National Treasure
Acceptable with guidance. Age: 13+. A Catholic review of this movie for parents.
Our review
Ben Gates is a history expert who hunts for a hidden treasure. The clues are on the back of the Declaration of Independence, so he steals it to keep a bad man from getting it first. In the end he gives the treasure to museums. It is a fun chase with little to worry about on screen. Two ideas need a parent's word. The heroes steal and lie for a good cause, and the Freemasons are shown as noble keepers of a secret, while the Church forbids Catholics to join them. Our age is 13 and up, set by the Catholic News Service A-II classification, stricter than Common Sense Media's 9+.
For parents
Our age is 13 and up, set by the Catholic News Service A-II classification (Common Sense Media says 9+, MPA rated PG). On screen: gunfire with no one killed, chases, frozen corpses, a fatal fall, a kiss, and about six mild oaths like 'oh my god'. Ask: was it right for Ben to steal and lie for a good reason? Why does the Church tell Catholics not to join the Freemasons? Why did Ben give the treasure away?