NATIONAL TREASURE: EDGE OF HISTORY- Full Review
Disney+ successfully brings viewers back into the treasure hunting world of National Treasure with its new series. A whole new group of adventurers enter the fold as the franchise takes off in a Nic Cage-less direction for the first time. With a new group and a new treasure to uncover, this Disney+ original is able to successfully craft its own spot in the National Treasure lore amongst the two popular fan favorite films.
Jess Valenzuela (Lisette Olivera), a 20-year-old Dreamer, sets off on an exploration to discover the mystery of her family history, and, with the help of her friends, seeks to recover historical lost treasure.
Not every episode was a top tier television show, much like most of the releases on Disney+ there's an inconsistent feel. You'd go from the story being pushed forward successfully and in an interesting manner, to an episode that felt like filler or misplaced. What I really liked about Edge of History, is the fact that it was unafraid to blaze it's own trail within the universe- never fully relying on the nostalgia factor to tell the story. Sure there's quotes and tidbits that diehard fans of the Cage films will be able to spot out- but more often than not, the showrunners opt to tell their own distinct story. We get the tie in of Peter Sadusky (Harvey Keitel) in an unforced way as an introduction to his grandson Liam (Jake Austin Walker) plays a valuable part in Valenzuela's journey towards her legacy. Even Justin Bartha's return as the lovable Riley Poole, feels unforced and more like a vital step forward for our new heroes in their journey- the nostalgia never takes away from the storytelling and never takes the spotlight away from our new cast.
The characters are mostly crafted well, our group of young adults have fleshed out relationships and for the most part realistic ambitions that drive their decision making. Our villainous group led by Billie Pearce (Catherine Zeta-Jones) gets a fine explanation for their dark schemes but it mostly feels shoehorned in like a typical villain backstory. Billie herself is a wonderful villain outside of this just okay backstory, she's very much involved in the treasure hunt- and it feels constantly that our heroes are unable to shake her off their tail. It's brilliantly done, and allows for her to stand out from the two film villains so far. Agent Betsy Ross (Lyndon Smith) plays a vital role throughout and her backstory is the typical agent relocated story, but the audiences fall in love with the character as we spend time with her and her suspicions about everything going on.
The TV budget showcases in the action sequences, and there's even an annoying unnecessary slow motion sequence involved at one point- but they never try to pretend that their on a bigger budget than they are. Rather creative decisions are made to make the most of the sequences they are setting up, though viewers will be underwhelmed at the simplicity of the location by the final episode.
The cast is solid for the most part, all of our heroes get a moment in the sun. The standouts alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones being, our lead played by Olivera who has her moments feeling like a Nic Cage esque problem solver but she truly is her own character that is someone audiences will really find themselves attached to her. Her families history, her persistence and her ability to counter Zeta-Jones allows the audience the time to root for a really strong character that feels like a real human being. Antonio Cipriano, who plays Jess's shoe obsessed friend Oren- has one of the stronger arch's in the show as we watch him go from the goof ball friend to his own capable adventure. Cipriano's agent better have their phone ready, because after the charm he brought to the character- I'm sure multiple studios will want to bring him in to play that charming YA love interest role.
Overall, Edge of History was a really fun return to a universe that hasn't been explored in many years. Fans of the franchise will love the splashes of familiarity with enough nostalgia to keep you on your toes, but it also won't feel stale as the characters and the story it's telling are completely new. New fans to the franchise, can watch the series without having have any previous knowledge of the Cage films- there's enough treasure hunting adventure goodness to keep you locked in and will have you wanting to visit the films. It's not a perfect show, there were definitely lulls and episodes that weren't fully enthralling- but there's enough there to like and recommend to stream, and be excited for a second season.
78%