More of the same, and I mean that in a kinda good way

Rating: 6/10 (27 January 2008)

Picking up where we left off from the first "National Treasure", Benjamin Gates (Nicholas Cage) and his father Patrick (Jon Voight) are riding high off their successful treasure-finding in the first film. But things change rapidly when girlfriend Abigail (Diane Kruger) leaves him, Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) tries to cash in for himself, and more importantly, an archaeologist named Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris) comes forward with evidence implicating Ben's family in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. As in the first film, Ben enlists the help of his buddies - this time adding his estranged mother (Helen Mirren) - to engage in an improbable globe-trotting expedition to clear his family name, with Mitch and his henchmen in hot pursuit.
"National Treasure: Book of Secrets" is virtually identical to the 2004 original. The same plot, same improbable conspiracy theories, most of the same characters, lots of Goldbergian traps, locks, and devices, and a ridiculous storyline that defeats any attempt to think it through, and if you're the right sort of person, allows you to sit back with a wide grin of incredulity as the madness unspools.
It's hard to describe the appeal of these films. The cast is made up of reasonably talented actors with very slight and ridiculous material. The story makes no sense, and the action scenes are a curious combination of weak (no one actually gets killed except by "accident") and enjoyable. The Masonic conspiracy theories are too far-fetched for even Jim Marrs or Chris Carter to accept (Mount Rushmore was constructed to hide the Seven Cities of Gold? Come on now!). The very idea of someone infiltrating Buckingham Palace or the White House - or kidnapping the President (Bruce Greenwood), however briefly - is just ridiculous. But as resident funny-man Riley so clearly points out: "We make our living off crazy".
In the acting department, Nicholas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, and Jon Voight pretty much give the same performances as they do last time. They're pleasant enough, if not particularly compelling characters to watch, which is all the material requires of them. In the Sean Bean role, Ed Harris chews scenery and spouts a reasonably convincing Southern accent, although his character changes from evil to sympathetic . Fresh from her Oscar win, Helen Mirren tosses off an amusing performance as Ben's mom. Bruce Greenwood contributes a warm grin or two to the proceedings and then bows out. Harvey Keitel's large-ish role in the original as the bemused FBI Agent pursuing Ben and Co. is reduced to a cameo.
So, what can I say? If you liked the first one, you'll like this. They're virtually the same film, and I mean that in a good way - kinda.
6/10