national treasure 2

THE FLICK: Writing a review for a film like National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets is akin to a food critic submitting a rating for a McDonalds franchise. Sure, there’s some local flair - a splash of color on the walls, a tricked out kid’s area, maybe an extra wide handicapped bathroom stall – but the menu never changes. In fact, producer Jerry Bruckheimer seemed to go out of his way to duplicate everything from the original; the Ed Harries-for-Sean Bean swap as the central villain is the only distinguishing difference. Otherwise, it’s business as usual for Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) and his treasure hunting family who spring into action when one of their relatives is accused of having participated in the Lincoln assassination. The McAdventure begins with a fragment of a diary which sends Ben to Paris to the Statue of Liberty, which leads to the queen’s desk at Buckingham Palace followed by the same song and dance in the Oval Office, culminating in an underground chamber beneath Mt. Rushmore which hides a fabled Native American city of gold. The leaps of logic Ben uses to connect these dots are death defying, but at least they generate more excitement than their inspiration, the dull and lifeless DaVinci Code, hewing closer to the antics of Indiana Jones minus the hat and whip. Jon Voight returns as Gates, Sr., his character itself just a variation on Sean Connery’s role as the grumpy scholar in The Last Crusade, joined by recent Oscar winner Helen Mirren slumming as the maternal side of the family. The plot is a bit stale – it’s been under heat lamps since 2006, after all – but director Jon Turteltaub serves it up with a modicum of style and never lets things get too heavy. Indeed, the original National Treasure was one of the few family friendly action movies of the decade and its sequel continues the trend. The most marketable aspect of the movie, its titular “Book of Secrets,” is just a pit stop along the trail of clues. But it makes for the most memorable scene in the film as Gates and the Commander in Chief swap stories in cobwebbed tunnel. It’s the closest Book of Secrets ever comes to matching the buzz of the original’s Declaration of Independence heist scene before spinning off in another direction. Yet, there’s something reassuring in the predictability of it all. Like Mickey D’s menu, there may not be any surprises, but there are very few disappointments either. Cage seems to be having a good time, the supporting players are solid and the scenery changes quicker than a Broadway show. National Treasure 2 is a relatively satisfying chapter in what’s turning out to be a dependable franchise. While that may sound like the height of mediocrity, in a world where both the Pirates and Matrix trilogies choked on their own McNuggets, it’s high praise indeed. THE FEATURES: Being that it’s on Blu-ray and was only in theaters a scant few months ago, one shouldn’t be surprised that it looks and sounds terrific. So what sort of extra features to do get for your money? An Audio Commentary with Turteltaub and actor Justin Bartha, 20-minutes of Deleted Scenes, a Blooper Reel and an eight-part documentary called Secrets of a Sequel. Running close to an hour, this slick but watchable collection of featurettes blows through several different categories including stunts, locations, props and the creation of the golden city. Exclusive to Blu-ray are two more Deleted Scenes and a Fact and Fiction viewing function that branches out from the main feature for a little Q & A. Answer the questions correctly and you’re treated to a prize: self-respect! Yay!