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National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)

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220 comments in total

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142 out of 211 people found the following comment useful :-
Good entertainment, 19 December 2007

Author: good_dn from Singapore

I will keep it short and simple. Just watched it, paid 10$ for it, it is worth it. Not much of details as you would expect out of a great movie, not much of substance in the movie itself however the acting and the pace of the movie is so beautiful you wont think of the flaws in the intricate plans they carry out in the movie. The subtle comedy is really nice and they have kept the first movie in consideration and have not brought many new characters. It is not a movie that you would think a lot about after you come out of the hall, however you will not think anything else either while the movie is going on. I will give it 7 for the sheer value of entertainment and nothing else and of course the one liners that keep popping up which actually make you laugh.

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69 out of 92 people found the following comment useful :-
Nonsense production for an audience without expectations., 26 December 2007

Author: JWJanneck from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I had seen the previous National Treasure, and armed with that memory and the knowledge that this was a Disney movie, I watched its sequel without a great deal of expectations---predictable adventure drivel, Indiana Jones with more modern special effects, is what I expected. But this movie manages to disappoint even fairly modest expectations such as those.

In the end it really comes down to two problems: (1) It doesn't make any sense. (2) The acting is awful.

On (1), I really don't mean to nitpick on historical minutiae---hell, I'd be happy to suspend disbelief for two hours on stuff such as Lincoln's assassination, Mayan treasures, Mount Rushmore geography, and all that other nonsense. No problem there. But the point of a treasure hunt movie is the ability to follow the main character in his struggle, perhaps struggle with him, see him figure things out and perhaps guess with him. For this to work, the universe of the movie doesn't have to be consistent with the world we live in, but it has to be consistent with itself. But the universe of this movie is like a great big fairy tale, with the central character pulling white rabbits out of his sleeve whenever he needs them. Yes, the movie tries its hand at some drama, but it just doesn't work. Things go pretty smoothly for the most part---into the Queen's office, out of it again, oops, we are being chased, heck, let's take a photo, oh no camera, ah, there is a traffic camera, yep and by the way, can you just hack into the computer and download the pic, and on to the next event (same thing with the oval office, then kidnapping the president). While the hero thus McGyvers his way through an increasingly preposterous story, the whole thing just starts to feel stale, and you get the feeling that it might have been better if he had not stolen the Constitution in part 1, so the writers would not have to top this. The villain is lame and for the most part useless, not to speak of somewhat incoherent ("I am not going last, so I might as well go first"---say what?).

None of the story really makes the slightest bit of sense, including the motivation of the hero (to clear the name of his great-great-grandfather---that's why he risks his life, the life of friends and loved ones, not to speak of his own good name by kidnapping a president!). It's all just a steaming pile of nonsense aimed at people who really do not give a damn about story and stuff, but who just want to see a lot of movement/action, high-tech gobbledygook, explosions, and cheap patriotism.

However, as bad as the story was, (2), the bad acting was even worse. Everybody in this movie was disappointing, even a non-actor like Kruger. Her career should end with this movie, over, out, finito. She cannot do it, and it's not been for a lack of opportunity. If you had a consistent record of failure like hers in any regular job, you'd find yourself with a lot of spare time very soon. But even the real actors here just make you cringe---Greenwood, Harris, Mirren, Voight, they all deliver horrible performances that seem to betray their lack of passion and their paycheck mentality. We know they *can* act, we have seen it before, but they just don't in this movie. Keitel comes away without much harm---his part is so tiny, there just isn't a lot of opportunity to screw things up too badly.

Why oh why do they keep making this fluff? Because for some reason we attend it. We go there, drop our cash, and watch this nonsense. I am guilty as charged. But if you haven't seen it, you and your money can still make a difference. Watch a good movie. There are plenty out there.

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90 out of 146 people found the following comment useful :-
An entertaining movie, 24 December 2007

Author: violentsociopath from United States

There are a select few individuals out there that seem to garner everything they know about life from movies, be it political viewpoints, philosophy, etc. and find it objectionable when a movie is produced purely for entertainment purposes. I can't speak for everyone, but as for myself, I don't want to have to pay to have yet another political viewpoint shoved down my throat (CNN/Foxnews broadcasts 24/7 for that), or to be beaten over the head with with the life philosophy of some bazillionaire producer/director that lives in the Ivory Tower that is Hollywood. I can read Zarathustra, the Tao Tse Ching, or even the Bible for that.

