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I was really excited to see this movie come out as I really liked the first one. It is hard to find a good action show that is also very 'clean' for the whole family to watch. This series has done an excellent job at that. While I did enjoy the movie, I didn't think it was nearly as good as the first. I agree that they did rush through the scenes of finding the clues in the desks. He just happened to lay down under the desk without looking around it first, just happened to pull the drawer out from under it and see the numbers, then recognize them as a combination, then just happened to get the combination right on the 2nd try. Again, they could have played this part out a bit more so it didn't feel so contrived. I also left not knowing what to think of Ed Harris' character. Here is a person that, throughout the show, played someone who had no problem killing to get what he wanted. In the end (without giving away any details) it felt like they wanted you to like him or think of him as a good guy. I really feel they needed to make up their mind on this character. He did a good job acting the part, but the character could have used a bit more work. Overall a great family watch and I will watch the next one when it comes out!Read full review
There are several excellent reviews, as well as some rushed ones, of this movie already in the Reviews & Guides. What they all have in common is the 5-star rating they give this movie. I give the movie 4 stars, not because I didn't thoroughly enjoy the movie, but because I feel that the differences from National Treasure #1 were not changes for the better. Specifically, there are far less quirky details about American history, the founding fathers and unique pieces of Americana. This has been replaced with a lot more bantering between spouses, Ben Gates and his sometimes estranged wife, Abigail, and now Ben's parents (played admirably by Jon Voigt and Helen Mirren). The plot revolves around Ben's struggle to clear a direct ancestor of complicity in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. While the National Treasure premise is based on some incredible coincidences and unrealistic encounters, all in fun of course, National Treasure 2 really pushes the envelope with break-ins at Buckingham Palace and the Oval Office and ultimately, kidnapping of the President of the United States. Kudos to Ed Harris, as always, for a sterling supporting performance as the "villain" of this installment.Read full review
The Book of Secrets was a good follow-up movie to the first movie, but left me a little disappointed in places. Actually, for the theatrical release, the film was called "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," but for the DVD release, the title was changed to "National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets." With a film this big, you first have to be able to sell the audience on the idea and then work to make it believable. This just did not happen for me. Nicholas Cage is always perfect for this role and he always seems to fit the part, but the others in this movie were very outside of the movie. There was a bit problems early on when the Director of photography Amir M. Mokri was replaced by John Schwartzman several months into shooting. This was reportedly due to "creative differences" between Mokri and director Jon Turteltaub. The hardest thing for me to buy as a film viewer was why The President was so eager the go along with Ben Gates (Cage) about exploring the secret passageway. Well, firstly The President mentions that he was an Architecture History major at Yale, so secret passageways (especially under such a historical site as Mount Vernon) would be of extraordinary interest to him. In the first film, the gold was given to the people of the world by Gates. It wasn't as if Gates was a regular person out of the blue. So he was a bit famous, which helped the president trust him. We must suspend our disbelief, however, to imagine that he would join Gates without a Secret Service agent. Coupled with this is the fact that Gates was famous for doing just what they did; exploring old buildings and such. In light of this, he would probably be the closest thing to an expert that there was and, therefore, the President would probably feel safe with him. Actually, Bruce Greenwood, who played the President, previously played President John F Kennedy in the movie Thirteen Days (2000). Funny things exist, but the coincidence of overlapping commonalities between this film and The Rock (1996) are stunning: #1. The man who has his Range Rover stolen by Mitch Wilkinson is costumer Hans Georg Struhar. His cameo is also an in-joke: his Humvee was stolen in The Rock (1996) as well, a film also produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and also starring Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris. 2. In The Rock (1996), Nicholas Cage's character is given information that leads him to a hidden roll of microfilm containing government secrets, including information about the Kennedy assassination (just as the "Book of Secrets" contains). Ed Harris plays the villain in both films. 3. This is the second movie in which Cage sees proof of some of America's greatest conspiracy theories, such as Area 51 and the John F. Kennedy assassination. The other was The Rock (1996). Coincidently, the main antagonist in both films is played by Ed Harris. Also, Nicholas Cage has won an Academy Award for "Leaving Las Vegas" (1995) and the actor and actress who played his parents (Jon Voight and Helen Mirren) are also Academy Award winners for "Coming Home" (1978) and "The Queen" (2006), respectively. Some parts, including the ending, were very slow and cumbersome to watch. The Father and Mother bickering interaction thing was very distracting to the plot and made it quite unpleasant to see them together at the end of film. The supposed Kidnapping of the Pres. was a little too far-fetched for even me. I'll give this a 3/5 rating. IF YOU LIKE MY REVIEWS PLEASE FEEL TO LET ME KNOW BY VOTING.THANKSRead full review
If you liked the first one, you will like this one! Another action packed Nicholas Cage thrill ride. This movie seemed a little more far fetched than the first one, just because you knew what to expect so they had to make it a little more fantastic than before. My biggest complaint about this movie is the way in which Nicolas Cage's character puts some of these "clues" together so easily. It's awfully amazing how he can take some fantastic clue and be able to follow it so easily. I took my wife, and two boys (10 & 7) and we all had a wonderful time. Our 7 year old found a couple of areas 'scary' but it was more just the music and the threat that something bad could happen. All in all, it's a very family friendly movie that all the members of your family should enjoy.Read full review
Benjamin Franklin Gates and crew are back - not in search of treasure so much as in clearing Gate's ancestor of plotting Lincoln's assassination. The good news is that the original cast is intact and adds Helen Mirren. Of course, there must be a new villian and Ed Harris, as usual, dominates the screen. As in the first, the race is on and again spans a great part of the globe. At the end of the search there may be a treasure after all and the way is left open for another sequel - based on page 47 of the Book of Secrets. In fact, hints as to what the book includes could provide enough plots to make this franchise equal that of James Bond. One quibble: There is a similarity between the climaxes of this and the previous movie, as though the imaginations of the creators were exhausted. Be more original next time, fellas.Read full review
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