National Treasure: Book of Secrets
(C+ or 2/4 stars)
Treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage) is out to prove that his great-great granddad didn't participate in Abraham Lincoln's assassination in 'National Treasure: Book of Secrets', an action/adventure flick directed by Jon Turteltaub. To prove this, he needs to find the fabled lost city of Gold. What must he do? Travel to Paris, break into Buckingham Palace, get into the Oval Office, kidnap the U.S. President (Bruce Greenwood), etc. No prob, right? Well, not if he has help from dad (Jon Voight), his mom (Helen Mirren), Abigail (Diane Kruger), & his sidekick, Riley (Justin Bartha). Can villain, Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris), beat Ben to the discovery of the Book of Secrets? Well, what do you think? This is an aggravatingly predictable film; but not without its own merits.
It's virtually pointless to layout even the most basic of plots for you to read. My first paragraph says it all. I will say that some surprising revelations surface as they follow a detailed trail of the world's most treasured secrets. Their trek takes them to Mount Rushmore; and a JFK conspiracy surfaces, as well. There's no point in divulging anything about the conclusion ... do YOU think Ed Harris' character has a chance? As my fellow critic Kevin mentions, there 'are' some interesting facts sprinkled throughout the film that I hadn't already known (there are 3 Statue of Liberties, Buckingham Palace & the Oval Office share matching desks, etc.).
The puzzles our protagonists have to solve are intriguing. The action sequences are mildly diverting (though, I found myself trying to be more entertained than I really was). The humorous moments are sparse, but there. This is pure, brainless, popcorn entertainment. I genuinely 'like' all of the characters. Cage is always pleasant to watch. Voight & Mirren play-off each other quite well. But none of the core characters offer anything new; just more of the same (from the 1st film). And most of the scenarios are virtual duplicates of the 1st film ... crack a joke, infuse some whimsy, throw some stunts in, travel around the world, hide from poorly motivated villains, add-in a poignant moment or 2 ... then repeat. It's just a lazy-ish follow-up to a film that didn't necessarily need a sequel. I really, really enjoyed the first National Treasure. And though I didn't DISlike much of anything in 'this' film, it almost offends me with its formulaic layout.
It's virtually pointless to layout even the most basic of plots for you to read. My first paragraph says it all. I will say that some surprising revelations surface as they follow a detailed trail of the world's most treasured secrets. Their trek takes them to Mount Rushmore; and a JFK conspiracy surfaces, as well. There's no point in divulging anything about the conclusion ... do YOU think Ed Harris' character has a chance? As my fellow critic Kevin mentions, there 'are' some interesting facts sprinkled throughout the film that I hadn't already known (there are 3 Statue of Liberties, Buckingham Palace & the Oval Office share matching desks, etc.).
The puzzles our protagonists have to solve are intriguing. The action sequences are mildly diverting (though, I found myself trying to be more entertained than I really was). The humorous moments are sparse, but there. This is pure, brainless, popcorn entertainment. I genuinely 'like' all of the characters. Cage is always pleasant to watch. Voight & Mirren play-off each other quite well. But none of the core characters offer anything new; just more of the same (from the 1st film). And most of the scenarios are virtual duplicates of the 1st film ... crack a joke, infuse some whimsy, throw some stunts in, travel around the world, hide from poorly motivated villains, add-in a poignant moment or 2 ... then repeat. It's just a lazy-ish follow-up to a film that didn't necessarily need a sequel. I really, really enjoyed the first National Treasure. And though I didn't DISlike much of anything in 'this' film, it almost offends me with its formulaic layout.