When I go to see a movie, I just wan to be entertained, and National Treasure BoS delivers there. Not the best movie I have ever seen, but it was an entertaining escape from reality for two hours and that it was I pay my money for. For me, the best part of the movie wasn't Nic Cage. He has done so many movies, it seems like he has gotten to the point where he is just punching the clock. He doesn't stand out on film, but he isn't horrible either and that is what we get from him here - a very pedestrian workmanlike performance. I would like to think he has another touchstone performance in him like the one he gave in "Leaving Las Vegas", but if he can still keep getting several million per movie just being average, why put in the effort. Diane Kruger was also pretty average. She shined in the first movie, but not so much here.

For me, John Voight, Justin Bartha and Helen Mirren were what made the movie good. John Voight was great. His character was both funny and endearing and the synergy between him and Mirren was palpable. Mirren showed once again why she is arguably the best actress in the business. Justin Bartha was a scene stealer and had some of the funniest lines (along with Voight).

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43 out of 57 people found the following comment useful :-
Wait for the DVD in the WalMart $5 unsorted reject movie box., 23 December 2007
Author: lowershore

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

*****Spoiler Ahead STOP Now*****

This was a classic case of sequel trying to live off the fervor of the original but had gone bad in horrible ways.

So if you want to view this pathetic excuse for a movie stop reading now, go see it, then finish this slash and burn review.

The movie speed was a dreadful snooze for many minutes at a time. I found myself actually more entertained looking around the theater to see if other people were doing the same.

The story started out plausible and there may even be a tiniest shred of actual history to support the artistic privileges the story writers embarked on. Let me think.. Lincolns assassination and a letter from the French to the Confederate Union, 3 statues of Liberty, 2 identical desks (Oval office and in the Queens of England's Office), and Mount Rushmore _IS_ located in South Dakota and not in South America.

I have a SERIOUS beef with this Disney Production on that last one. Everybody who watched this movie left there dumber than they entered. The gullible people out there probably think there is a lake on the top (or within walking distance of the top) of Mount Rushmore. Even WORSE people may actually believe that an ancient Mayan culture lived in South Dakota, built caverns, and then transported and lined them with tons of gold. Sure why not, it's a movie!

The story leaped from Dad's house, to the Gates' mansion, to Paris, to London, to University of Maryland, to the White House, to a Presidential retreat, to the Library of Congress, to Mount Rushmore, to a Lake *on* Mount Rushmore... all seemingly in a span of a day or two. I guess it is technically possible to zip around the world like that but jet lag would have surely taken its toll... yet everybody seemed fine. The one place they did not get even remotely close to was South America. Hello! The major story line leaned heavily on the Mayan civilization. WTF?

Seems the story writers (perhaps in response to the critics) wanted to liven up the snooze screen play so they injected a ridiculous car chase. Complete with self repairing cars, drifting sequences, bullets at point blank range that hit everything but the target, and my new favorite... using the red light camera to take a photo (then getting that photo back later) of Mayan writing at high speeds. Yeah... right.

Ed Harris should have stayed out of this one. His performance mechanics were fine but the story writers simply didn't know what to do with him. Seemed as if the original plot had him doing more but huge chunks of character development were left on the cutting room floor.. well, we can hope that. This might have been the best the writers could have mustered.

Abigale was useless. Oh, she had her 60 seconds of lines but that was about it. The story writers made a horribly obvious "fix" to the story using her. She just magically appeared in the right place (she was in the States earlier) and the right time without any coordination to help Benjamen sneak into the Queens office. Plausibility... Zero.

Riley was cute and lovable as before. The writers tried overly hard to capitalize on this comedic charm. What the heck... he's pretty handy with an IPod and a laptop.

Benjamen, as a positive role model for a _Disney_ film, should go to jail. Let's count the offenses: Speeding, reckless driving, theft, trespassing, destruction of property, conspiracy to kidnap, and kidnapping. Disney thinks this is all fine since he's the "hero" after all. Thanks Disney!

I have no idea why the Feds were in this film. They didn't do anything until the very end... but that was only after Benjamen called them.

The "book" was a pathetic story prop. They could have used a spoon or pile of play dough. If only the book had been used throughout the movie... Nope, that would take real story writing skills.

