National Treasure: Book Of Secrets Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
While Ben is presenting new information about John Wilkes Booth and the 18 pages missing from Booth's diary, one man stands up and presents a missing page of John Wilkes Booth's diary. Thomas Gates, Ben's great-grandfather, is mentioned in the page. It shows that Ben's great-grandfather could have been a person involved with Abraham Lincoln's murder. When doing more research, the conspiracy takes Ben, Abigail, and Riley to Buckingham Palace(which they break into). It takes them to a book in the White House(which they break into also)and they even steal a page from the book. But in order to see more from the book, their choice is either get elected president or kidnap the President of the United States. Which do they choose? It's obvious. The conspiracy then crosses to Mount Rushmore and they even mention the JFK conspiracy. Could Ben clear his family's name? Or will his family be known as the descendant of Abraham Licoln's murderer?
| Justin Bartha | Riley Poole |
| Ty Burrell | Connor Hamilton |
| Nicolas Cage | Ben Gates |
| Christian Camargo | John Wilkes Booth |
| Bruce Greenwood | US President |
| Joel Gretsch | Thomas Gates |
| Ed Harris | Jeb Wilkinson |
| Harvey Keitel | Sadusky |
| Michael Maize | Daniel Wilkinson |
| Timothy V. Murphy | Seth |
| Jon Voight | Patrick Gates |
| Alicia Coppola | Agent Spellman |
| Diane Kruger | Abigail Chase |
| Helen Mirren | Emily Appleton |
| Jon Turteltaub |
6.70 out of 10 (24865 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Not worth it! (May contain spoilers)
posted on 20 Aug 2009I'm not going to go ahead and say that the movie sucked because it was a good movies, as action and acting are concerned but the plot was the most confusing and pointless I've ever seen in my life.*SPOILERS* I had no idea how the city of gold is supposed to help save the Gates' family name! Instead of trying to find the remaining five pages if they had possibly been removed from the fire; somehow, clues that send them across the world are supposed to save the Gates' from having a smeared history. Somehow, finding a lost city was supposed to save their family, when I just don't understand how they were connected in the first place.My friend honestly fell asleep next to me during this movie. I had a look of confusion on my face for the entire time the movie was running. I had no clue how all of this information was supposed to fit together. In the first movie, Ben, Riley, and Abigail give a lot of background information concerning the things they find. However, in this one, barely any information or background ideas are given, making all the history very hard to understand. *SPOILERS* I did enjoy the addition of Helen Mirren as Emily but Ed Harrison's character seemed so determined and then changed his mind by the end so he'd become the hero. It just didn't make much sense to me; if he's going to be the bad guy at the beginning, why not continue the streak and finish the movie as the antagonist?I would have preferred to stay at home, and watch NT1 instead of spending 10 bucks and wasting two hours of my life on this movie that I should have waited to come out on video.
Premise With Promise...But...
posted on 18 Aug 2009We attended the first show, opening day in our small home town theater (Movies on the Parkway in Sevierville, TN), to a nearly sold out show.This adventure is not as fun this time around. The clues are less entrenched in symbology , lending less story, and more room for comical relief. That was a mistake, in my opinion; one which may prove to hurt it in the long run. Considering, however, how dismally the Golden Compass has fared, xmas movie goers are hungry for a good fantasy/actioner to sink their collective teeth into.Hopefully, some of those disappointed fans who brave the rains and windy wet cold to see NT2 will also give the Golden Compass a try, while they're at it. NT2 contains the same base formula as NT1, but this time it is far m ore watered down, with much less clues and less real action, but more development of the interpersonal relationships between Ben Gates (Nic Cage) and his parents (Helen Mirren and Jon Voight) and his lady. We also get a deeper look into the personal life (or lack thereof) of Riley Poole (Justin Bartha), Gates' Partner.Undoubtedly, due to a lessening of action and effects accompanying the deepening of character development and an almost total lack of substance, many will not think highly of this work. I, however, found it entertaining. Not as entertaining as the first, but it was still an enjoyable venture.Cage seems more comfortable in this incarnation of the character, without contributing a dialed-in performance. His comfort conveys an on-screen presence; a great charisma above and beyond the usual, and that's saying something.The premise has promise, but is not explored to its potential enough to flesh out the screenplay to actually give it a story. Unfortunately, this attempt fell far short in comparison to the rich story detail of the first. It left us wondering if there will be a third, for we are hoping for a return to a real adventure with a well-developed story as the first installment led us to expect.All in all? It's fun, but lacks the quality of the previous chapter. Here's hoping the 47th Page leads us back to a GOOD adventure.It rates a 5.2/10 from...the Fiend :.
