“National Treasure 2″ - A review

I am not a particular fan of Nicolas Cage or his movies. For the most part, his acting doesn’t impress me.

I say this so that the rest of my comments about this movie will have more impact, removed from the prospect that I’m merely star-struck by a big name, as might happen if someone like Sean Connery, Harrison Ford, or such was in it.

Yesterday, my wife and I took the boys to see “Book of Secrets,” the second of the “National Treasure” movies. It was good.

As is often the case with sequels, it seemed to be copying the first a bit too much, and tried to outdo itself, rather than simply telling a new story.

Having said that, the movie is inferior to “National Treasure.” But since “National Treasure” is among the best movies that I’ve seen in many years, that’s hardly a harsh condemnation.

First of all, I want to mention some of the things that make “National Treasure” such a great franchise. First, and most obviously, the movies hit on American history. In the first movie, there was talk about the signers of the Declaration of Independence, sights in Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington; the history of the Liberty Bell, and so many other things.

One of my favorite moments of the movie was when the hero’s father (Patrick Henry Gates … you’ve got to love the names!) told the villain that one lamp was a clue leading back to the Old North Church in Boston, referring back to the “One if by land, two if by sea” warning. The villain, fooled, went off to Boston.

Of course, any student of history had to cock his/her head sideways at that point … the British came by sea that night. There were two lamps in the Old North Church. Superior knowledge of history saved the heroes, and trapped the historically-ignorant villain. For a geek such as myself, it was a great moment in movies.

The sequel does some of the same … it talks about the design of the Statue of Liberty, the companion statues, the “Resolute desks” in Buckingham Palace and the Oval Office, and many more subjects. It’s not as deep, and it doesn’t seem as thorough. Part of that, of course, is that it begins to delve into conspiracy theory — the “Book of Secrets” is a rumored document maintained by US Presidents to record various secrets. In some parts of the second movie, speculative history replaces verifiable fact.

Perhaps the biggest thing, though, has to do with my family’s vacation in April. We walked by several buildings that we saw in the first movie “National Treasure.” The FBI Headquarters, the National Archives, Lincoln Memorial, the Mall … it made for a very good way to relate the movie to the real world.

Another aspect that makes the movies great for my family. These are action movies in which the heroes are good people. There is no effort on their part to be violent. No “anti-heroic” element here. Even though the hero (Benjamin Franklin Gates … as I said, you’ve got to love those names!) steals the Declaration of Independence, breaks into the queen’s office in Buckingham Palace, sneaks into the Oval Office, and kidnaps the President, his motives are always pure.

In the interest of being family-friendly: there is no profanity in the first movie. At one point, Dr. Abigail Chase does shout something (in German, I believe) about which Riley Poole remarks that she’s swearing … but it’s hard to object to profanity in a language I don’t know. (I suppose that German-speaking families might want to consider the ramifications.)

That seemed to hold up in the second movie. I didn’t notice any profanity in the second film, either.

These are both very good action movies. They throw in an opportunity to look at some real history, and don’t offend my values. It’s very hard to find the downside.

I heartily recommend this movie. My 9-year-old son enjoyed it, and yet it was still good for my parents in their 60’s. Enjoy!

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