Nitpicks... 1) I doubt "duplicated" cell phones really allow you to receive a call in two locations at once. 2) The story title "Book of Secrets" relates to a book that had a total of 30 seconds relevance (I am being generous here) to the whole story. 3) Cliché, the bad guys hijack ridiculous vehicles in a high speed chase. In this case a truck loaded with kegs of beer. 4) Security in the Queens Office seems laughable. Just walk in, take what you want and walk out. 5) Riley can remotely unlock security gates and set off fire alarms from a restroom. Seems the Disney group has a low opinion of British security. 6) Riley also has super human strength. He picked up a block of gold and by the look of it should have been about 400lbs. 7) Cliché, "let's turn this spinner/lever thing and see what happens"... not once.. but 5 freaking times.... yawn. 8) Hey.. didn't they have one of those rolling doors in Indiana Jones? 9) Oh sh*t we're all going to drown... panic!!! Let's all go to the lowest point in this crisis and speed up the drownings. What's that? A glimpse of sunlight from above? How about treading water until things fill up so you can walk out. Nope can't do that. Got to have another unnecessary plot complication to wipe out the useless bad guy.

Summing up. The "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" will join the ranks of sequel movie blunders. Story writers never made clear why chasing after this lost city of gold would prove that Gate's great great grandfather was not a Confederate collaborator. WTF is up with this lake on Rushmore and this Mayan culture. Generally, the story was fragmented, slow, clichés everywhere, gross leaps from plausibility, and a disgustingly irresponsible display of story telling by Disney.

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40 out of 55 people found the following comment useful :-
Decent film, 31 December 2007

Author: AllTheMountains from United States

National Treasure: Book of Secrets is a decent film. Nothing more, nothing less. I came out of the theater content, and yet by the next hour I'd forgotten much of what had taken place. Such is the case for most films now, however.

Compared to the first film, the plot is weak (certainly not as tightly drawn as the former) but the energy is the same and the humor is the same, and overall it's still as watchable as the first. Helen Mirren and Ed Harris were also very good, and somewhat surprising, additions to the cast.

Essentially, the movie is on the ridiculous/unbelievable side, but it's worth a watch. I don't think I'd pay another 10 dollars to see it again in theaters, but waiting for a rental will do.

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58 out of 92 people found the following comment useful :-
Fun and Entertaining, 27 December 2007

Author: tabuno from utah

Safe fun entertainment where people don't get killed, just cars and so forth. The thrills and chills are little less potent, the jokes a bit too cute, and Ed Harris' character is a little ambiguous by the end as if Harris is getting a little tired of the stereotype he has played in movie after movie. There is some drama, though perhaps not enough and the funny comedy doesn't always seem to balance the adventure aspect. Overall, though the movie was enjoyable, fun, a thrill ride if not completely transporting into the Indiana Jones realm. Boring it was not, but a bit manipulative, not as edgy, not as dramatic as it could have been. A nice way to keep the Christmas winter blues away in the end. Seven out of Ten Stars.

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110 out of 200 people found the following comment useful :-
Oh look, a little golden man…National Treasure: Book of Secrets, 23 December 2007

Author: babubhaut from buffalo, ny, usa

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

National Treasure: Book of Secrets will always be known as the film that prevented Helen Mirren from meeting Queen Elizabeth after the success of The Queen. I mean really, I would have made the same choice, because this film is truly high art. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the first installment for its poor-man's Indiana Jones feel mixed with glossy effects and convoluted plot lines (Bruckheimerisms as I like to call them) and for the most part had fun with this one. Well that is until the discovery was complete, then the film just dragged on and on for what seemed like hours. This is a Disney film people, you know they will find the treasure and all will be well with the world. Therefore, all the intrigue and the discoveries to find the location of their desire, complete with massively annoying cross cuts between four different locales and ten different characters every five minutes, was totally subverted by the ending's adventure nonsense with no stakes because we all know how it would turn out. There were two things going for it though, I became real nostalgic for "Legends of the Hidden Temple" and found out that yes, Lyle Lovett is still alive.

I give director Jon Turteltaub and screenwriters The Wibberleys credit for coming up with some real interesting set pieces and situations for our adventurers to partake in. Weaving the Lincoln assassination with ancient Native American lore and United States historical mythology and rumor is quite a feat and it is successfully handled in my opinion. What goes wrong here is the whole mentality that sequels need to be bigger and better. The first film achieved a sort of balance with its amount of characters, but this one just goes too far. We have to now work in the President and our hero's mother, who just happens to be one of a handful of people that can decipher the language needed to complete their quest, not to mention throwing Harvey Keitel a bone by giving him five minutes of screen time just so we have continuity with a friendship from the previous story. Honestly, while I enjoyed National Treasure, I never asked for a part two, and I don't think too many people did. Unfortunately, however, it appears we will probably be seeing a part three in the future if the setup here means anything.