A decent , entertaining "discovery" caper, kept my interest all the way through.
posted on 18 Aug 2009I enjoyed this movie better than the first one, I thought the story was better in every way. Nicolas Cage is back as Ben Gates. As the title suggests, there is a "book of secrets", particularly a book that has never been verified to exist, but supposedly is passed down from president to president and containing certain "secrets." Jon Voight is back as his father, Patrick Gates. The movie is loaded with other stars, including Diane Kruger, Helen Mirren as his mother, Ed Harris, Harvey Keitel, and Bruce Greenwood as The President.Ed Harris plays a particularly unsavory character who wants to get to the supposed treasure before Ben does. The treasure is said to be a hidden city of gold belonging to the Native Americans. Ben and his dad pick up on clues, which take them to a desk in Buckingham Palace, and then to a companion desk in the White House. Part of the fun in the movie is seeing how Ben gains access to these highly secure places.Part of his mission cannot be accomplished without his "kidnapping" the President, and it is clever the way they have Ben accomplish that. If the President is to admit that there is a book of secrets, he would have to do that with everyone else, including Secret Service personnel, absent.This is the movie which has the scene made famous in trailers, where Ben, behind the Mount Rushmore sculptures, places his hand into a hole in the rock and starts yelling, but then laughs as he lets on it was a joke on the others.SPOILERS: They eventually find the book of secrets in a safe hiding place in the library of congress, only accessible with a code the president gave Ben. All this leads them to Mt Rushmore, and behind the sculptures they find a passage among the rocks that lets them into the city of gold. But being old it starts to crumble and they almost all get killed, but only Harris's character dies, but the underground city is destroyed. However Ben manages to clear the name of his ancestor who had been accused of masterminding the assassination of Lincoln.
Better Than The First
posted on 18 Aug 2009I liked National Treasure 2: Book Of Secrets a lot.Even more than the first.While I did think the first was okay, this film was "SO" much more entertaining.Yes, there was a lot more cheesy material, the ending was not the best way to end it, and there was a few predictable things, but I had a lot more fun watching this film than I did National Treasure.The action is better, the acting is better, and the script is more interesting.This was a good sequel, and even though the National Treasure movies combine a lot of material that is just totally unbelievable, that's what they're meant to be.They're not meant to be masterpieces, but just to entertain, and this movie was definitely entertaining.Good sequel, see it if you haven't.
No "Strain On The Brain"...
posted on 06 Aug 2009Okay, first things first: Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and the right to vigorously express that opinion, especially when it comes to movies, and definitely here at this site. Having said that, no one can tell me with a straight face that they had no idea what they were getting themselves into, when they went to a theater to see or rented NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS. I mean, c'mon. Like its predecessor, it's a WALT Disney FILM, co- produced by JERRY BRUCKHEIMER. If you were expecting THE GODFATHER or LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, you should've gone to the video store and rented one or both of them.Just like the first TREASURE, it's another preposterous knockoff of the INDIANA JONES films set in post-modern times, without the grit and gravitas of Harrison Ford. (No offense to Nic Cage, but it's HARRISON FORD!) And like a 2-D version of a Disney theme park ride, this is not meant to stimulate the deep-thinking portions of your frontal lobe, parietal lobe or cerebral cortex whatsoever. Pleasure centers ONLY, people. The bombastic, ridiculous plot points wash over you, including all the leaps in logic and plot holes the size of Jupiter. You won't remember most of what happened two hours after seeing this anyway. I certainly didn't.All you need to