National Treasure: Book of Secrets

Grade: C+

Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicholas Cage,) Disney's attempt at an Indiana Jones-like adventurer is back. This time he is seeking to clear his great-great grandfather's name from history's black book as a Lincoln assassination conspirator. In order to do this he must find a fabled city of Gold that the Confederate army was looking for during the Civil War.

Since their last adventure that made the Gates and his accomplices; Reilly (Justin Bartha,) and girlfriend Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger,) household names as world class treasure hunters, things have slowed down for the entourage as 3 years have passed. There have been books authored, taxes taken, lovers quarrels and scrutiny towards the Gates family name as Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris) barges in on a lecture being given by Gates and his father, Patrick (Jon Voight,) with claims that he has a page that proves that Thomas Gates, Patrick's great-grandfather, was a Lincoln conspirator, not an American hero as declared by the Gates family during their lectures.

These claims set the Gates family on a quest around the world and to revelations about American allies, Great Britain's interests in the Civil War and of course wacky and fun quotes by Reilly.

"Book of Secrets" is essentially almost identical to it's predecessor from 2004. The exceptions lie within the villain's redeemable qualities and it's lack of depth character development. The character development that is attempted is the same as in the first movie that was done with Gates' father, Patrick, is passed on to his mother; Emily, played Academy Award winner Helen Mirren.

In a completely absurd scene where Gates is left without any other option but to kidnap the President, Gates and his pals somehow book every possible hotel that the President's secretaries should have reserved months in advance, but didn't for whatever reason, for his birthday so as to give the President a special gift and pique his interest so Gates can be alone with the President and ask him about the "President's Book." A rumored book that contains every conspiracy theory ever concocted by man: Area 51, the Kennedy assassination, and the missing minutes from the Watergate scandal. The President, played by Bruce Greenwood, looks and acts more like a Calvin Kline model, is very stiff and unconvincing.

The film is about as good as you want it to be. If you go in expecting something special and unique, you may want to go elsewhere to find it. All you really get here is the first movie minus Sean Bean, and what you get is Ed Harris with the least threatening henchmen ever. There's also a cliffhanger at the end of the movie. So be prepared for "National Treasure 3: Page 47"

"National Treasure: Book of Secrets" slammed into theaters debuting a #1 with a weekend gross of $45.5 million for the weekend of Dec. 21-23.