The movie is if nothing else a good time. I admit to being a big Nicolas Cage fan and enjoy his over-the-top shenanigans—they are in full force here and I loved the scene at Buckingham Palace that showcased them. Also, Justin Bartha is priceless as the hapless and under-appreciated partner. His expressions and one-liners really add a much-needed dimension here. The rest of the cast is adequate if very underused. There are a lot of familiar faces with thankless roles and many famous ones with little to do. Diane Kruger looks gorgeous as usual, but her role is more female in distress than really adding anything necessary to finding the treasure, unless you count watering rocks.

So, in the end, this film is going to be huge regardless of quality. If you liked the first, you will have a good time. It is not an Oscar winner or any Nobel Prize winning commentary, it's just a good old-fashioned mindless romp. As far as action/adventure goes, you could do much worse. With some great laughs and some really fascinating connections from history, you may actually learn something on the journey. Never preaching its intelligence, you are allowed to glean nuggets of truth at the same time as the characters that are still in the dark do. Fun is fun, and as far as that goes this one succeeds, despite the fact that it doesn't in any other cinematic category.

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30 out of 41 people found the following comment useful :-
What A Disney Disaster! Another Sterile Movie For the Masses!, 28 December 2007

Author: liberalgems from Baltimore, Maryland

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

There's so much wrong about this pitiful film I don't know where to start! As an adult, I found National Treasure: Book of Secrets the most boring movie I have seen on the big screen all year. I had to use every ounce of will power not to walk out of the theater and demand my money back!

Before the movie even started, I was forced to sit through an infuriatingly dopey Disney cartoon, which was nothing more than a not-so-subtle commercial for expensive T.V. and stereo equipment. It went on and on and on. Finally I had to close my eyes in order not to get overly aggravated! Wow! How low Disney has sunk to make a buck.

The story was written to the level of a 10 year old! There's close to nothing to entertain an adult. It's a blatant and poorly done rip-off of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

I can deal with a story that's preposterous if it's enjoyable. But kidnapping the president by walking him through a tunnel. How exciting! Finding a Central or South American city hidden thousands of miles away in the Badlands of South Dakota! Yikes!, how insulting to all the Plains Indian tribes can you get? Or, how dumb do you think the American movie going audience is? Can at least a modicum of reality seep into the story?

The special affects are so trite! The props look so fake that I thought they were using an amusement park to film this movie. I was waiting for a water slide to show up any moment!

The acting was pitiful! Nicholas Cage had such a painful look throughout the movie I though he must either be embarrassed or ashamed of himself for stooping so low. I realize actors need to make a living. But he, of all people, can pick and choose his film projects.

The only good thing I could think of is the scene with President and a cameo of a Hillary Clinton look-alike at the President's birthday party. Since the Hillary cameo was having such a good time at the party, it can be assumed the Democrats won the 2008 election!

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56 out of 94 people found the following comment useful :-
National Treasure: Book of Secrets Movie Review, 20 December 2007

Author: joel massie (MoviePulse_dot_net) from www.MoviePulse.net

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer have dived yet again into their secret book to pull out a map that leads to treasures of vast fortune. No, not a legendary city of gold, but the riches that come from storming the box office. National Treasure: Book of Secrets is everything a big budget adventure sequel should be. A bigger story and better action help make Book of Secrets a surprising end of the year crowd pleaser.

Setting out to clear his ancestor's name, Ben Gates is back in treasure-hunting action to unequivocally prove that his family had nothing to do with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. With his usual cohorts Riley, Abigail and his father, Patrick Gates, the trio must race against the clock to stop a new enemy, Mitch Wilkinson, from uncovering an ancient treasure before they can, or forever risk the Gates name being associated with the death of one of America's greatest presidents.

A hit for Nicholas Cage has been long overdue. Spanning nearly two full years making dud after dud, Cage is back and in good form, even if a sequel to the massively successful National Treasure was a safe no-brainer. Book of Secrets is just as outlandishly fun as its predecessor, one-upping the original by having the principle characters break into Buckingham Palace and even kidnap the President of the United States! Kudos have to be handed over to screenwriters Cormac and Marianne Wibberley for crafting such a big adventure, yet staying true to the themes that director John Turtletaub and company established with the first National Treasure. Even though their new adventure takes the entourage of talented character actor's across the globe, Book of Secrets manages to keep this treasure hunt a uniquely American tale. Just wait until you see where our government hid one of the most famed and sought after treasures of all time! Upping the production value from the last film, Book of Secrets is crammed packed with puzzles, car chases and exciting action sequences to help keep the film filled with riveting adventure from opening to closing frame. John Turtletaub has again done a great job of keeping the manic pace of the film frantic and fun, even if there are a few solitary moments when the picture starts to feel the weight of its lengthy running time.