know is this: Cage is back as Benjamin Franklin Gates, and now he's determined to clear the Gates family name when an opportunistic fortune hunter (Ed Harris), floats the theory that Ben's great-great grandfather was one of the group of conspirators who aided and abetted John Wilkes Booth in the Lincoln assassination. Mirth, mayhem, vigorous chases through several different locales in various countries ensues, and none of it is too exciting or too threatening for the kiddies. In other words - all the earmarks of your typical Disney blockbuster.There is some continuity, at least. Jon Voight and Justin Bartha return as Ben's dad and his trusty, put-upon sidekick, respectively. Diane Kruger returns as Ben's now-estranged lady friend and partner in treasure-hunting. (And at least her American accent has gotten a little bit better). Ed Harris is fittingly menacing - a role he seems to specialize in these days - so it's kind of a jolt when his character does a '180' at a certain point (you'll know when that is.) And though I could watch Helen Mirren pull weeds out of her garden, I'm surprised to see her here as Ben's mother, (though she is still terrific.) Plus, we get a HUGE red flag I have learned to spot in any movie that features any kind of political intrigue or drama. In WHAT UNIVERSE, for Christ's sake, would the U.S. President ever be a man as handsome, well-spoken and laden with integrity as Bruce Greenwood? EXACTLY. Anytime I see him and he's playing the Commander-In-Chief, my "Uh-Oh" Meter zings into the red. And that's not even mentioning the whole linking the Statue of Liberty, the Library of Congress and matching Resolute Desks in the US and England to Mt. Rushmore and the legend of the city of Cibola thing. (DON'T ASK.)So this NATIONAL TREASURE sequel is not a great movie. It may not even be a GOOD movie as far as most rational-thinking movie-watching adults are concerned. But I have wasted two hours on a lot worse films than this. And did I happen to mention it's got HELEN MIRREN???
Fun but way too busy
posted on 04 Aug 2009If you thought the first NT movie left you gasping for aid, wait until you get a load of the followup, which takes our intrepid trio of treasure hunters (Cage, Kruger and Bartha) all over the map, including to England, D.C. and whichever Dakota Mount Rushmore is in. This time, they are seeking clues to restore the tarnished name of a forbear (don't ask). This involves tracking down a lost city of gold, of all things. Hey, it's a kid's movie! The plot rushes from here to there, a little too much so, and there are plot holes as big as the Grand Canyon. Also, Cage seems a bit long in the tooth for such nonsense. But hey, it's a kid's movie! The only question is, will a kid be willing to sit through the whole thing? The director and writers take no chances, by the way, and give us much the same death-defying finale as that in the first movie. Hey! It's a kid's movie! Keep telling yourself that. Helen Mirren plays cage's mom and Bruce Greenwood is the president, and they give this silly but likable film some badly needed dignity.
Not as good as the first one but still very good
posted on 27 Jul 2009The first National Treasure set the bar for adventure films. The sequel is not as good but is very close. Both movies contain historical monuments as well as learning. Now this itself may confuse younger kids if your planing to bring them. This time around it focuses on the death of Abraham Lincoln. This time Mitch Wilkinson (played by Ed Harris) is trying to convince everyone than Ben Gates' (played by Nicolas Cage) great-great grandfather hired John Wilkes Booth to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Both Ben and his father are annoyed. For some reason Abigail Chase (played by Diane Kriger) has broken up with Ben(there is a reason but I won't spoil it). Riley Poole (played by Justin Bartha) has written a book about what happened in the first movie. In case you haven't seen it, Riley is still very funny as before. I don't wanna give away anymore of the movie but it's very good and awesome go see and this action movie is up there with The Goonies, Radiers of the Lost Ark and the original movie. Go see it and enjoy.
Umm ...How Did Finding The Treasure Clear The Gates Family Name?
