Entertaining sequel with mediocre story

Rating: 5/10 (2 December 2016)

Released in 2007 and directed by Jon Turteltaub, "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" brings back Nicolas Cages as Ben Gates, along with his assistant, Riley (Justin Bartha), hot girlfriend (Diane Kruger) and father (Jon Voight). This time Ben's great grandfather is accused of co-conspiracy in Lincoln's assassination and so Ben & Co. travel wide and far to clear his name. The first stop is Paris, then Buckingham Palace, then the White House and ultimately Mount Rushmore. Their misadventures include kidnapping the president (Bruce Greenwood) and desperately seeking to find Cibola (see-BOWL-uh), the legendary Native American City of Gold. Ed Harris appears as the villain, Helen Mirren as Ben's mother and Harvey Keitel as the chief Fed.
It's best to watch the original 2004 movie first so you're familiar with the main characters. This is a slickly-made, fun sequel and there's a lot to like about it if you're a fan of the first movie and the Indiana Jones flicks. But it somehow pales in comparison to the nigh great original. Something about the story fails to fully engage; and the increasingly absurd clues become eye-rolling. Thankfully, there are several highlights, like the sequences with the president. And you can tell the cast had a good time together. The score is kinetic, composed by Yes' Trevor Rabin, like the first film.
The movie runs 124 minutes and was shot in Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC, South Dakota, Southern California, England and Paris.
GRADE: C+ (5.5/10)