National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (2007)

Studio/Production Company: Walt Disney Pictures
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Release Date: December 21, 2007
Genre: Action/Adventure
Strong Points: Just plain fun, city of gold under a famous American monument
Weak Points: Could have used more of the James Bond type fun of the first film.
Technical Score: B
Artistic Score: B+
Final Score (not an average): B
Moral Warnings: Some mild language and sequences of action, a few somewhat intense.


When National Treasure came out in November of 2004, it was an instant hit. And with good reason. It was a fantastic popcorn film, balancing itself between its humor, ridiculous and over-the-top action/chase scenes, and clever puzzles, all revolving around our early American history. Sort of like Indiana Jones meets James Bond meets American history. National Treasure: Book of Secrets brings back all the classic fun of its predecessor, with some new faces and a new piece of the past to work around.

In Book of Secrets, not much has changed for our characters. Riley has written a book about the Templar Treasure and "other myths that are true." It is, however, not exactly the best selling work he had wanted it to be. Ben and Abigail have broken up, but Ben and his father are busy enough with all the historical societies that are interested in their presentations about Abraham Lincoln's assassination. But when a mysterious man by the name of Mitch Wilkinson publicly disproves the Gates' claims, the gang must get back together to try and find the facts that prove the Gates family had nothing to do with Lincoln's assassination. As can be expected, Book of Secrets tries to outdo its predecessor. Fortunately, the film never digresses to the point where you're thinking that they tried a bit too hard. There are some scenes that rely heavily on special effects to make aforementioned scenes possible, but it's not overdone and doesn't dredge things out. In fact, some of the computer generated sets are just downright gorgeous, especially towards the end of the movie when the Gates gang discovers a hidden treasure underneath Mount Rushmore. It's truly beautiful to the eyes.

The action scenes are ridiculously fun to watch. The puzzles that Ben and company come across, especially towards the end, result in some very clever, and even somewhat thrilling, situations that have you wondering exactly how they're going to pull it off. Each time, one of them uses his/her wit, and they are saved, not by brawn, but by the brain. It's actually one of the things that makes both National Treasure films so much fun. The action is there, yes, but the characters get out of the situations by using their heads and with much better results than if they had tried to solve things with force.

Of course, the conversations that lead to the logical conclusion of each puzzle often feature humor throughout. It's not the kind that will have you on the floor, but there are certainly a few genuine laughs to found in Book of Secrets. There was, however, one instance that nearly did have me on the floor. I won't give it away, but let's just say I never thought I'd see the day when Nicolas Cage uses a fake British accent to such perfection. That day has come.

Nicolas Cage is, naturally, perfect for the role. His portrayal of Ben Gates is wonderful, though I must say that he doesn't quite seem the type of person with such a ridiculous amount of historical facts stuck up in that noggin of his. Justin Bartha is just as subtly funny as he was the first time around, and both Diane Kruger and Jon Voight are still on par as well.

Two new faces make their appearance in Book of Secrets, one of which being the acting master Helen Mirren (she won the Oscar for Best Actress in 2007). She makes an addition to the cast as none other than Ben Gates' mother. That could have been funny enough, but most of the humor comes in her interactions with Jon Voight, him being her ex-husband. The bickering between them is just plain funny, and also throws in another subtle romantic twist to the story.

The other new face belongs to none other than Mr. Ed Harris as the villain, Mitch Wilkinson. One thing that's always impressed me about Ed Harris is that can play both the protagonist and antagonist, and he can play both with an equal level of skill. Wilkinson is, however, not nearly as stereotypically evil as Sean Bean was in the first film, and he shows at select occasions that despite his long to make his mark on history, he does have a conscience. Harris, as can be expected, fills the role very well and once again gives weight to my belief that the guy couldn't be a poor actor if you paid him.

And yet, after all of the good things in Book of Secrets, I somehow manage to find something that I didn't like. Some people may have thought thought that this element of the first movie was a rip off of James Bond, but I miss the use of electronics and technological equipment. There is a bit of it, but it's almost all borrowed from its predecessor and doesn't really bring anything new to the table. I think some more of that would have brought even better balance to an already well balanced film. Even so, this complaint is small, and the film is still very much enjoyable.

Overall, Book of Secrets is great for the entire family. Between its humor, over-the-top yet very entertaining action scenes, and the constant mystery of finding the next clue, it's just as much fun as the first film.

-Zak Mellgren (zak@revolve21.com)