posted on 27 Jul 2009I admit that watching the first NATIONAL TREASURE movie was a guilty pleasure, but here ends my enjoyment of anything National or Treasure. Sequels are tough to pull off (can anyone say "INDIANA JONES 4?") and one has to wonder why Hollywood continues to pump them out even when the script fails on almost every level ...and such was the case with National Treasure 2.If anyone can tell me how finding this new treasure helped solve the Gates family's problem related to their relatives' association with the Lincoln assassination, please let me know. Because that was what this film was all about, right? I mean, we start off with Thomas Gates (Joel Gretsch, THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE) being approached by the men who set up President Lincoln's assassination, who in turn kill Thomas for refusing to give up the secrets to an ancient language in a document they have. We then move on to the current day where this document comes to the attention of the Gates family by the sinister Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris) who presents his evidence that Thomas Gates was the mastermind behind Lincoln's death. So Ben Gates (Nicholas Cage, GHOST RIDER), his father Patrick (Jon Voight, TRANSFORMERS), Ben's estranged wife Abigail (Diane Kruger) and Ben's trusty friend and sidekick Riley (Justin Bartha, FAILURE TO LAUNCH) head out to clear the family name by finding the lost treasure of pre-America. But how, exactly, this will clean-up their family name isn't clear ...or even explained. A pretty big hole in the story's central plot.This plot hole combined with everything we've already seen in the previous NATIONAL TREASURE film makes this second installment tedious and full of non-surprises.The only positive spin the film can claim is Justin Bartha's Riley character who infuses almost all of the comedy by having a monopoly on the best lines ("Ben, if it were you trying to convince me, you'd have less evidence and I'd already believe you by now.").But that's it. Even the dastardly character Mitch Wilkinson (Harris) doesn't stay dastardly; only moments before he turns "good" he was holding a knife to Ben's mother's neck (Helen Mirren, THE QUEEN), making his character completely unbelievable now. Gah! National Treasure 2 is a true disaster, with such poor characterization and plotting that it makes the entire film feel like it's laced with fool's gold with nary a piece of treasure in sight.
Yawn
posted on 25 Jul 2009Predictable plot lines, bad hair, a President who will go into catacombs underground, two breakups easily repaired with a little action, a bad guy who gives his life to save others at the very end. Sorry, that's just not believable. Like most 2nd tries in movies does not come close to the original. The cartoon on Goofy in The Home Theater we had to sit through before the movie was the worst bit of animation I have seen in a long time. A complete waste of time. A pretty pathetic showing for Disney. And parents, the previews before the movie are also culturally empty (Speed Racer), racist (Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins), and sensely violent (The Lost) please keep kids under 11 out of there (it is PG-13).
The secret's out: the formula still works with "National Treasure" sequel
posted on 25 Jul 2009The follow up to the 2004 box office surprise "National Treasure" is everything you'd expect. Thank goodness. It should come as no surprise that the conspiracy-based code-cracking mystery adventure is still just as hot as it was in the "year of "The Da Vinci Code."" There is nothing new, nothing special or unexpected about "Book of Secrets" only Ed Harris replacing Sean Bean as the rival treasure seeker. That, and the addition of Helen Mirren as Nicholas Cage's mother to strengthen the film's female roles thanks to leading lady Diane Kruger's utter mediocrity.The film has all the same history mystery you remember, the national (and now international) landmarks, the witty inserts from Justin Bartha's character Riley, and of course the preposterous plans for Benjamin Franklin Gates to get whatever he's after. In other words, if you're looking for something different, more clever, or intellectually stimulating, read the Da Vinci Code again and don't bother with this film. If you want more quirky, ridiculous, treasure-seeking fun that picks up right where the last left off, this is your ticket. ~Steven CVisit my site at http://moviemusereviews.blogspot.com/
Sorely disappointed
posted on 23 Jul 2009Yes, it is action packed.Yes the characters are our same likable ones from the previous film. Ms. Mirren is an excellent addition to the cast.It is the story which stank. The acting was great. All of the action packed adventure requited for such a film. However, the script could have been much better. The storyline did not have as much thought as far as reviewing clues and coming up with the historical background and resolutions. This should normally make up 80% of the film but not this time. If they do make a sequel to this film, I hope they bring back the original writers.
