National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (December 21, 2007)
Reviewed by Tom
Reviewed by Tom
Whenever you want to watch a movie, do not watch it just because it had a great rating or do not not watch it because it had bad ratings. Movies are a mixture of emotions, excitement, happiness and good feelings. They stick to your memory forever or you just simply forget them.
At the beginning I thought Disney movies were just for young kids and I thought I was now older than a young boy. But then someone recommended National Treasure 1 and 2. This is when I realized this was my movie. I have watched both now about 50+ times and National Treasure 2 is by far my favorite movie of all time, including the first one as well since it opened for me the door to appreciating the adventure movie genre.
National Treasure 2 (Book of Secrets) is about the treasure lost in North America called Cibola, or in English, The City of Gold. Benjamin Gates and Riley Poole are the treasure hunters in this movie. The opening scene is with Benjamin Gates and his father, Patrick Gates, in a conference hall explaining the assassination of President Lincoln. After they finish the explanation, a man stands up and declares that one of the Gates family members was the mastermind behind the Lincoln assassination. Of course Ben and his father automatically object to the statement. At this point, Benjamin’s main goal is to prove that his family member (great-great-great grandfather) is innocent. The only problem is that the man who stood up to say the statement has proof, Ben has none. The man’s name is Mitch Wilkinson. He is also a treasure hunter. Therefore Ben and Riley set off on their mission using clues that Ben’s relatives gave their children and the children of their children. This quest for innocence takes them to Paris, London, and then back to the States. Do they find Cibola? Or does Mitch beat them to it?
As in National Treasure 1, Ben is played by a very famous actor called Nicolas Cage, and Riley Poole is Justin Bartha. There are tons of reasons why I like this movie, but it would be too long to state them all in one review. The mixture of mystery and suspense, and also its action-packed scenes makes it all very attractive, without a minute wasted to give the audience an important clue. The movie always has you hanging off an edge, like you never know what’s going to happen and when something happens, something else is happening to make you want to watch it even further. In a way, you are as breathless as the characters. It is also thought provoking: for instance, revisiting history even if it is fictional, you can learn a whole lot about history in North America. It also reflects life situation through the relationship of the main character with his parents (we discover the mother who is also a treasure hunter and although the parents are divorced they are falling again for each other).
During the movie, Ben and Riley go to a lot of places around the world to find the next clue. I will not tell you more about it because that’s what makes this film interesting and excellent. They eventually find all the details they need, and it leads them to Mount Rushmore, supposedly where the City of Gold is kept. Ben, Mitch, Riley, and the parents are all present at this moment. They all go into a secret cave. Inside, there are relics of old Native American idols and also, lots of booby traps until all is revealed.
This movie really grasped me. I’m a huge fan of history movies but this one is a masterpiece. I really like the way the characters act in this movie because they sometimes act funny and they make jokes, but after they are all serious and their only aim is to prove Ben’s ancestors innocence. Also what I like is the action part: for example when they go to The Library of Congress with this intense car chase with a lot of special effects.
A movie can never be 100 percent good. There will always be some negative parts to it. The only thing that made me go, “Uh, how is that possible?” is the part when Ben kidnaps the President. The President of any country is never left alone so basically this is the only negative and untrue part to the movie. It was a bit farfetched but it's a movie, after all!
Nicolas Cage in this movie did a really good job. His character and he are one. He really had me of the edge of my chair at all times and at some points you can feel his emotions when something special happened. Also, Justin Bartha did a terrific job. He was always making me laugh. He was the “stupid” guy in the movie. Jon Voight was top notch as usual.
The film had a great cast and the director did a terrific job. The music was appropriate and the lighting was just fine. Every actor did their best and so did the director and to reward them it was a fantastic adventure movie.
This movie is in English.
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Justin Bartha, Jon Voight, Diane Kruger, Helen Mirren, and Ed Harris. For the full cast go to : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0465234/
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Justin Bartha, Jon Voight, Diane Kruger, Helen Mirren, and Ed Harris. For the full cast go to : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0465234/
