Naff as hell, but its so entertaining!

Rating: 7/10 (11 February 2008)

The National Treasure are summed up in two words, guilty pleasure. On first look the two movies are nothing more than cheesy, over the top nonsense, The Da Vinci Code for morons if you will. However, when you actually sit and watch these films I can almost guarantee you'll smile, you'll be entertained, and most importantly you won't regret spending two hours watching the film. I really enjoyed the first movie, and so when a second movie was announced was looking forward to it. I left the first film smiling like a buffoon, today I did exactly the same thing. Sure I had lots of criticisms in my head, the plot for example does not entirely make sense, but the action and puzzle solving are just so ridiculously infectious you get caught up in the film. The performances are also quite lively and engrossing, Nicolas Cage is clearly enjoying himself once again and Dame Helen Mirren makes a welcome addition to the cast. Sure if you look deep enough you'll get irritated by the nonsensical plot, the ease that Gates manages to break into Buckingham Palace and the puzzles they have to solve. But if you are one of those people, a regular cinema goer in other words, who can just sit back, relax and prepare yourself to be entertained, then you will find much to enjoy in National Treasure: Book of Secrets.
Okay let me return to the performances then. Nicolas Cage is fast re-earning my respect. At one point I would quite happily see him give up acting, The Wicker Man remake just left me mortified. But thanks to Next, which like this is naff but fun, and now National Treasure 2, Cage seems to be on top form. Sure he's not going to win Oscars, and he is starting to look a bit past his best, but he has an infectious enthusiasm about him. Just watch the scene in Buckingham Palace where he gives the English accent a bad name, its a cheesy scene, but its fun because of Cage. He also has great chemistry with the majority of the cast as well. Diane Kruger unfortunately lets the side down a bit, she's a lot better than she was in the original movie, but she is still a very bland actress and I don't think the movie really suits her anyway. Justin Bartha as Riley doesn't feel as fun this time around, but he does have some amusing lines, and thankfully that awful "death and despair" line from the trailer was cut. Jon Voight makes a return appearance and he has more to do this time around, sure he looks old nowadays, but he does a decent job. Helen Mirren is a nice addition to the cast, her accent is a bit bizarre, but she has some fun scenes with Voight and its nice to see her get stuck into the action near the end. Unfortunately Ed Harris is a bit wasted as the main villain, he has little to do apart from sneer and seem nasty, he has a good bit near the end, but apart from that there might as well not be a villain.
National Treasure, like Pirates of the Caribbean and Indiana Jones before, is a nice blend of humour and action. The movie succeeds greatly in gently entertaining the viewer. Of course National Treasure isn't the new Indiana Jones, but it is a very entertaining film. The action sequences are executed in typical Bruckheimer manner, the chase through London is particularly thrilling, and the final half hour is superb, you'll sit on the edge of your seat throughout it. The humour also works quite well, although some of Riley's lines are extremely hit and miss. alas where National Treasure falls apart is the storyline. The Book of Secrets mentioned in the title is seemingly irrelevant, it shows up once and doesn't really have a major impact on the storyline. Instead the majority of the film is a series of small puzzles leading to the next one, how this actually proves that the great grandfather of Gates didn't plan the murder of Lincoln is beyond me. The movie just seems incredible stupid, if you can ignore this fact then it doesn't really matter, I ignored it for the majority of the film, but there were the occasional times I thought the movie had gone a bit too far.
Overall National Treasure: Book of Secrets is a great sequel to the original movie, whether or not it is better than the original is still debatable, I'll have to watch it again to make my mind up. If you go looking for the next Indiana Jones then prepare to be disappointed, wait for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull instead, if you want a dumb film where you can switch off and still be entertained then go see National Treasure 2, there are much worse films around.