Hair-Raising!
posted on 23 Jul 2009I loved the first movie and the second. The whole plot and premise have gotten young students interested in American history again. Well-done, interesting family movies are getting harder and harder to come by. I hope that if they make a third movie (as is rumored), that they will take it easy on the hair dye for Nick Cage. In the first movie, his hair color was noticeable, but not as distracting, more highlight than full on dye job. The REALLY BAD dark hair dye job in "Book of Secrets" was VERY distracting during the entire movie. Much like a piece of spinach in your date's teeth, once it attracts your attention you just can't get past it. I love Nick Cage, let's just have him like he is - mostly ;)
National Treasure: Book of Secrets: Nicolas Cage's unclassified disappointment
posted on 23 Jul 2009It's a Gates' Family party, world-wide trip, and if you are very wise, you will skip this junket. Sequels are supposed to be a bridge between films, not worthless, empty, waste of time, and money, effortless grinders. This second film has more in common with a salt-water game fish, caught on a hook on the end of a line, before it jumps into vision because it flounders, just below the surface. The opening 20 minutes of this film, holds a great deal of excitement and promise but that falls flat, for a movie played for laughs, rather than intrigue and true detective work. This film lead the countries top box office take for two weeks running, only on the fame of National Treasure 1. There is nothing to get excited about, nor is there any anticipation of "the chase!" as there was in the first film. Director Jon Turteltaub may take the blame for this really terrible film, only because he accepted the position as Director. The actors played their parts well enough but to make a great film, one has to have a great script. National Treasure 2 died from a lack of a good screenplay! If there is a National Treasure 3 sequel, hopefully those in Hollywood will put their combined heads together and write a great screenplay before anyone says, "Action!"
More of the same, and I mean that in a kinda good way
posted on 21 Jul 2009Picking up where we left off from the first "National Treasure", Benjamin Gates (Nicholas Cage) and his father Patrick (Jon Voight) are riding high off their successful treasure-finding in the first film. But things change rapidly when girlfriend Abigail (Diane Kruger) leaves him, Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) tries to cash in for himself, and more importantly, an archaeologist named Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris) comes forward with evidence implicating Ben's family in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. As in the first film, Ben enlists the help of his buddies - this time adding his estranged mother (Helen Mirren) - to engage in an improbable globe-trotting expedition to clear his family name, with Mitch and his henchmen in hot pursuit."National Treasure: Book of Secrets" is virtually identical to the 2004 original. The same plot, same improbable conspiracy theories, most of the same characters, lots of Goldbergian traps, locks, and devices, and a ridiculous storyline that defeats any attempt to think it through, and if you're the right sort of person, allows you to sit back with a wide grin of incredulity as the madness unspools.It's hard to describe the appeal of these films. The cast is made up of reasonably talented actors with very slight and ridiculous material. The story makes no sense, and the action scenes are a curious combination of weak (no one actually gets killed except by "accident") and enjoyable. The Masonic conspiracy theories are too far-fetched for even Jim Marrs or Chris Carter to accept (Mount Rushmore was constructed to hide the Seven Cities of Gold? Come on now!). The very idea of someone infiltrating Buckingham Palace or the White House - or kidnapping the President (Bruce Greenwood), however briefly - is just ridiculous. But as resident funny-man Riley so clearly points out: "We make our living off crazy".In the acting department, Nicholas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, and Jon Voight pretty much give the same performances as they do last time. They're pleasant enough, if not particularly compelling characters to watch, which is all the material requires of them. In the Sean Bean role, Ed Harris chews scenery and spouts a reasonably convincing Southern accent, although his character changes from evil to sympathetic . Fresh from her Oscar win, Helen Mirren tosses off an amusing performance as Ben's mom. Bruce Greenwood contributes a warm grin or two to the proceedings and then bows out. Harvey Keitel's large-ish role in the original as the bemused FBI Agent pursuing Ben and Co. is reduced to a cameo.So, what can I say? If you liked the first one, you'll like this. They're virtually the same film, and I mean that in a good way - kinda.6/10
Book of Secrets
posted on 13 Jul 2009I thought the movie had a brilliant plot and you definitely don't need to see the first National Treasure movie in order to understand the concepts of this continuation. I hadn't seen the first movie and it was easy to understand what was going on as their were minimum references to the first movie. The actors portrayals of their characters were great, and overall the movie is worth seeing at the cinemas as you wouldn't get the same screen quality renting it out on DVD. It would be interesting to know if some of the facts in the movie can be generalised to real life, such as whether there really is a book that presidents use, whether the city of gold exists, and whether this tale has non-fiction aspects.
