Trésor national: Le livre des secrets

I will keep it short and simple. Just watched it, paid 10$ for it, it is worth it. Not much of details as you would expect out of a great movie, not much of substance in the movie itself however the acting and the pace of the movie is so beautiful you wont think of the flaws in the intricate plans they carry out in the movie. The subtle comedy is really nice and they have kept the first movie in consideration and have not brought many new characters. It is not a movie that you would think a lot about after you come out of the hall, however you will not think anything else either while the movie is going on. I will give it 7 for the sheer value of entertainment and nothing else and of course the one liners that keep popping up which actually make you laugh.

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.

During a lecture about John Wilkes Booth and Thomas Gates, Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) and his father Patrick Gates (Jon Voight) are surprised by Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris) that claims that their ancestor was a conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln based on the missing page of Booth's diary that he possesses. The outraged Ben decides to prove the honor of his ancestor and together with his wife Abigail (Diane Kruger) and his best friend, the writer Riley Poole (Justin Bartha), they head to France, England and Washington to collect clues to lead them to a lost city of gold Cinola and clean the name of Thomas Gates. But Mitch Wilkinson is following each step of Ben and his friends to take the merit of finding the treasure for himself.

"National Treasure: Book of Secrets" is an entertaining and full of action adventure that follows the style of Indiana Jones combined with "Da Vinci Code. The story is developed in high pace, with likable characters and funny situations. Nicolas Cage and the gorgeous German Diane Kruger show a wonderful chemistry and Jon Voight, Justin Bartha and Helen Mirren give a magnificent support. Ed Harris is a very confused and ambiguous villain and his true motives are never clear, Harvey Keitel has a minor role and Bruce Greenwood performs again the role of president of the United States of America that seems to be tailored for this great actor. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Lenda do Tesouro Perdido – Livro dos Segredos" ("The Legend of the Lost Treasure – Book of Secrets")

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.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets is a decent film. Nothing more, nothing less. I came out of the theater content, and yet by the next hour I'd forgotten much of what had taken place. Such is the case for most films now, however.

Compared to the first film, the plot is weak (certainly not as tightly drawn as the former) but the energy is the same and the humor is the same, and overall it's still as watchable as the first. Helen Mirren and Ed Harris were also very good, and somewhat surprising, additions to the cast.

Essentially, the movie is on the ridiculous/unbelievable side, but it's worth a watch. I don't think I'd pay another 10 dollars to see it again in theaters, but waiting for a rental will do.