparrow.
The culmination of this story revolves around the war between Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander), who represents the civilized new world, against all ships’ crews that consider themselves pirates from around the world.
There are life-size sea monsters, the release of a heathen god, and life-changing choices that need to be made during this film that will keep you pinned to the edge of your seat. The special effects of this movie are stunning, and it has the perfect ending to the trilogy storyline.
10. Ocean’s Trilogy
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writers: John Claflin (screenplay), Daniel Zelman (screenplay), Andy Tennant (screenplay)
Ocean’s Eleven is about a confident man, Danny Ocean (George Clooney), who tries to regain his life after being paroled from prison. He aims to win back his ex-wife, Tess Ocean (Julia Roberts), by planning the biggest heist known to man.
With his best friend, Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), they plan to simultaneously rob three casinos in Las Vegas. They involve a group of nine different thieves from various ages and walks of life in an intricately designed operation.
All of them play an essential part in this closely connected scene, and by the end, they indeed get away with a hundred and sixty million dollars. It’s a well-planned movie with pleasant surprises and a plethora of witty repartee.
You will continue wondering where every detail fits in until you meet the end, and it all makes sense.
Ocean’s Twelve (2004)
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writers: George Nolfi (characters), Daniel Zelman (screenplay), Andy Tennant (screenplay)
In a similar fast-paced tone as the predecessor movie, this movie keeps us on the edge of our seats until its conclusion. Danny Ocean (George Clooney), Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), and Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon) are back at the game of misdirection.
Their previous target, Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), has tracked them all down and claims his sixteen million dollars with interest. Now they each have to scrape together their share while being outmaneuvered by another exceptional thief, the Night Fox (Vincent Cassel).
The way all the puzzle pieces fit together, in the end, is pure genius and provides stimulating entertainment until all the points get connected before the end credits. The three main stars have such easy chemistry with each other that they will make you believe they’ve been working together forever.
Ocean’s Thirteen (2007)
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writers: Brian Koppelman, David Levien, George Clayton Johnson (characters)
In this movie, we have come to love and enjoy the gang of confident men. Now one of them is finding them in the unfortunate position of being conned out of a new hotel they’ve built.
He invested his whole fortune in the new venture before Willie Banks’s (Al Pacino) causes Reuben Tishkoff (Elliot Gould) to land in the emergency room suffering from shock and grief. Seeing how this action affected their friend, the gang takes revenge and plans to sabotage the opening of the new Banks casino.
The movie once again takes you on a wild ride from one trick to the next, making you wonder in the end how they ever managed to accomplish all the stunts. The film is clever and witty, and thorough entertainment until the last minute.
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