As good as the original
posted on 11 Jul 2009In action movie series its rare that the sequel is as good or better than the original but this is just as good as National Treasure.Again we have lots of puzzles, hidden maps and travelling this time all over the world to find The Lost City Of Gold just to clear the name of Ben's great great grandfather who has been accused of being the mastermind behind the assassination of President Lincoln.Ideas that places like The Oval Office in The White House and The Queen's Private Chambers in Buckingham Palace would be so easy to gain access to are totally laughable and unrealistic, likewise the shelves of The Library Of Congress.Some suspension of belief is required there, well a huge amount actually. Once again Ben is being pursued by bad people (Ed Harris playing a mercenary very badly). The locations are excellent, the action is slightly over the top. Casting Helen Mirren as Ben's mum is a stroke of genius, her scenes with John Voight are all totally brilliant and improve the film a great deal.It's quite funny seeing John Voight playing a former treasure hunter here especially as that was his role in Tomb Raider as Lara Croft's father.The film is very watchable and I'm sure there are lots of little things you will spot if you watch it more than once so it can definitely stand up to multiple viewings. Hopefully the next one in the series will be just as good, I guess it just depends what was on Page 47? Highly recommended.
Bland, mass-produced rubbish that nobody seems to have put any heart into making
posted on 01 Jul 2009Normally I would write a plot summary before I review a film - it helps introduce the film in case anyone is reading but mostly I do it because it helps me focus my mind on what I have just seen. However to summarise National Treasure 2 it is probably easiest just to take two dice and for one die assign each number the name of a person in history (Queen Victoria, Nixon, Custer), then for the other assign an object (a table, the Empire State Building, a book). Now simply roll the two dice and make notes of the combinations - Custer's rifle, the President's watch, the Queen's bedroom etc etc. After a couple of rolls you will have as much of a story as this film and indeed may have produced a more interesting one.If you haven't got it yet, I thought the plot was utter nonsense that seemed to have had scenarios imagined up and then threaded together with the barest or logic (or none in many cases). Some of the scenes where Cage works out the clues had me laughing and one imagines that the writers made more use of shoe-horns than they did pens and paper. My personal favourite lack of logical is where a major clue is thrown out a car window to stop the bad guys chasing them and all our heroes have to look at is a photo taken of the clue by a speed camera that they drive past. What? Weirdly though, the plot is not the sole problem with the film and indeed it could have been covered for if everything else had worked in regards delivery. As it is though, it seems that there is no heart or energy in the film and that churning out another product to appease the Disney shareholders was top of the reasons for making it. This shows in every regard. It shows in the very bland "look" to the film. It is clear that lots of money has been spent on the sets and general design of the film but yet none of it feels like more than a set and certainly none of it really convinces as the real thing. This feel continues into the action sequences which again are bland. If the film had genuinely had excitement or thrills then the plot holes become less important but the rubbish action just leaves everything sitting out there exposed to the cold light of day. A gutless car chase through London only serves to highlight how awesome all those Bourne chases were and, by return, how pathetic this one is.And then we have the incidental music, which tends to be one of two type - both equally misjudged and annoying. The first is the "earnest swelling sense of importance" music that accompanies any discussion of the treasure-hunt, family ancestors or patriotism. It invites you to think that what you are watching is important, which made me think that the composer dialled it in because he cannot have watched this and thought this approach would work with this material. The other type is the "jaunty, quirky, isn't-this-comical" music that fills the rest of the film. This music invites you to be amused but again it only manages to highlight just how unfunny and clunky all the "lighter" moments are.The cast list surprised me because if you simply read out the names of those involved I would not have guessed that they were all have been key people in a film this poor. I suppose in a way it is like the rest of the film - clearly there has been money spent but no actual heart or effort is to be found. Cage demonstrates no range or indication that he cares about the material and he makes for a dull hero; his performance is the same when jumping from a crumbling platform and when giving a lecture - it is sad to see someone care so little about what they are doing. Bartha is a weak comic sidekick but at least he appears to be trying. Kruger is as pretty as she is pointless and generally just seemed to be in the way. Harris has a good presence and at least brings a bit of menace to the film while managing to hide his embarrassment, but this is below him and he knows it. Voight is rubbish and Mirren should genuinely be ashamed by a weak performance in a role she took simply to cash in on Oscar and make some good money. Keitel I assume was a bigger character in the first film because other than that there appears to be no reason for him smirking his way around the edges.Overall then, this is a lot of nonsense but, more telling, it is bland and disinterested in the viewer. The plot holes and total lack of logic do treat the viewer with contempt but this could have been covered if I had even once been engaged or enthralled by the film. As it was though it never feels like a film made for any other reason than making money. The cast don't seem to care, the direction is flat, the action is poor and the pace is poor. The fact that it is two hours long only makes it worse as it does not even have the good grace to be short. It is rare I hate a film but I found this poor to the point of being insulting because it is not like it tries but just misfires but rather than it is poor simply because it could not be bothered to even try.
