DVD REVIEWS OF NEW RELEASES.

Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor

Nic Cage follows the money

John Turteltaub's ``National Treasure'' proves to be mildly diverting as a scavenger hunt/``Amazing Race''/``Da Vinci Code'' lark with a dollop of American history thrown in.

Don't worry about the facts - they never give you enough to even pass an elementary school test. You're biggest memory will probably be that many of the Founding Fathers were Masons. True enough, but not really at the top of the list of what every American should know.

In the film, Nicolas Cage plays Benjamin Franklin Gates, whose family has been obsessed for 150 years by a quest to find an ancient treasure that secret societies - the Knights Templar, the Masons - had been guarding for centuries.

Afraid the British would get the treasure during the Revolution, one of the Founding Fathers hid it, leaving clues near or on (in the case of the Declaration of Independence) now-historical sites. (There's no explanation as to why the American Masons came into possession of the treasure as opposed to the British Masons, but never mind the logic.)

Aided by an attractive National Archivist official named Abigail (Diane Kruger) and his comic-relief partner (Justin Bartha), Ben finds himself in a race for the treasure against a rich tycoon, Ian Howe (Sean Bean, who is almost a nice-guy bad guy here).

OK, now that we've tossed out logic and facts, what's left? Not much, but Turtletaub keeps things moving along with chase scenes and Cage's usual quirky performance. There is only one moment when there is slight reference to any reality. That's when Ben, in secretly justifying his actions in stealing the Declaration before Howe does, offers a toast to treason, noting that's what the Founding Fathers committed in order to secure freedom. If only ``National Treasure'' had added a few more gems like that.

There are a number of OK behind-the-scenes featurettes as extras on the disc that mostly explain special effects and shooting locations. There's even a puzzle to find some bonus features, but don't worry, you won't find any history there, either.

``National Treasure'' (Disney; $29.99) f=C Helvetica Condensedincludes a number of featurettes.

'Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera,' 'The Chorus' ('Les Choristes')

If you're enamored of Andrew Lloyd Weber's ``The Phantom of the Opera,'' then you shouldn't be disappointed with the Joel Schumacher film version.

Emmy Rossum is quite luminous as Christine, the object of affection and obsession of the Phantom (gamely played by Gerard Butler). Rossum, who has a lovely singing voice, is one of the live spots of the film, despite being saddled with a part that by now has been overdone to death.

Minnie Driver tries to add a bit of humor with her accent in her role as Carlotta, the vain diva. At least Schumacher had the sense to cast an attractive Carlotta and allowed her to have a decent enough voice. (There have been stage productions with overweight, screeching Carlottas, which makes the theater managers' attempts to placate her and not opt for the far more talented and prettier Christine seem absurd.)

Schumacher, for his part, has managed to somewhat anchor Lloyd Weber's overblown score to some semblance of a cinematic experience. He has expanded and illustrated the background stories and tied events together better than in the stage production, so you get a fuller sense of not only the relationships but of the motivations of the characters.

However, some of his stagings seem strange. The usually colorful ``Masquerade'' scene is muted in yellow tones - perhaps done so there is a strong contrast when the red costumed Phantom appears late in the scene. The result, though, is a rather long (and repetitive) musical number with little spark.

And that sense of repetition brings us to the heart of ``Phantom.'' For those of us who find Lloyd Weber's music little more than a few catchy melodies taken to drastic (and often very repetitive) extremes, the film is not a cure. The failings (or pluses, if you prefer) of Lloyd Webber's compositions can be endlessly dissected. So let's just give the famed composer his due: He knows how to push emotional buttons.

Which is what you get over and over in the ``Phantom.'' But there is only so much ``Music of the Night'' some of us can take. For fans, there are a number of extras of interest on the two-disc set, including a feature on the making of the film, a documentary on the history of the stage production with a Lloyd Webber interview, a deleted song sung by the Phantom - ``No One Would Listen'' - and a number of smaller featurettes on the production.

When it made its theatrical debut, I reviewed ``The Chorus'' (``Les Choristes''), the French film that is sort of a ``Mr. Holland's Opus'' set at a boarding school for tough kids in 1949. Like its American counterpart, it is meant to be a feel-good film with a likable and unlikely hero, the round-faced and civilized Clement Mathieu (Gerard Jugnot), a teacher at the overly strict institution. While it may tug at your heartstrings and does offer some lovely music, there is little that is distinctive in this formulaic film.

``Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera'' (Warner; $29.95) includes a number of featurettes.

``The Chorus (Les Choristes)'' (Disney; $29.99).

'The Big Red One,' 'Spaceballs,' 'Pocahontas'

Thanks to the efforts of film critic and historian Richard Schickel, 40 minutes have been added back to Samuel Fuller's 1980 World War II movie ``The Big Red One.'' The added footage has turned a very good film into a near masterpiece.

Fuller, a World War II combat veteran himself, tells the story of four young soldiers - Mark Hamill, Robert Carradine, Bobby Di Cicco and Kelly Ward - and their tough-as-nails unnamed sergeant (Lee Marvin) as they fight their way through North Africa, Italy and then in Northern Europe, including the D-Day invasion.

It is not a story of glory but one of survival, which in Fuller's eyes is the only glory of war. There are amazing, haunting scenes in the film - from sickening shots of close-quarters combat to one where French actress Stephane Audran, pretending to be a mad inmate, dances through an insane asylum cutting throats of unsuspecting Germans with a straight razor.

``The Big Red One'' is one of the best war movies ever made.

At the other end of the spectrum, there is Mel Brooks' ``Spaceballs,'' his 1987 parody of ``Star Wars,'' which still draws laughs. Unlike Brooks' best work, like the ``Producers,'' ``Spaceballs'' plays like a series of skits filled with silly puns and sight gags. Still, who can forget his takeoff on ``Alien'' with its John Hurt cameo and dancing creature?

Disney's 1995 animated musical ``Pocahontas'' had Mel Gibson as Capt. John Smith, and the new two-disc DVD includes a deleted song sung fairly well by Mr. Lethal Weapon. Despite its overly idealized, politically correct viewpoint and the fact that it's not on a par with the other Disney musicals of the time - ``The Little Mermaid,'' ``Sleeping Beauty,'' ``Aladdin'' and ``The Lion King'' - ``Pocahontas'' isn't far behind. The film includes some wonderful animation and humorous moments, and the songs - including ``Just Around the Riverbend'' and ``Colors of the Wind'' - by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz are quite good.

``The Big Red One: The Reconstruction'' (Warner; $26.99) includes a number of extras on the restoration of the film and on Fuller.

``Spaceballs (Collector's Edition)'' (MGM; $29.98) has a number of featurettes, including one on the late John Candy.

``Pocahontas'' (Disney; $29.99) includes commentary and deleted scenes.

'Star Trek: Enterprise' and more TV

``Star Trek: Enterprise,'' which is about to exit the airwaves, may end up being remembered as the weakest of the TV franchises, but the series actually had some muscle. The concept to go back in time to an era before the original series probably made it more difficult for the show to get off the ground.

After battling super species like the Borg in the other series, having petty squabbles with the Vulcans about whether Earthlings were ready for deep-space exploration sapped some of the life out of the early episodes, and despite later tweakings, the show never created its own distinctive personality.

That said, the first season, which is out today on DVD, did have some interesting twists and turns. Scott Bakula was no Capt. Kirk (who is?), but he was tough enough. Plus there was Jolene Blalock, who fulfilled the role of hot alien with the cool demeanor as the Vulcan T'Pol. Somehow in a TV guide poll of hot ``ST'' franchise babes, Blalock wasn't among the top four. Trekkies - who can figure them out?

Other television-related DVDs are listed below.

``Star Trek: Enterprise - Season 1'' (Paramount; $129.99) includes 25 episodes on seven discs.

``Dawson's Creek: The Complete Fifth Season'' (Sony; $49.95) includes 23 episodes on four discs.

``King of the Hill: The Complete Fourth Season'' (Fox; $39.98) includes 24 episodes on three discs.

``The Gilmore Girls: The Complete Third Season'' (Warner; $59.98) has 22 episodes on six discs.

``Everybody Loves Raymond: The Complete Third Season'' (HBO; $44.98) includes 26 episodes on five discs.

``I Love Lucy: The Complete Fourth Season'' (Paramount; $54.99) includes 30 episodes on five discs.

``The Partridge Family: The Complete First Season'' (Sony; $29.95) has 25 episodes on three discs.

Rob Lowman, [phone]

robert.lowman(at)dailynews.com

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NICHOLAS CAGE in ``National Treasure''