National Treasure 2

Director: John Turteltaub

Starring: Nicholas Cage, Diane Kruger, Jon Voight, Justin Bartha

While treasure hunter Ben Gates (Cage) is presenting new information about John Wilkes Booth, someone in the crowd stands up and claims to have the 18 missing pages from Booth’s diary. These pages suggest that Ben’s great-grandfather was involved in Abraham Lincoln’s murder. Patriotic Ben is outraged and embarks on a worldwide hunt to clear his family name and disprove the conspiracy. In doing so he comes into contact with the ‘Book of Secrets’, a book containing all the national secrets of the USA, and must kidnap the President to get a closer look at what the book contains.

The film is visually stunning, with scenes in many of the most famous cities in the world. Panorama views of the various locations and an inside look at many important buildings such as Buckingham Palace and the White House keep the viewer interested and in awe of the stunning settings. The story is also full of twists and the link to real historical events proves to be an appealing and engaging subject matter.

The action is tense, exciting and most importantly varied. There is a nail-biting car chase which is grippingly fast-paced and shot in a way that makes you feel like you’re the one zigzagging through the traffic. This is coupled with a scene involving a balancing stone platform to keep you on the edge of your seat. These action sequences are guaranteed to keep you interested, and the well developed characters only make the action even more engaging.

The all-star cast shines. Nicolas Cage seems to know his character very well and feels comfortable in the treasure hunter’s shoes. Bruce Greenwood stands out as the President of the United States; his conversation with Cage about the ‘Book of Secrets’ is smart of compelling. Jon Voight also shines as Ben’s father and Helen Mirren plays an equally engaging character, Professor Emily Appleton; Voight and Mirren’s joint scenes almost steal the show.

National Treasure is an entertaining, action-packed adventure movie. There is a great balance between dialogue and action; characters are well developed and engaging and the fast-paced nature of this film makes it a must see for action and adventure fans!

Julia Huntenburg