Sequel plenty of tension, intrigue and especial effects galore
posted on 01 Jul 2009Again new adventures with Benjamin Gates(Nicolas Cage), a descendant from a historical line familiar whose mission was guard a hidden national treasure .This time happen the following, as the film starts with the Lincoln death and James Wilkes Booth saying the famous words, Sic Semper Tiranus .Benjamin's ancestor named Thomas Gates(Joel Gretsch) is spontaneously implicated as key conspirator in Abraham Lincoln death caused by a missing page of the murderer's diary and found now. Ben along with his friend Poole(Justin Bartha) and his ex-fiancée Abigail(Diane Kruger) will take on lots of adventures, risks and confronting a stubborn enemy(Ed Harris).Ben will attempt demonstrate the true and he's determined to prove his great-grandfather's innocence. Poole,Abigail,Ben, his father(John Voight)and later his mother(Helen Mirren) undergo a chase that take them from Paris'statue of Liberty, London's Buckinham Palace , White House, kidnapping of the President(Bruce Greenwood), and Mount Rushmore . Plus the Inspector Saduski(Harvey Keitel)and underlings(Alicia Coppola) are also to the hunting of the chain of clues.This amusing movie displays suspense , noisy action, tense,humor and extraordinaries adventures. The picture blends the rip-roaring Spielberg's Indiana Jones feats and mystery from Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. It's a cinematic roller coaster pretty amusing that have you on the edge of your seat. Stimulating action set pieces illuminate the full-blown adventures of ours protagonists with breathtaking final attraction in the scenes of the underground Olmeca temple. Similar technicians outfit with lively musical score by Trevor Rabin and substituting the previous cameraman Caleb Deschanel by Amir Mokri and John Schwartzman who make a glamorous cinematography. The flick is again lavishly produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and stunningly directed by John Turteltaub. The picture will like to Nicolas Cage fans and those have seen the previous part.
This is National Misery's Book of Secrets *1/2
posted on 27 Jun 2009Even with a stellar cast of Nicolas Cage, Jon Voight and Helen Mirren, nothing can really save this desperately pathetic film.I really thought I was in for a good civil war production on those really responsible for the assassination of President Lincoln. Instead, we go all over the place while searching for an ancient city of gold. Only through such a miserable script could Cage be able to figure out the outrageous clues that are left.As far as Queen Victoria siding with the Confederacy, forget that. Yes, it's true that the England needed the south's cotton, but the former wisely chose to be neutral in the conflict.We have chase scenes in London, England to rival that of a James Bond thriller.The problem with this film is that they let the theme go complete awry and the result is an absolute stinker of a film.
Pretty good sequel
posted on 28 Aug 2009As sequels go, this one was better than most. The action was as good as the original, and Ed Harris is a really good bad guy. The scenery from around the world and the country was incredible.It's full of good one-liners, and once again Riley gets some of the best.The premise of the movie is pretty good, the idea that Ben Gates would take up the hunt to clear his great-great-grandfather's name as a conspirator (maybe even the mastermind) of President Lincoln's assassination.But I can't give this movie a 9 or 10, simply because that's the one loose end they don't tie up. Neither my wife nor I have any idea what it was about finding the city of gold that prompted the headline that clears Thomas Gates.If there is a third (and I'm guessing that whatever it is on page 47 will lead us down that road), I hope the writers and director(s) fill in all the gaps.