National Treasure: Edge of History follows Jess and her friends racing against the time and powerful villains to find an important treasure and protect it from falling into wrong hands.
Story
Jess is a 21-year-old DACA recipient living in Baton Rouge, doing odd jobs to survive as she aspires to become an FBI Special Agent in the Cryptanalysis department.
Jess is incredibly sharp and has an extraordinary talent for solving puzzles and finding patterns in chaos and randomness. Helping her in her daily life and keeping her warm company is a group of friends, made up of Tasha, Oren, and Ethan.
Jess comes across a lost possession belonging to retired FBI Special Agent, Peter Sadusky. When she meets him, the man takes note of the necklace she wears and hands her an important secret he’s held all these years for his grandson.
Within the secret envelope is a clue to the treasure of Montezuma. Jess decides to embark on a hunt for the treasure while Sadusky dies. His grandson, Liam, is a singer and eventually falls in love with Jess.
Also chasing the legendary treasure is Billie, a ruthless and rich antiquities dealer, who resorts to drastic measures to snatch the clues Jess collects for herself.
The treasure hunt begins, and while Jess and her friends make great progress, Billie keeps tabs on them and remains several steps ahead. Meanwhile, the mysterious circumstances surrounding Sadusky’s death pulls FBI Agent Ross to the scene.
She wishes to investigate his death and Jess’s involvement in all of this, but her superior Hendricks frequently deters her from following her hunches. The story reaches its conclusion and Jess’s presumed dead father is revealed to be alive.
Billie kidnaps Jess and her father, Rafael; Ross’s superior, Hendricks is revealed to be Salazar, a title given to the leader of the treasure-destroying group that Billie works for.
Billie realizes Hendricks killed her brother and thus, kills him. Jess, her father, and her friends finally find the treasure, and the stand-off with Billie ends with the latter getting arrested and the treasure being protected and put inside an exhibit.
Performances
There are rare glimpses of expressions dawning upon the various stiff visages throughout National Treasure: Edge of History. There’s almost no one in the show who manages to put a competent display of acting here.
Catherine Zeta-Jones is trying to do her best (probably) with a goofy get-up and goofier lines. Lisette Olivera as Jess is arguably the weakest link in terms of acting in the central lineup of the protagonists, sporting expressions that are truly incongruent with the content of the scene she’s in.
That’s not to say that any other actor warrants applause for their comparatively better performances. Rather befittingly, the acting on display in this adventure show possesses the same amount of energy as the more “action-packed” scenes contain — which is absolutely minimal.
Positives
Riley Poole’s brief cameo is like a warm refuge from the mundanity pervading the show, reminding the viewers of the National Treasure series, comprised of absurdly campy movies, but entertaining nonetheless.
Negatives
The absurdities in Edge of History fail to recreate a similar energy since it neither acknowledges them nor pairs them with the hilarity required to make the ridiculousness worth tolerating.
The reveals and twists can be seen from miles away, and the twists that could make certain characters more compelling seem to have never crossed the minds of the writers.
Billie’s motivations are never really delved into, except for the last few episodes where her difficult past and childhood are mentioned not by her, but by Rafael.
The supposed big bad of National Treasure: Edge of History, Salazar, looms in the background as some menacing, mystical legend who might serve as the primary antagonist in a future installment. Instead, the reveal is made in the first season, and it’s every bit as bad as the character’s contribution to the story following the revelation.
The primary draw of a show like National Treasure: Edge of History is fun to be had on solving the puzzles and codes along with the characters, but the process of decrypting the clues here is anything but fun, delivering no gratification and inspiring no thrill.
Verdict
National Treasure: Edge of History is a 10-episode-long effort at cashing in on the titular franchise that fails remarkably in achieving any of its goals unless the goals were to create a drab, dull, and truly dreadful product.
Defying its genres and the promises that they come with, Edge of History is a slog even the most charitable viewers may struggle to get through. Whether it be story, performances, twists, or the action, this Disney+ series is perhaps the best case against franchise revivals.
Also Read: Who is Peter Sadusky in National Treasure: Edge of History?