National Treasure 2 - Book of Secrets (Widescreen) | List Price: $29.99 Discount Price: $8.16

| Brand: Buena Vista Home Video Binding: DVD Release Date: 2008-05-20
Worldwide Treasure Hunt [Posted on 2008-08-11] I love National Treasure (the first film). I like Nic Cage in the films Faceoff, The Rock and Con Air, this film sorta cemented in my mind as an action film star
In this sequel, the search goes international. It starts interesting as Great Grandfather pf the Gates family (Cage and Jon Voight) is supposely linked to President Lincoln's murder. This leads the family on a hunt to prove the relatives innocents.
Well this leads to an internation treasure hunt for clues. Followed by Mitch Wilkerson (Ed Harris), the family dogged around. Which leads to the President's book of secrets in the (where less) but the Library of Congress...to explain how cage's character gets there, I'd have to kill you
This is Cage's film. The other character seem to evolve around him. Oscar winner Helen Mirren is wasted as Cage's mom.
The real winner is the audience who is too quickly taken to Paris and then to London, but the travelodge is fun at best
Justin Bartha is the great comic foil of this piece. His sidekick role to Cage's Ben Gates is legend. He is what makes this romp fun
It isnt better than the original, but it is entertaining
Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD
wow [Posted on 2008-08-12] Man hollywood has come up with some crazy moves in the past years. This movie is fast paced and incredible senses!
Better than the Original Movie [Posted on 2008-08-13] National Treasure 2 has more action, more excitement, and more drama than the original movie. I hightly recommend this sequel.
The Knights of the Golden Circle [Posted on 2008-08-14] National Treasure 2 Book of Secrets takes the viewer along on another one of Ben Gates' action packed adventures.
The film picks up shortly after where the first movie left off. Mitch Wilkinson, a Confederate general's descendent, produces evidence pointing to Thomas Gates', Ben Gates' ancestor, involvement in plotting together with John Wilkes Booth to kill Abraham Lincoln. Ben Gates will try to clear his ancestor's name while embarking on a treasure hunt in search of Cibola, the legendary lost Indian city of gold.
Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger (who is beautiful!), Ed Harris, Jon Voight, Helen Mirren, Harvey Keitel, Justin Bartha, and the rest of this great cast have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are outstanding to say the least! All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows (the chemistry is AMAZING)! Very well written and very well presented, it combines mystery, action, and adventure, making it one of the best films of its kind.
On the negative side:
1) What parents would allow their son to sacrifice himself to save them??? NONE!
2) The openly and provocative anti-southern/anti-confederate bias.
All right they lost, now leave them alone!
At the same time this blind and without-questions-asked adoration of Abraham Lincoln without presenting the actual truth about him regarding his political stance during the 1858 Illinois Lincoln-Douglas debates, his actions/policies/decrees from 1861 to 1865 as well as the overall legality of the American Civil War, takes away from any
The hypocrisy and double standards remain unabated as the Sons of Liberty are often viewed as heroes, but the Knights of the Golden Circle are described in the film as "an extremist group."
Moreover, technically John Wilkes Booth was indeed a murderer, but not a `traitor,' since he was a southerner.
In short, it's the same old/usual cliché involving one of Hollywood's favorite villains/scapegoats: Southerners (it must have been really difficult to include Germans, Serbs or Russians in this one although there are a few jabs against Queen Victoria...).
3) The overly exaggerated relationship/behavior between the two parents. It got tiring very early on.
Nevertheless, despite these setbacks the movie is highly entertaining.
Additionally, the part about how the United States used to be "they" before the Civil War only to become "it" after the Civil War, was very interesting.
The acting, the setting, the plot, the special effects, and the music are all wonderful and along with the mystery that accompanies this film will keep you on your toes throughout the entire movie.
In short, National Treasure 2 Book of Secrets is a movie definitely worth watching as it will surely provide for an evening's entertainment, though it could have easily avoided the mistakes it made. 4.4 Stars
National Treasure 2--Book of Secrets [Posted on 2008-08-18] This was a fun movie to just escape in for the evening. No thought required.
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