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Movie Review: National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (2007) by Dave

Started by Mike Olbinski · 11 months ago

Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) is at it again.  In National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets, Gates is faced with the accusation that one of his ancestors actually helped in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.  As Gates tries to discover the truth and prove the innocence of his family name, Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris) is trying to use Gates to find ... Continue reading »

7 comments

  • ScottyDub

    11 months ago

    Can't totally agree with your review. On the whole BOS wasn't as good as the first, but it still had the fun, action, and humor that made the first one so good. It also had a lot history/US trivia that makes it a fun movie.

    All in all, I think it was what it was trying to be, a fun family movie.
    reply
  • Mike Olbinski

    11 months ago

    Didn't Dave say that? He liked it for the pure entertainment value?
    reply
  • ScottyDub

    11 months ago

    Yeah, I guess I liked it a little more. Probably would give it 7.5/10.
    reply
  • Sean

    11 months ago

    I saw the first movie and thought it was great. The 2nd one was really good... but I felt it focused too much on Nicolas Cage. I know the storyline revolves around him but it felt like he was in every scene and the rest were cut down. It had funny moments but not as much as the first. It was pure fun but a step down to what made the first movie great. Hopefully the third won't focus so much on Nicolas Cage's character but everyone. Riley's my favorite. I think they downplayed him in this one. I don't know if they do that on purpose though. They do this with sequels sometimes. Down play the 2nd ones ( more entertainment, action) while the third one returns to the glory of the first. Could just be me though.
    reply
  • daddyjason

    11 months ago

    I think the problem I had with the second one was how they started it with Gates and his chick (can't remember her name) being broken up. I think it got the audience started off on the wrong feeling since the last time we saw them we were rooting for them to get together and they were going to live happily ever after then this movie starts and suddenly they aren't together and the audience feels disjointed.

    I guess the filmmakers felt they needed the added tension or something, but I really think it would have been better to make her a partner from the beginning instead of making feel all weird.

    It turned out okay, but not nearly as good as the first one.
    reply
  • rodaniel

    11 months ago

    I can't give a thumbs up to a movie that takes the cool Jon Voigt we saw in "Heat" and emaciates him so thoroughly. And Ed Harris' character becomes so cliched by the end that it's a waste of his talent. Overall, there are far too many implausibilities and the whole thing feels way too contrived. It felt like they invented puzzles for the sake of puzzles, not to further the story in a credible way.

    Honestly, I think Cage was as miscast in this as Hanks was in "The da Vinci Code" - and I'm a big fan of both actors. Cage only worked in an action hero kind of role in "Face/Off" because it relied upon him to be so quirky. These other roles that suppress his quirky to cast him as a straight up action hero just don't wash.
    reply
  • daddyjason

    11 months ago

    I agree with pretty much everything you said except I'm not a big fan of Cage at all.
    reply

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