rating:
(out of
4 stars)United States; 2007
Directed by Jon Turteltaub; produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Jon Turteltaub; screenplay by Cormac Wibberley, Marianne Wibberley
Starring Nicolas Cage, Justin Bartha, Diane Kruger, Jon Voight, Ed Harris, Helen Mirren, Harvey Keitel, Bruce Greenwood
Admittedly, 'National Treasure' was kind of a guilty pleasure of mine. It was too long and ridiculous, but all in good fun and carried by the one actor who can pull off ridiculous things: Nicolas Cage. This time, unfortunately, even he goes over the top in this unnecessary sequel. The action is just mediocre, and the fun, partly responsible for the first film to kind of work, is missing almost entirely.
The search this time is for a lost city of gold, which of course will be found. To say where would spoil the ridiculous final thirty minutes of the film, so I will keep my mouth shut. On board to find this golden city are again Ben Gates (Cage), Abigail (Diane Kruger), Riley (Justin Bartha) and Ben's father Patrick (Jon Voight). The villain this time is Ed Harris and Bruce Greenwood is the President of the United States, playing a major role in the search for the treasure.
The first hour of the film is amusing at best - fans of the first film will like it. But the closer they get to the treasure the worse it gets. The last thirty minutes I mentioned play in the dark, hardly visible, and without any excitement. We are left with Cage, and some entertaining scenes with Voight and Helen Mirren, playing Ben's mother. The fact that actors are the most exciting thing in an action adventure film says enough.
Sequels should be made when another great story is there to tell, not because the first film made a lot of money. 'Book of Secrets' feels obligatory, seems without much thought in the writing, and ends up as a sequel not worth seeing, although some will find it entertaining enough. In these times of "threequels" let's hope a third 'National Treasure' film will not be made.