National Treasure 2 - Book of Secrets (Widescreen)

National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets is a $130 million adventure film that looks great, has a great pace, and stars Nicholas Cage, Harvey Keitel, Helen Mirren, and Ed Harris, among others. All the more shame because no emphasis was put into making this story anymore than a souped-up version of a Dan Brown novel. Off the subject but I actually thought Ron Howard's Da Vinci Code film was better. Jon Turteltaud (3 Ninjas, Cool Runnings) directs and the infinitely successfully Jerry Bruckheimer produces. One thing is for sure, Book of Secrets aimed to make money and that happened so we might see more sequels.

Like the first film, this one focuses on intricate and ambitious conspiracy theories in American history. This story ultimately surrounds the assassination of President Lincoln. Benjamin Gates (Cage) is back and finds himself personally motivated to unveil the truth. So much so, he finds a ways to infiltrate both Buckingham Palace and the Library of Congress, in addition to kidnapping the president of the United States.

National Treasure 2 is an easy target and I could probably be more critical but other than the perpetually creepy Jon Voight, the cast, which is really just punching in for a days work, is better than one would expect here and even half-hearted performances out of Ed Harris and Helen Mirren are better than the average actor. Nicholas Cage may get even more credit for putting almost everything into such trivial screenplays, but the cynic in me is sad that he seems to only care about the money time and time again. I guess he's just a fun-loving guy but I think of films like Wild At Heart, Adaptation, and Leaving Las Vegas, and it reminds me that Cage is one of the most talented actors alive today. Anyway, I definitely don't recommend this film unless you're tolerant to outrageously unreal plot elements and a quick and shallow popcorn flick.

I loved this movie it is every bit as good as the first if not better. A great adventure. a must see!

This movie combined with the bad scrip writing, the overacting and the repeated plot makes it a more of a torture device than a 'family fun' action drama. Most of the jokes aren't funny and the suspenseful parts are dull, drawn out and listless.

I enjoyed "National Treasure 1" far more than I thought I would. That is a fun movie that manages to get you to suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride on the strength of sheer goofy energy, fast pacing, and fun. I'll buy into almost anything for 2 hours as long as you keep it moving, keep it fun, and keep it interesting.

"National Treasure 2" unfortunately bogs down under all of its weight. The plot bears the disjointed, cobbled-together hallmarks of any script burdened with three (count 'em, three!) different sets of writers on story alone. (It makes you wonder how many script doctors took a whack at it as well.) As a result, you never really know what this movie is about. Is it a romantic adventure? A Civil War story like National Treasure? A Spanish Colonial story? A story about a Blackwater-type CEO who is a mercenary treasure hunter manipulating Cage? A story about Cage's parents? The script doesn't know, and neither do we. As a result, we never really get things moving in a clear manner, which pulls you out of the movie and makes you start trying to figure out what's going on. (Finding the lost city of gold clears a guy of conspiring to kill Lincoln how, then?)

On the plus side, all of the actors are fantastic. How could you go wrong with Nicholas Cage (channeling the early, enjoyable phase of his career), Harvey Keitel, Ed Harris, Jon Voight and Helen Mirren? Ed Harris did great with what he had to work with. It would have been a better film if it had been more about Harris and Cage trying to outwit each other, if only because Harris would have had more screen time and a more clearly defined character.

This is worth a rent if you liked "National Treasure" or like action movies. It's nothing special; it won't be a personal favorite; you may well forget all about it a week later. But it won't make you throw your shoes at the TV, and sometimes that's enough.

Sometimes you can forgive, even appreciate, when Hollywood offers up a formulaic story that offers few surprises. This film isn't one of those instances. Pedantically predictable.