National Treasure 2:
Book of Secrets
(Two-Disc Collector's Edition
 Disney Region 1 NTSC DVD)
(2007)
review by Head Cheeze

When National Treasure first came out, I was floored by how good of a reception this “family-friendly” adventure film was getting from audiences. I mean, this movie – this PG movie – seemingly came out of nowhere and ended up becoming one of the biggest hits of that year. National Treasure’s Da Vinci Code-meets-Raiders of the Lost Ark aesthetic seemed to satiate a huge thirst for family friendly action adventure cinema that I wasn’t even aware existed. Of course, I wanted no part of it. I don’t even like PG-13 movies, let alone the watered down tripe that usually constitutes a PG rated film, so I gave National Treasure a pass until it came on cable a few months later.  And I loved it.

God help me, I loved it.

It was implausible and silly, but it was also thrilling, funny, and entertaining as all hell. Nicolas Cage made for a great brainy treasure hunter, and the supporting cast of Jason Bartha, Diane Kruger, and Jon Voight made for a great comic ensemble. While Ben Gates was no Indiana Jones, he was certainly a more appealing adventure than that misogynistic know-it-all Robert Langdon, and, while dumbed down for the sake of younger viewers, National Treasure wasn’t really all that much more ludicrous than the adult-skewed Da Vinci Code. In a nutshell, it’s was a harmless, fun film that had something for everyone, and I’m happy to say that the sequel, “Book of Secrets”, is a worthy follow-up that subscribes to the old axiom of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

The film opens with Ben (Cage) lecturing about the heroic deeds of his great-great grandfather, Thomas Gates – a man who prevented a Confederate plot to find the lost “city of gold” on the eve of the assassination of President Lincoln. During the lecture, however, a shady businessman named Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris) offers evidence that contradicts Ben’s story, and paints Thomas Gates as a conspirator in Lincoln’s death. This evidence comes in the guise of a page from the diary of John Wilkes Booth, and this sets Ben and his father Patrick (Voight) off on a quest to clear their family name. With the help of his tech-savvy sidekick Riley (Bartha), his estranged girlfriend, Abigail (Kruger), and his ancient language professor mother, Emily (Mirren), Ben finds himself on an adventure that leads him from Buckingham Palace to the Oval Office, uncovering a clandestine plot by the Confederacy and the British, and, ultimately leading to the mythical city of gold.

Ben and company once again find themselves attempting to pull off crazy and impossible missions (breaking into the Queen of England’s office, kidnapping the President) all in the name of history, with reckless disregard for public safety, homeland security, or their own lives. The thing is, as much as you may roll your eyes every time Ben is faced with these sorts of seemingly insurmountable obstacles in his quests, you can’t help but do so with a smile in anticipation of the almost always comical and inventive schemes he and his cohorts come up with. There’s also a lot more action this time out, with a great car chase through London, and an Indiana Jones inspired tomb raid through a booby-trapped subterranean city. None of it is too intense, mind you, but it’s well done, and director John Turteltaub shows he’s got a good eye for action. My only gripe with Book of Secrets is that it’s a bit jingoistic (Gates is obviously meant to be a “patriot”, but, this time out, his flag waving is a bit cloying), and the underlying love/hate stuff between both Ben and Abigail and Patrick and Emily was all a bit overdone and all-too-easily remedied. Then again, being a family film, it makes sense that the filmmakers would want this onscreen family to “play nice”, so even their reasons for not getting along in the first place are pretty trite.

Disney packs a ton of bonus features into this two-disc special edition of National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets, loading the discs with an audio commentary with Turtletaub and Voight; Deleted scenes with introductions by Turtletaub; The Treasure Reel - bloopers & outtakes; Secrets of a sequel; The Book of Secrets: On Location; Street Stunts: Creating the London chase; Inside the Library of Congress; Underground action; Cover Story: Crafting the President's book; Evolution of a golden city; Knights of the golden city, and more.

Even if you hate family entertainment (like I usually do), National Treasure’s whiz-bang action sequences, gorgeous cinematography, and humorous and entertaining script will bring a smile to all but the most sour of pusses. If, however, you’ve got young ones, and can’t bear yet another night of Nickelodeon cartoons or one of the thousands of variations on High School the Musical, consider this a gift from the gods; an action film strong enough for a man, but safe for the children. Let’s hope they keep them coming!