NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS (2007)

[rra]

NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS (2007) - **1/2

I complained before in my NATIONAL TREASURE review of how ludacris that whole plot set-up for the treasure was.

Now having seen its sequel BOOK OF SECRETS, I spoke way way way too soon about "ridiculous."

I mean, at least that whole set-up of the Templar/Mason treasure made simplistic sense, even if perhaps too exaggerated. But now with SECRETS, where Cental/South American ancient peoples build a city of gold up in South Dakota to Queen Victoria helping the Confederacy to George A. Custer searching for the city itself, quite frankly the clues and scheme of BOOK OF SECRETS makes no sense at all.

The primary problem I felt with the first TREASURE picture was how for such an adventure story, it felt lukewarm. To put it another way, An undercooked action tempo that never ignited. Starting from the car-chase in London, I quit trying to logically comprehend the story and simply went with the visual narrative like I did with Brian DePalma's MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE.

Director John Turtletaub continues and actually improves his competent direction from the previous picture by hooking me into chase after chase which distracted me enough to quit wondering how someone can digitally control Buckingham Palace as easily as an electric razor. At least that sidekick is actually useful and meaningful this time around beyond being the one-liner machine with feet.

What pushes BOOK OF SECRETS though into a passively entertaining time at the theatres is Ed Harris.

For such great actors involved and not given much to work with, Harris takes nothing and uses his awesome presence and masculine charisma to actually accelerate the film's tension by himself. From THE RIGHT STUFF to THE ABYSS to APOLLO 13 and to the recent GONE BABY GONE, Harris is currently the best working-American actor have never won an Oscar.

Now that's a bigger disgrace than Nic Cage's haircut.

There is other throwaways I enjoyed, from Cage going hyperbole with an argument at the Palace to Helen Mirren's fighting with Jon Voight, to the underrated Bruce Greenwood being awesome in his (too) brief shots as the President.*

In a way, I actually sorta enjoyed BOOK OF SECRETS, for it had something that was absent in TREASURE.....moments of real narrative energy. Plus, the American theatrical release is tagged with a new charming Goofy "How to..."cartoon, so that's a plus.

Though I must say, is it a problem if I liked that toon joker at the Home Entertainment System more than I did the movie?

*=Anyone think its weird how the "Book of Secrets" has a chapter on the JFK assassination, whom Greenword portrayed in THIRTEEN DAYS?

[Indigocrates]

Bah. Philistine.

[Jason Todd Grisham]

rra said:

Director John Turtletaub continues and actually improves his competent direction from the previous picture...

I think that's because he figured out how James Cameron would shoot those scenes.

...

I'm sorry, I just can't help referencing that.

[rra]

a2j88 said:

rra said:

Director John Turtletaub continues and actually improves his competent direction from the previous picture...

I think that's because he figured out how James Cameron would shoot those scenes.

...

I'm sorry, I just can't help referencing that.

You know what's sad? My mind initially went blank regarding your reference.

[Jason Todd Grisham]

One of my friends went to see this, his short little blurb was that it was decent. Pretty much what a sequel should do. Which is feature the characters from the last film, doing the same things from the last film turned up to 11.

Maybe I'll give it a shot when it comes out on DVD. Till then I just bought the Dollars Trilogy and need to get through that tomorrow or Saturday.

[Seth Drakin of Monster Crap]

The first movie kinda bored me.....but then again, I normally get bored watching Nicolas Cage act.

[Push R Truth]

zillawrath said:

The first movie kinda bored me.....but then again, I normally get bored watching Nicolas Cage act.

He acts?


I always thought he was just a piece of meat hooked up to puppet strings.

[Dynamite Kid]

This film must've sucked so abd they didn't even release it over here.

[rra]

dynamitekid said:

This film must've sucked so abd they didn't even release it over here.

Or it got dumped to DVD.

[rra]

a2j88 said:

One of my friends went to see this, his short little blurb was that it was decent. Pretty much what a sequel should do. Which is feature the characters from the last film, doing the same things from the last film turned up to 11.

Maybe I'll give it a shot when it comes out on DVD. Till then I just bought the Dollars Trilogy and need to get through that tomorrow or Saturday.

THE MAN WITH NO NAME trilogy is top priority.