While the returning cast again does a stellar job continuing their characters, newcomers to the series Ed Harris and Hellen Mirren are welcomed additions to the story. While Harris is perfectly suited for the role, his character, Mitch Wilkinson, seems to be the only weak link to the story. Wilkinson seems like a very torn individual. One minute the dastardly villain is opening fire on our heroes, vowing to end their lives to get at the treasure, and the next he is helping them! Luckily the picture's best moments don't hinge on confrontations between Cage and Harris. The real fun of National Treasure has always been watching as the characters solve some of history's most challenging puzzles. Book of Secrets is assuredly no different, keeping audiences on their toes and tantalizing them with conspiracy theories that will likely continue the franchise forward.

Between massive Pirate's plunder and uncovering buried National Treasure, 2007 aims to be a financially lucrative year for Disney's live action department. With surprises at every turn, Book of Secrets has established National Treasure as a viable and fun adventure franchise, making the film a must see holiday blockbuster that the whole family can enjoy.

-Joe Russo

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36 out of 58 people found the following comment useful :-
Fun Book of Secrets, 28 December 2007

Author: jon.h.ochiai (jochiai@socal.rr.com) from Los Angeles, CA

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This time around in "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" Benjamin Gates (Nicholas Cage) and his father Patrick (Jon Voight) exonerate the good name of Great Grandfather Gates for the heinous assassination coup of Abraham Lincoln. Ed Harris's Mitch Wilkinson makes this startling allegation along with possessing incriminating evidence of a long held family letter. Also in prescribed convoluted fashion clearing the Gates family name explicably leads to the search for the mythical City of Gold thought to be built by Native American Ancestors. Go figure. Clues to The City of Gold are uncovered from the desks of the Queen of England and the Oval Office itself. The key to The City of Gold and the Lincoln Conspiracy is concealed in the ubiquitous Book of Secrets—an urban legend of sorts. The Book of Secrets originated in the Hayes Administration, and consequently handed down to each succeeding President. Apparently, this Book documents all of our National Secrets running the gamut from Area 51 to the final Warren Commission Report. To obtain The Book of Secrets, Ben must kidnap the President of the United States. No problem.

Director Jon Turteltaub's "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" takes a while to throttle into overdrive, and it is the story set up that is most captivating. "Book of Secrets" has one of the most complex writing credits involving The Wibberleys among at least 4 other writers. This kluge of writers wildly veers in story coherence; however, they context some of the most amazing facts from American history. Or at least I think they do. Then again this is an entertaining action movie, so pointing out this failing is rather pointless.

Personally the highlight of the movie was not the chase car scenes or the deadly balancing stone platform, rather the conversation between Gates and the awesome Bruce Greenwood as the President in the hidden tunnels of Mount Vernon. Cage and Greenwood are compelling and smart in their discussion of The Book of Secrets. And as my bud Peter pointed out, there is perhaps a clue leading to the movie's sequel. The rest of "Book of Secrets" is cookie cutter action albeit excellently executed. The acting is impeccable. Joining Oscar winners Cage and Voight is Helen Mirren as Professor Emily Appleton, who is Ben's mother. The scenes with Voight and Mirren are classic and amazing.

Returning in "Book of Secrets" are Diane Kruger as Abigail Chase and Justin Bartha as Riley Poole. Abigail (Chase) and Ben apparently did not live happily ever after since "National Treasure". We learn that Abigail has asked Ben to move out of their estate. Riley suffers an income tax debacle since obtaining his share of the last treasure. He has written a book of his exploits, but still remains in the shadow of big Ben. However, all band together to clear the Gates family name and determine the location of the mysterious City of Gold. Cage, Voight, Kruger, and Bartha are good here, but do not lend any insight or depth to their characters. Again, this may not have been a priority for this movie. Cage has the right balance of smart ass and hero that works. He does so with ease and humor. Jon Voight and Helen Mirren nearly steal the movie.

"National Treasure: Book of Secrets" will not win any award. However, it is a wild ride, very entertaining, and visually stunning. Yes, it is needlessly convoluted. Just enjoy the ride.

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