ReviewColumn’s rating :

Let me state for the record that I never bothered to watch the first National Treasure movie after I knew it was a Disney film, turns out it’s a good thing I did. However, I got dragged along to watch this sequel released 3 years after the original film since I didn’t have anything else to do on Christmas’s eve. Hence, I was slightly skeptical when I stepped into the theater to watch National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Unfortunately, my doubts turned out to be true.

No offence Disney, but you’d be better off sticking with movies and shows for children rather than trying to produce movies like National Treasure which are aimed at a more mature audience. The movie was pretty much a typical Disney production. There’s a good guy (in the form of renowned treasure hunter Benjamin Gates played by Nicholas Cage) whose great-great-grandfather’s name has been tarnished when a bad guy (Mitch Wilkinson, played by Ed Harris) convinces everyone that he was the mastermind behind the Lincoln assassination. So, he sets out to search for some treasure to prove his great-great-grandfather’s innocence and solves many clues along the way and overcomes many obstacles with his estranged girlfriend, Abigail (played by Diane Kruger) and good friend, Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) (how finding a treasure helps, I’m not all too sure). Then, midway through, the bad guy tries to track his movements as he wants to search for the treasure himself. However, in the end, he has to work with Gates to find the treasure, in the process of doing so, the bad guy eventually dies and everyone lives happily ever after.

Watching the show ultimately feels like you’re playing an Xbox adventure game since you have to find clues and solve mysteries and ultimately find a reward at the end of the day as you battle through various obstacles. Sounds great, only problem is that you’re watching someone else play the game and he’s obviously using some cheat code since Gates can solve every puzzle presented to him in a matter of seconds. The story and plot is pretty childish since everything doesn’t make much sense and much of it is only there to help move the movie along. For example, midway through the film, Gates “kidnaps” the president to gain some information he needs and ends up releasing him after that. However, after that he easily evades capture, and can still travel all the way to the Mount Rushmore monument without anyone bothering about him. And you’d think someone would have noticed the hidden entrance to the treasure by now if it’s located at Mount Rushmore.

The acting in the film is pretty good, with many bits of comedy thrown in for good measure. At least there isn’t really any part that’d make me want to cringe. The scenes depicting the underground cave the group has to travel through and other special scenes look pretty good and the effects are definitely top notch, especially the scene depicting the treasure at the end (I won’t spoil it for you). All in all, if you try and forget all the inconsistencies within the plot, it’s a pretty good film.

All in all, this is a pretty mediocre film at best and is something you’d see on Disney channel in the future anyway. My advice is that it’s not worth your money to go watch it in a cinema, wait for it to premiere on Disney channel or rent a DVD at most if you must when it’s released. If you’re really really bored, National Treasure: Book of Secrets isn’t a complete waste of your time and money though.

Click here to buy this DVD
Rate this movie, give us your rating:
(2 votes, average: 2 out of 5)
 Loading ...