National Treasure 2 DVD
Walt Disney has had huge success with live action movies recently with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and the company is looking to further that achievement with another franchise: National Treasure. Rumors are already flying about a third installment even though National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets was just released on DVD.
In the highly anticipated sequel to the surprise blockbuster the whole gang returns with some impressive additions. Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage) and his father (Jon Voight) are now speakers at universities about their historical find and other important artifacts that have somehow found they’re way into their hands. During a lecture on the diary of John Wilkes Booth a mysterious figure (Ed Harris) appears with a missing page of the diary that possibly implicates a Gates ancestor as the coordinator of the Lincoln assassination. Over night the Gates family name is once again thrown in the gutter and Ben and his friends must find a way to restore the Gates lineage. But on their quest they find that Lincoln could have been a target because of an ancient treasure. Their journey takes them all over the world to fantastic places and of course clues.
While there are some very intelligent ideas in Book of Secrets, some (okay maybe a lot) are very far fetched. The sequel is not nearly as smart or comical as the original, but must of all it doesn’t have the spark of the first. Instead of falling in love, Ben and Abigail (Diane Kruger) are separated and trying to rekindle their romance. There are awkward scenes of Ben’s parents who have been divorced for 30 years arguing, flirting and other distracting things that separate the audience from the already weak plot.
The bright side of this movie is (just like the original) the character of Riley Poole (Justin Bartha). It’s his comedic presence and technical genius that makes the movie enjoyable. Whenever things are getting bad you can always expect Riley to insert a surprisingly witty contribution. His character’s subplots are interesting and funny which adds much to the film.
Bartha rounds out a very impressive cast. Disney went all out for one of its new powerhouse franchises. The cast includes three Academy Award winners (Helen Mirren, Voight and Cage), a four time nominee (Harris) and Harvey Keitel. It truly is a remarkable cast. But all the performances are not up to par. Jon Voight doesn’t fit into the comedic action/adventure and is down right disturbing when he interacts with Helen Mirren (Ben’s mom).
Overall the movie isn’t close to the original in any way, shape or form. Viewers may be upset/confused about the ending (like I was) and therefore may end up not liking it. But it is an action packed movie that you can watch with the entire family and the kids might learn a little something about history. If you’re looking for a fun, family film and not expecting much depth this is definitely worth a rent or a buy. If you’re on the polar opposite of that spectrum and want a well thought out plot that has total closure you may want to wait till it comes out on Starz.
–Andy Gates
