Weaker and too similar to the original, but still a lot of fun...

Rating: 9/10 (18 August 2008)

The first National Treasure was a truly great movie. Blending Indiana Jones with elements of James Bond and The Da Vinci Code, boasting talented and charismatic actors, and filled with over-the-top American patriotism, it was a perfect entertainment.
The good news is, the sequel is more of the same. The bad news is, it's more of the same. National Treasure 2 is basically the first movie tweaked a little differently and unfortunately a little less interesting. Seriously, it's as if the producers told the screenwriters "all right, we want exactly the same thing, except not exactly, see what I mean?". One of the main problems here is the villain. Ed Harris is a great actor, but his character here is extremely lame and absolute rubbish in comparison to Sean Bean in the first movie. Nicolas Cage seems slightly less enthusiastic about historical stuff and Diane Kruger, while still lovely, doesn't make you fall madly in love with her as in the first film. Harvey Keitel's return is welcome but he ultimately serves little purpose. And finally the treasure hunt and action scenes are considerably less thrilling this time around.
However, the movie still has plenty left for people who enjoyed the first movie. What happens is fun and entertaining, the cast is talented and Helen Mirren's character is a great addition. A lot of what was great in National Treasure returns, which is why this sequel is still very enjoyable and highly recommended by me. So, despite the fact that it's vastly inferior to the original, i still love this film and look forward to National Treasure 3 (hopefully with a little more creativity).