Forget the kids, forget the wife, kick the dog out, Sir Eastwood demands your attention!

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

rra said:

of how ludacris that whole plot set-up for the treasure was.

Have yet to see the sequel, but the first gets 2 out of five BLAOWS.

[rra]

radioclash5150 said:

rra said:

of how ludacris that whole plot set-up for the treasure was.

Have yet to see the sequel, but the first gets 2 out of five BLAOWS.

So it would be a 2 out of Mike's 5 Finger Scale?*

*=Yeah, random LAST BOY SCOUT reference.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

rra said:

radioclash5150 said:

Have yet to see the sequel, but the first gets 2 out of five BLAOWS.

So it would be a 2 out of Mike's 5 Finger Scale?*

*=Yeah, random LAST BOY SCOUT reference.

That's about accurate.

[4real]

I'm surprised they released a sequal for this, seeing as the first one was easily one of the most boring films i've ever seen. Different strokes i guess.

[rra]

4real said:

I'm surprised they released a sequal for this, seeing as the first one was easily one of the most boring films i've ever seen. Different strokes i guess.

A sequel was made because the first picture made a treasure chest worth of cash.

[rrm15]

I saw this with my friends last week and we just laughed and made fun of the movie the whole time. To this day, we'll randomly just say "He doesn't NEED his guns" or "Where are my sledgehammers?!?!?!" ALL the time and start cracking up.

[rra]

rrm15 said:

I saw this with my friends last week and we just laughed and made fun of the movie the whole time. To this day, we'll randomly just say "He doesn't NEED his guns" or "Where are my sledgehammers?!?!?!" ALL the time and start cracking up.

Ha.

Though not as fun as LAST BOY SCOUT quoting, I'm sure.

"We're dealing here with the inventor of Scrabble."

[Sickfit, King Of The Fits]

While I find the facts somewhat intriguing, the plot was incredibly stupid. One, if Ben Gates is already a celebrity for finding the first treasure, how can he get past a guard at the president's party and not get rejected?

And why the hell would the president care about the City Of Gold? He already found the City of Oil in Baghdad.

The only thing that kept the movie going was the abrupt moments of action and Ed Harris taking his role way too seriously (Mr. Wilkinson, you can't win just by punching everyone in the underground Incan lair). However, Nic Cage acting all British and going nuts was "sorta" funny and I still find Diane Kruger's American accent totally ridiculous (But she is hot when wet).

I give the moment a 1.5 stars out of 5.

[rra]

onedollarchampion said:

While I find the facts somewhat intriguing, the plot was incredibly stupid. One, if Ben Gates is already a celebrity for finding the first treasure, how can he get past a guard at the president's party and not get rejected?

And why the hell would the president care about the City Of Gold? He already found the City of Oil in Baghdad.

The only thing that kept the movie going was the abrupt moments of action and Ed Harris taking his role way too seriously (Mr. Wilkinson, you can't win just by punching everyone in the underground Incan lair). However, Nic Cage acting all British and going nuts was "sorta" funny and I still find Diane Kruger's American accent totally ridiculous (But she is hot when wet).

I give the moment a 1.5 stars out of 5.

(1) You know, that's a very good question. I mean, from the movies and TV show, Indiana Jones has been involved with every famous person of the early 20th century by sheer coincidence, and nobody remembers him.

Then again, he's mother f***in INDIANA JONES. He's that awesome. I would eject Nic Cage from my party for simply being Nic Cage...and for that lame GONE FOR 60 SECONDS remake.

(2) True, but the City of Gold would be a nice PR distration from the not-so-sound venture over at Baghdad.

(3) You're right about that finale with Harris....or how he gets credit because he goes from villain to hero at the last moment?

Quite honestly, if some guy beat up my father at his house, I wouldn't give him credit just out of spite, saving my ass or not.

But hey, those Hollywood types love that "forget & love" stuff, so what do I know?

(4) I think they should have played off the fact that Krueger is German, or of that heritage. I mean, if these adventure pictures have roughly been told before (and better), make it interesting within the small details. That's what I would have done.

Hell, remember that scene when Cage goes off about why he has to find his ancestor innocent?

"What if someone called your dead grandfather a NAZI?"

See, I would have automatically bought her joining the quest if he had said that.