This has been a while in coming, but I'm glad to announce that my review of National Treasure: Book of Secrets has been published in the John Locke Foundation's March issue of Carolina Journal. I originally wrote a much longer review after I took 14 pages of notes in the opening-night showing, but the editor of CJ, Richard Wagner, only had room for 700, so I cut it down. Editing is tough, but being forced to cut down on words makes my writing better. I've posted the full text of my review below, but I encourage you to browse the full CJ issue above--it's full of good policy/economics/culture commentary and analysis.
Going into the theater to watch the much-anticipated sequel to the 2004 hit National Treasure, I expected an action film with an emphasis on golden treasure and historical mystery. Surprisingly unlike the first film, Book of Secrets is not really about the treasure, or the mysterious Book at all; Ben Gates couldn't be less interested in actual gold--he is far more concerned with clearing an ancestor of a heinous crime than with the “find”. The film isn't all that concerned with the history either—the focus is more on what the hunt does to the principals of the drama than either the clues they follow in their quest or the treasure at the end. Despite these departures from the original film's format--or rather because of them--Book of Secrets is a stronger film overall.
The story opens a few months after the conclusion of the first film. Historian Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) and his girlfriend, National Archives conservator Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger), have broken up and Ben has moved back in with his dad, Patrick (Jon Voight). Geeky sidekick Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) has published a book on historical mysteries and urban legends, while Patrick and Ben are collaborating on a speaking tour.
The Gates' lectures tell of an ancestor Thomas Gates, who was asked by Lincoln’s assassins to decrypt a coded document the night of the murder. When the loyal Gates realized the document contained the key to a treasure which could rejuvenate the Confederate war effort, he tried to destroy it. Gates was shot by the conspirators, but the mysterious document, missing 18 critical pages, survived.
Their narrative is challenged when a rival historian, Mitch Wilkerson (Ed Harris), comes forward with a missing page from the diary that implicates Thomas Gates in the conspiracy. Dumbfounded, Ben and Patrick realize that they must disprove the authenticity of Wilkinson's artifact or lose their family's good name—and a mysterious cipher transcribed from the fragment offers a clue to an older mystery that may validate the Gates legend.
The trail leads on to the titular “Book of Secrets”, a shadowy volume for Presidents' eyes only that Riley claims holds the answers to dozens of mysteries from prehistoric America to Area 51. Ben all-but kidnaps the President to ask him for access to the Book, but unexpectedly it is not the Secret Service but Wilkinson who nabs the group. They quickly find their lives, as well as the Gates family name, depend on foiling Wilkinson's scheme to affix his name to the greatest pre-Columbian discovery of all time.
The action of the film skillfully highlights the thematic focus of the film: the value of reputation and relationships, and how both may have life-or-death implications. Ben’s desire to redeem his ancestor’s good name drives the story. Later on, he appeals to the President’s honesty to gain access to the Book, and pledges his own word of honor to gain Abigail’s release from Wilkinson. Ben's assurance in the innocence of Thomas Gates, and his willingness to risk all to prove it, is based on his trust in his ancestors’ honesty. The restoration of trust in Ben and Abigail's relationship is integral to the story as well, underscored by a parallel reconciliation between Patrick and his estranged wife Emily (Helen Mirren).
Historical purists will probably prefer the first film, as the plot of its sequel leaves documentary history early on and leaps from conspiracy to conspiracy with gleeful abandon. Detective fans may wish for a tighter mystery. Overall, though, Book of Secrets hangs together very well and improves on the first film in many ways. While there are a few suggestive lines and spooky moments, more than the first film, the filmmakers have succeeded very well in reprising their family-friendly action thriller with a historical twist. The cynicism sometimes seen in National Treasure has been replaced by a welcome emphasis on heroism and nobility in the sequel, the constant repartee is back, and yes, there is a hook for the next sequel, if you can find it.
IHS,
John Calvin Young
4 comments:
Excellent!
Nice review! Now I want to go watch the movie. :-P
By the way, you've been tagged.
Hmmm...I personally thought the movie was a little weaker than the first. (In my opinion, at least) The story didn't seem to flow quite as well and failed to capture my interest. The events which were well-paced in the first seemed kind of rushed in the second (ie, finding all the clues). But it was National Treasure, so I guess I can't complain TOO much... ;-)
Good movie all around, great (and quotable!) lines...lived up to its expectations.
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