La leyenda del tesoro perdido: El libro de los secretos

I really liked the first movie with these characters but I got frustrated with this sequel. I was expecting much more intelligent puzzles and breathtaking adventure. Instead this movie is a perfect example of a sugarcoated adventure for family viewing in a lazy Saturday night in DVD in pijamas snacking microwave popcorn.

The plot is weak and far from plausible. There are the iconic characters (the smart hero and his love/hate girlfriend, the funny hero's assistant, the divorced hero's parents, the bad but not so bad guy, the good cop and so on). It's too much cliché for a single movie for allowing it to be a good one.

This definitely isn't a "Top 10" adventure movie. It's OK for viewing with the kids and just it.

Again new adventures with Benjamin Gates (Nicolas Cage) , a descendant from a historical line familiar whose mission was guard a hidden national treasure . This time happen the followings events , as the film starts with the Lincoln death and James Wilkes Booth saying the famous words , ¨Sic Semper Tiranus¨ .Benjamin's ancestor named Thomas Gates (Joel Gretsch) is spontaneously implicated as key conspirator in Abraham Lincoln death caused by a missing page of the murderer's diary and found now . Ben along with his friend Poole (Justin Bartha) and his ex-fiancée Abigail (Diane Kruger) will take on lots of adventures , risks and confronting a stubborn enemy (Ed Harris). Ben will attempt demonstrate the true and he's determined to prove his great-grandfather's innocence . Poole , Abigail, Ben , his father (John Voight) and later his mother (Helen Mirren) undergo a chase that take them from Paris'statue of Liberty , London's Buckinham Palace , White House , including kidnapping of the US President (Bruce Greenwood) , and Mount Rushmore . Plus , Inspector Saduski (Harvey Keitel)and underlings (Alicia Coppola) are also to the hunting of the chain of clues .

This amusing movie displays suspense , noisy action , tension , humor and extraordinary adventures . The picture blends the ¨Spielberg's Indiana Jones¨ rip-roaring feats and mystery from ¨Da Vinci Code¨ by Dan Brown . It's a pretty amusing cinematic roller coaster that have you on the edge of your seat . The film cast is pretty good , in fact , it includes includes three Oscar winners : Nicolas Cage, Helen Mirren and Jon Voight ; and two Oscar nominees: Harvey Keitel and Ed Harris . Stimulating action set pieces illuminate the full-blown adventures of our protagonists with breathtaking final attraction in the scenes of the underground Olmeca temple . Similar technicians outfit , adding a lively musical score by Trevor Rabin . Replacing the previous cameraman Caleb Deschanel by Amir Mokri and John Schwartzman who make a glamorous cinematography . However , director of photography Amir Mokri was replaced by John Schwartzman several weeks into shooting, this was reportedly due to "creative differences" between Mokri and director Jon Turteltaub. The flick is again lavishly produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and stunningly directed by John Turteltaub . The picture will appeal to Nicolas Cage fans and those have seen the previous part.

There are a select few individuals out there that seem to garner everything they know about life from movies, be it political viewpoints, philosophy, etc. and find it objectionable when a movie is produced purely for entertainment purposes. I can't speak for everyone, but as for myself, I don't want to have to pay to have yet another political viewpoint shoved down my throat (CNN/Foxnews broadcasts 24/7 for that), or to be beaten over the head with with the life philosophy of some bazillionaire producer/director that lives in the Ivory Tower that is Hollywood. I can read Zarathustra, the Tao Tse Ching, or even the Bible for that.

When I go to see a movie, I just wan to be entertained, and National Treasure BoS delivers there. Not the best movie I have ever seen, but it was an entertaining escape from reality for two hours and that it was I pay my money for. For me, the best part of the movie wasn't Nic Cage. He has done so many movies, it seems like he has gotten to the point where he is just punching the clock. He doesn't stand out on film, but he isn't horrible either and that is what we get from him here - a very pedestrian workmanlike performance. I would like to think he has another touchstone performance in him like the one he gave in "Leaving Las Vegas", but if he can still keep getting several million per movie just being average, why put in the effort. Diane Kruger was also pretty average. She shined in the first movie, but not so much here.

For me, John Voight, Justin Bartha and Helen Mirren were what made the movie good. John Voight was great. His character was both funny and endearing and the synergy between him and Mirren was palpable. Mirren showed once again why she is arguably the best actress in the business. Justin Bartha was a scene stealer and had some of the funniest lines (along with Voight).

Finding the lost city of El Dorado, or Quivira, or Cibola (take your pick) would be easier than finding any plausibility in this film. Our hero Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) goes from one narrow escape to another, as he zooms to Paris, then to London, then to the White House in Washington (with a personal chitchat with the President no less), and then on to Mount Rushmore, in search of, well, in search of ... something. I think he's looking for evidence to clear his family name, in the historical conspiracy to assassinate Lincoln. What he actually finds, with superhuman luck, is something else, something he didn't expect to find. But none of it really matters. The plot here is so wildly unbelievable, so far-fetched, and so muddled as to be a cinematic magic carpet ride.

Clearly, "National Treasure: Book Of Secrets" is aimed at kids. It's a highly visual movie, with lots of eye-popping outdoor color images. The physical action is so fast at times, with lots of high speed editing, that there is no danger that the audience will be required to do any thinking. Acting and dialogue are largely irrelevant. And the film has elaborate and expensive production design.

Not all of the conflict is physical. Ben must negotiate with his partner Riley (Justin Bartha), his dad (Jon Voight), his mom (Helen Mirren), and a couple of others, all of whom become involved in Ben's quest. The film has a clever twist, but if you're not paying close attention, it's easy to miss.

There is no sex, nor is there any prohibitive violence here; it's a Disney-type adventure all the way. Still, if the film can get kids interested in history, whether it's the legend of El Dorado or Lincoln's assassination, then I suppose "National Treasure: Book Of Secrets" can be said to have some redeeming value, it's plot implausibility notwithstanding.

It was a good movie but not as good as the first one. I think that its just the same story as the first one with very little changes. Treasure hunter Ben Gates tries to clean its name by looking for an ancient treasure. The first half of the movie is kinda slow and even tiresome, too much talking and very little action. But it gets better on the second part towards to the end. The cast is excellent, Nicolas Cage in a role he knows very well, Jon Voight as Cage fathers is very convincing, Ed Harris is the bad guy that the only thing he wants is to find the treasure and keep it to himself, Harvey Keitel as an FBI agent wit a brief but convincing performance and Helen Mirren as Nicola's mother with a good and even funny performance. Although this movie isn't the greatest thing, it is very enjoyable and entertaining, perfect to spend some time with the family.