'National Treasure'
By Bruce R. Miller Journal staff writer | Posted: Friday, December 28, 2007
Nicholas Cage, Justin Bartha and Jon Voight star in "National Treasure: Book of Secrets.":
It's obvious why "National Treasure" has become a franchise. It moves quickly and doesn't linger.
It doesn't make sense in places, either, but that hardly matters. The "DaVinci Code" lite quest is quite enough to keep your interest between car chases.
In this edition (called "Book of Secrets"), Nicolas Cage and friends search for clues that could help him clear a relative's name. Apparently that relative was implicated in Lincoln's death and left a message that should inform his heirs. To connect the dots, the Scooby crew goes to Paris, London and, get this, Mount Rushmore. There, a "city of gold," supposedly exists under the famed monument.
Meanwhile, Cage has to kidnap the president (Bruce Greenwood), break into a desk at Buckingham Palace and elude another treasure hunter (Ed Harris).
Before the crew heads to South Dakota, Jon Voight (as Cage's dad) and Helen Mirren (as his mom) get involved. They're feuding exes who happen to know a thing or two about connecting the dots. Mom, natch, is a Native American expert who can decipher codes in two planks of wood that just happen to be stashed in twin desks.
Director Jon Turteltaub makes sure the action never lags. Cage doesn't seem as lively as he used to (he's trying too hard to be the American James Bond) but he does enough stunts to justify a return visit. He's also something of an eyeglasses model, wearing several pairs that probably will turn up in magazine ads.
Justin Bartha (as a fellow treasure hunter) is more fun, tossing off one-liners as he hacks into every firewall known to the CIA. They're joined by Cage's archivist/girlfriend (Diane Kruger) who knows how to throw off the competition. Just one person short of being the "Mission: Impossible" team, they succeed because viewers are fascinated with "Amazing Race"-like chases.
"Treasure's" premise doesn't really matter (is clearing a relative's name that crucial?). Its action does.
Turteltaub has cameras everywhere. Tracking shots put the audience in the heat of it and, during a car chase around the streets of Europe, it's clear we're just searching for another good Indiana Jones yarn.
"Treasure" dips into that pool toward the end, providing a "will they live?" scenario that smacks of one in the first film.
Still, "Book of Secrets" unfolds like a crackling good best seller. It doesn't tax the brain and it shouldn't leave you with a single question one hour after its over.
Sure, the Mount Rushmore reveal is farfetched but it has the same kind of allure that made "The Mummy" worth a couple of sequels.
A third "Treasure" is likely. The big question? What's left to uncover? This edition has left no stone - Mount Rushmore included - unturned.
Rated PG, "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" features some violence.
On a scale of four stars, "National Treasure" gets:
3 stars
It doesn't make sense in places, either, but that hardly matters. The "DaVinci Code" lite quest is quite enough to keep your interest between car chases.
In this edition (called "Book of Secrets"), Nicolas Cage and friends search for clues that could help him clear a relative's name. Apparently that relative was implicated in Lincoln's death and left a message that should inform his heirs. To connect the dots, the Scooby crew goes to Paris, London and, get this, Mount Rushmore. There, a "city of gold," supposedly exists under the famed monument.
Meanwhile, Cage has to kidnap the president (Bruce Greenwood), break into a desk at Buckingham Palace and elude another treasure hunter (Ed Harris).
Before the crew heads to South Dakota, Jon Voight (as Cage's dad) and Helen Mirren (as his mom) get involved. They're feuding exes who happen to know a thing or two about connecting the dots. Mom, natch, is a Native American expert who can decipher codes in two planks of wood that just happen to be stashed in twin desks.
Director Jon Turteltaub makes sure the action never lags. Cage doesn't seem as lively as he used to (he's trying too hard to be the American James Bond) but he does enough stunts to justify a return visit. He's also something of an eyeglasses model, wearing several pairs that probably will turn up in magazine ads.
Justin Bartha (as a fellow treasure hunter) is more fun, tossing off one-liners as he hacks into every firewall known to the CIA. They're joined by Cage's archivist/girlfriend (Diane Kruger) who knows how to throw off the competition. Just one person short of being the "Mission: Impossible" team, they succeed because viewers are fascinated with "Amazing Race"-like chases.
"Treasure's" premise doesn't really matter (is clearing a relative's name that crucial?). Its action does.
Turteltaub has cameras everywhere. Tracking shots put the audience in the heat of it and, during a car chase around the streets of Europe, it's clear we're just searching for another good Indiana Jones yarn.
"Treasure" dips into that pool toward the end, providing a "will they live?" scenario that smacks of one in the first film.
Still, "Book of Secrets" unfolds like a crackling good best seller. It doesn't tax the brain and it shouldn't leave you with a single question one hour after its over.
Sure, the Mount Rushmore reveal is farfetched but it has the same kind of allure that made "The Mummy" worth a couple of sequels.
A third "Treasure" is likely. The big question? What's left to uncover? This edition has left no stone - Mount Rushmore included - unturned.
Rated PG, "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" features some violence.
On a scale of four stars, "National Treasure" gets:
3 stars
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