by Arthur-N

Created on: January 06, 2008

National Treasure: Book of Secrets struck a surprisingly similar resemblance to it predecessor. The film includes Ben Gates (Nicholas Cage) trying to clear his ancestor from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by finding a city of gold.
While Ben is giving a speech about his great great grandfather Thomas Gates, a man named Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris) claims to hold a missing page from John Wilkes Booth's diary which puts Thomas Gates's name in Assassinating Lincoln. However, in the story Ben Gates has been told by his ancestors, after being asked to solve a code in the diary, he realizes the men asking him were Confederates trying to use the treasure for the Confederacy, Thomas rips and burns multiple pages from John Wilkes Booth's diary, which results in him getting shot and killed.

Ben and his peers Riley Poole (Justin Bartha), Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger), and his mother and father Emily Gates and Patrick Gates (Helen Mirren and Jon Voight) go on an adventure, breaking into the Buckingham Palace, escaping from deadly Native American traps, and kidnapping the President (Bruce Greenwood).
The Book of Secrets was taken from a secret book by Presidents only for Presidents in the movie. The book includes the Kennedy Assassination, the 2000 election, Area 51, and other conspiracies.
The movie was good in general, maybe a little too over the top in the Buckingham Palace fight, the London car chase or the conversation with the French cops. I would've liked to see a little more information in the City of Gold. How was it made? Where the gold came from. Also, the villain (turned friend) Mitch Wilkinson had multiple followers who obeyed him with his every command, much like in the first movie.
I liked seeing a more diverse setting, with scenes in Washington, South Dakota, London, and Paris. Still would've liked the extra information about the Native Americans though.
The most confusing scene in the movie for me was the scene where everyone was pouring water on a rock in Mount Rushmore. If the Eagle with the scroll was already on the lock to the entrance of the City of Gold, that meant someone found it cause Native Americans didn't put it there. Also, I disliked the rocks suddenly falling down showing an entrance. It just didn't seem unrealistic at all that the Native Americans could create something like that, entirely out of stone that far away. At least the giant brick on the stalagmite was cool and filled with suspense.
I'd give this movie a 4.5/5. If you enjoyed the first movie, then I highly recommend you watching this one.

Directed by: Jon Turteltaub
Rating: PG
Time: 124 minutes
Cast: Nicholas Cage
Justin Bartha
Diane Kruger
Jon Voight
Helen Mirren
Ed Harris
Bruce Greenwood

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