It's OK ... but that's about it ...

Rating: 6/10 (21 December 2007)

I saw this movie this morning ... opening day here in Tulsa. And on the whole, my own reaction is that it's OK, but that's really about it.
The first National Treasure flick (2004) introduced us to Ben Gates, an engaging, adventuresome treasure hunter played by Nicolas Cage. Now we have a second installment in the franchise, and Nicolas Cage returns as Ben Gates. In addition, Justin Bartha returns as comical sidekick Riley Poole, Jon Voigt returns as Patrick Gates, Ben's father; and Diane Kruger returns as Abigail Chase, Ben's romantic interest.
The story line is full of archeology, history, humor, and adventure that takes our lead characters to Paris, London, Washington DC, and Mount Rushmore.
All in all, this is a pattern with which many are very familiar: the pattern successfully rendered in the Indiana Jones movies.
I won't give away anything except to say that I myself think that the National Treasure franchise is far less engaging than the Indiana Jones franchise. And I have to ask myself why.
I think, first, that scripts written for the Indiana Jones character always seem to me to be more convincing and more engaging. This has nothing to do with historical credibility: in this National Treasure movie, and its predecessor, we in the audience are fully aware that all the "history" in the movie is very, very unhistorical. Same for the Indiana Jones movies. However, in an Indiana Jones movie, the archaeological panoply is to me just so fascinating, and appealing, that I want it to be true even when I know it's not. And, in an Indiana Jones movie, the unfolding story is so much more fun than in a National Treasure movie. For both these reasons, in an Indiana Jones movie, I tend to take a look, roll my eyes, and then promptly suspend my disbelief and follow the storyline wherever it will lead me: it's that much fun and that attractive. Neither this National Treasure movie, nor its predecessor, lead me in this direction.
As for the lead characters, Indiana Jones is so much more appealing, to me, compared to Ben Gates. Indiana Jones, in his trademark hat and bull-whip, is such a wonderful figure, played almost tongue in cheek by Harrison Ford. But the character is so much fun, like the storyline, that again, I watch Ford's Indiana Jones, roll my eyes once or twice early on, and then suspend my disbelief and follow Indiana Jones while smiling through all his fascinating adventures. In contrast, Nicolas Cage's Ben Gates is a very different character, and just has no such appeal for me. In National Treasure: Book of Secrets, we see him at one point prancing comically on a staircase in Buckingham Palace. A few moments later, we see him peeping around a bouquet of flowers at his love interest. Watching Ben Gates in these scenes felt to me like I was watching a sort of metro-sexual version of Rowan Atkinson's Mr Bean character. I just can't see such a character as a heroic treasure hunter. In contrast, Indiana Jones is every inch a treasure hunter and hero. He's also a classic masculine hero, though one who is leavened by that occasional tongue in cheek irony.
About National Treasure: Book of Secrets: I did think this was better than the first National Treasure. The acting in the second movie, by everyone, was competent but unexceptional in delivering the script. The cinematography was good. Th4e dialog was sometimes entertaining. The the script overall supported a storyline, and a character, that didn't really appeal to me very much.
All the same, for light adventure and light entertainment, one could do a lot worse than go to this movie.
It's OK ... but that's about it, IMHO.