Review of National Treasure: Book of Secrets

The first National Treasure, starring Nicolas Cage as the intrepid son of the Gates family, was a fresh, exciting adventure in the Indiana Jones style of treasure hunting with clues being sought and each clue leading to another until the film's finale.  Book of Secrets, the sequel, is essentially more of the same and if you enjoyed the first one, you will most certainly enjoy the second.  While clearly not as fresh as the original, Secrets maintains the same blend of humor and thrills, though not quite as deftly balanced.  It also feels a bit long and some of the sequences seem a little forced.  Nevertheless, it remains enjoyable if you like this kind of popcorn movie.  Secrets also adds one ingredient that wasn't in the first and IMHO gives the sequel a certain needed classy humor -- the delightful Helen Mirren, most recently in Elizabeth.  In the film, she plays the ex-wife of the Gates father, played again by Jon Voight, and the two of them banter back and forth as divorcees who have not talked to each other in over 30 years.

One final comment regarding Book of Secrets is worth making.  Just before the film begins, after the requisite movie trailers have been shown, a Disney cartoon starring Goofy was shown.  The cartoon was a wonderful reminder of days gone past when cartoons used to precede the showing of the feature film.  In addition, this particular animated short was very, very good.