Published on 01/24/2008

National Treasure: No Secret This Film is Family Fun

Having seen the first installment of the series, some may question whether Nicolas Cage and his entourage of conspiracy-theory treasure hunters could strike a cord a second time. The answer is somewhat mixed, but in the end, it is hard to argue that this latest episode was still very entertaining and deserving of a Saturday afternoon with the kids.

The storyline picks up after the first film and we now see our hero treasure hunter, Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage), and his ex-girlfriend (Diane Kruger) on the outs. At the same time, a strange southerner (Ed Harris) asserts that a famous ancestor of our hero was actually involved in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, a charge Gates takes personally.

In trying to retrieve some personal items from his ex-girlfriend, Gates enlists the help of one of his techno-wiz former treasure hunting team members (Justin Bartha) to break into his ex-girlfriend's house since she has changed the security codes. They are caught in the act and now the original team is reassembled to clear the name of a historical hero.

As the story develops we learn that the Confederate assassins of Lincoln were trying to find the ancient Aztec city of gold in order to finance a come back. Gates' ancestor was killed trying to prevent its discovery. Unfortunately, the ancestor's name is found on a page of co-conspirators in a diary of one of the men involved in the assassination. The presence of the name is unclear, but it seems to indicate a possible alliance with the other conspirators. Ben Gates believes the only way to clear his ancestor's name is to find the city of gold and establish that his ancestor's version of the events was truthful.

Of course, nothing is simple when it comes to conspiracies and our gang of righteous treasure hunters soon learn that to find the city of gold, they must piece together two parts of an ancient plank of wood with Inca inscriptions. The problem, however, is that one part of the plank is in Queen Elizabeth's personal desk and the other is in the White House in the President's personal desk.

With some stratagem, our heros work through their hurdles only to encounter the southern accuser again. The viewer comes to believe, but it is not entirely clear, that Mr. Wilkinson is set on finding the city of gold in perhaps a sustained belief that the south can rise again. There are some terrific car chase scenes and a lot of action that may be too intense for very young viewers, but those six and older should see the fun in the frolic.

Without giving up "secrets," this is a fun film for the entire family and is worth the full price of the ticket. Don't expect all of the storyline to fit into perfect pieces like the two parts of the plank. Some of the logic may have been left on the editor's floor. Despite some very minor inconsistencies, the thrust of the film's storyline is strong and it is doubtful that kids under 15 will even care if a few sub-plots are dead-ends.

We recommend this film for those over the age of six and give it three and 1/2 bees out of 5.