A movie with Helen Mirren, Jon Voight, Ed Harris, Harvey Keitel, and the underappreciated Bruce Greenwood is sure to warrant critical acclaim. But, for some reason I don’t see the cast of National Treasure: Book of Secrets walking down any red carpets. That’s not to say Book of Secrets won’t make a load of money, because it will, having already brought in $150 million after two weeks in theatres.
The film is a sequel, and follows the basic formula of the first movie.
Benjamin Gates (Nicholas Cage) is still looking for treasure that will bring honor to his family name. Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) is still tagging along for comic relief and tech support. Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger) is still providing sex appeal, and that’s about it.
The old villain was replaced by Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris), who tries to bring depth to the generic bad guy role and does a poor job in his tear jerker moment. Also late to the party was Emily Appleton (Helen Mirren), the mother of Benjamin Gates, who is delightful in her interactions with x-husband Patrick Gates (Jon Voight).
It would be pointless for me to delve into the plot beyond saying it has something to do with the assassination of President Lincoln and a lost city of gold. The action ranges from plausible (yes, Benjamin Gates would wear sunglasses when it’s sunny outside), to the ridiculous (a book of secrets), to reaching the point of Bruckheimer fantasy land (using the President’s love of history in order to ditch his secret service detail and kidnap him).
These plot points wouldn’t be so unbearable if it didn’t seem like the lead was just going through the motions. Cage phones in his performance with lackluster indignation, failed attempts at charm, and sincerity akin to my reaction when my mom requests that I take her seriously. The one highlight for Cage is when he’s pretending to be drunk and starts talking in a British accent. Harris is ill-suited for his role, and while Voight and Bartha are winsome sidekicks, the most enjoyable seens focus on the family interactions.
I wasn’t expecting Raiders of the Lost Ark when I went to see this movie, but I was hoping Book of Secrets wouldn’t lose all the juice of its predecessor. There are virtually no moments where you stop and enjoy the conspiracy that’s being laid out, and that’s from someone who has faith in everything Dan Brown writes. This movie may or may not be worth a trip to the theatres, but it’s definitely something to watch when it comes to USA or some other cable channel in two years.
The film is a sequel, and follows the basic formula of the first movie.
Benjamin Gates (Nicholas Cage) is still looking for treasure that will bring honor to his family name. Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) is still tagging along for comic relief and tech support. Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger) is still providing sex appeal, and that’s about it.The old villain was replaced by Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris), who tries to bring depth to the generic bad guy role and does a poor job in his tear jerker moment. Also late to the party was Emily Appleton (Helen Mirren), the mother of Benjamin Gates, who is delightful in her interactions with x-husband Patrick Gates (Jon Voight).
It would be pointless for me to delve into the plot beyond saying it has something to do with the assassination of President Lincoln and a lost city of gold. The action ranges from plausible (yes, Benjamin Gates would wear sunglasses when it’s sunny outside), to the ridiculous (a book of secrets), to reaching the point of Bruckheimer fantasy land (using the President’s love of history in order to ditch his secret service detail and kidnap him).
These plot points wouldn’t be so unbearable if it didn’t seem like the lead was just going through the motions. Cage phones in his performance with lackluster indignation, failed attempts at charm, and sincerity akin to my reaction when my mom requests that I take her seriously. The one highlight for Cage is when he’s pretending to be drunk and starts talking in a British accent. Harris is ill-suited for his role, and while Voight and Bartha are winsome sidekicks, the most enjoyable seens focus on the family interactions.
I wasn’t expecting Raiders of the Lost Ark when I went to see this movie, but I was hoping Book of Secrets wouldn’t lose all the juice of its predecessor. There are virtually no moments where you stop and enjoy the conspiracy that’s being laid out, and that’s from someone who has faith in everything Dan Brown writes. This movie may or may not be worth a trip to the theatres, but it’s definitely something to watch when it comes to USA or some other cable channel in two years. 
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