DVD review: “National Treasure 2″
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
“National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets”
“Treasure protector” Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) and his cohorts return for another far-fetched but enjoyable adventure through history in “National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets.”
The Walt Disney picture resembles a souped-up version of the family-friendly yarns the studio cranked out back in the day. The sequel finds Ben and archivist girlfriend Abigail (Diane Kruger) estranged and computer-geek crony Riley (Justin Bartha) in tax trouble.
Matters get worse when antiquities collector Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris) unveils a page from John Wilkes Booth’s diary fingering Ben’s ancestor, Thomas Gates, for planning the Lincoln assassination. Ben, his dad Patrick (Jon Voight) and friends set out to clear the Gates name, a mission that has them jetting from Paris to London to Washington, D.C., scoping out clues.
Eventually, the search points to clues hidden in the legendary Book of Secrets passed from one U.S. president to the next, forcing Ben to kidnap the current president (Bruce Greenwood) from a party at Mount Vernon.
After recruiting his linguistics-expert mom (Helen Mirren) for a translation, Ben realizes the quest points toward Mount Rushmore – and perhaps an ancient city of gold.
The sequel offers enough interesting puzzles and likable characters for an entertaining popcorn flick.
DVD extras: Commentary, deleted scenes, making-of featurettes and blooper reel.
- BAM
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
I have to say that if I had to choose between this movie and “that other movie about the City of Gold” that came out recently, then I’d pick this one. I like my historical puzzle movies a little more grounded in reality. And the fact that a “National Treasure” movie fits that bill lets you know how weird the other one gets!