National Treasure: Book of Secrets - Review
Films with a hero searching for a treasure have always fascinated me. The first film of this kind I remember seeing at the movie theater was Raiders of the Lost Ark. I was instantly hooked from then on! In the past few years there really hasn’t been that many treasure hunting films. With the new National Treasure film now out and the films Once Upon a Time and Indy 4 on the horizon, things certainly look to be on the upswing for treasure hunting films.
Many treasure hunting films are constructed with a cat and mouse thriller structure to keep the tension and excitement running throughout the film. They typically always feature two competing groups, one good and one bad that are both vying for a secret long lost treasure. As the film progresses the stakes continue to get higher and higher between the two. The obstacles also get greater and the puzzle pieces become increasingly tougher and tougher to unravel. Will either group reach the end alive? Can either group even ultimately find the treasure? Treasure-hunting films have fun casting doubts on both throughout through the many twists and turns it offers up.
Setting most treasure-hunting films like this apart are the different genres and subgenres they mix and match from. Many as such, can play like a greatest hits compilation from several different genre types. One scene could contain a musical number, another an homage to serials or horror, and yet even another scene that has a wink to noir. This aspect gives treasure-hunting films an unusual charm that perfectly suits it while still retaining classical film sensibilities.
Another distinguishing factor would be how straight and realistically they try and realize the story and the history it explores. How accurate will history and its settings are represented. If the lead hero stumbles upon an ancient Egyptian treasure, the setting for this certainly cannot look too much like someone’s backyard in Toronto. It needs a certain air of believability to sell the sense and keep the audience bought into it. Any chinks in the realism of setting or history tend to distract the audience. However, the more campy type of treasure hunting films like Treasure of the Four Crowns or King Solomon’s Mines (1985) aren’t going for historical accuracy.
One of my favorite aspects of treasure hunting films is their realization of past history. Not only do we typically get to venture off into far off jungles or deep inside hidden caves, but also we get to often see long lost history unearthed and explored. These are often realized as huge immaculate set pieces where no detail is left unimagined. When our hero suddenly deciphers a clue that enters them down a new pathway to perhaps ancient worlds and times, I can’t help but to also feel their excitement and wonder. What mysteries have they unraveled or will there still be an additional puzzle to complete before finally reaching the treasure? What grand movie set awaits us?
With the National Treasure series of films, director Jon Turteltaub and uber producer Jerry Bruckheimer continue in the tradition of past treasure hunter films, while at the same time opting for a more mainstream and family oriented approach. They are also both like a sprawling Disney theme park ride, but with Nicholas Cage as your guide.
The first National Treasure film felt like Indiana Jones meets The Amazing Race (TV show) and contained a thrilling cat and mouse treasure hunting adventure, flush with a nod to The Goonies, various Hitchcock films and not too mention many adventure and treasure hunting films that came before it. American history and its patriotism was explored with fond nostalgia and sleuthing fun. It was a film that let the audience feel like it was participating with the lead characters as they tried to decipher and crack each challenging riddle or clue it offered up. Who knew mainstream films were allowed to be this fun and genre light exciting?
National Treasure: Book of Secrets starts off on a gloomy night in April 14th, 1865. We aren’t exactly sure where we are just yet with the camera panning around, but by the date alone it suggests that the Lincoln assassination is just around the corner from happening. We are immediately introduced to Thomas Gates who is a relative of Ben Gates played by Nicolas Cage. Thomas is offered a cipher from the diary of John Wilks Booth to try and decipher. Thomas begins to ponder over the clue of “The Debt That All Men Pay” when he suddenly notices his guest needing his service might be a bad guy. A struggle ensues and then we cut to seeing John Wilkes Booth in an amazingly well realized recreation of the Lincoln assassination. Mr. Booth kills Mr. Lincoln and then jumps onstage and shouts Sic Semper Tyrannus (Thus Always to Tyrants) before fleeing.
We then cut to present times with Ben Gates and his father Patrick Gates (Jon Voight) giving a lecture on their brand new Civilian Heroes Exhibit. It’s quickly established that since the first film the Gates family name has been cleared and is recognized with new prestige and honor. They are clearly basking in a newfound limelight and glory.
However, no sooner than the audience is allowed to take this when Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris) enters the scene proclaiming that their great great grandfather Thomas Gates was one of the main people behind the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Due to the initially establishing to the audience that Thomas is innocent, we immediately react with the same shock and aplomb. How can this possibly be? Who is this rabid dog Mitch character and what are his true intentions?
Mitch produces a page from the John Wilks Booth diary that has a list of all the men behind the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. This page he claims has been passed down throughout his families history. We are immediately shown this page seems to be very real and certainly seems to somehow cast Thomas as a ringleader in something we know he didn’t do. The plot certainly thickens right out of the gate before there is even any hint that a quest for a treasure might happen. With the rapid pacing of the first film the audience isn’t left hanging too long before the film morphs into familiar ground of also being a quest for a treasure in addition to being a quest by Ben and Patrick to vindicate Thomas.
The main characters for the first film are all back for this outing. Harvey Ketiel is back playing the role of The Wolf, I mean FBI badass. Justin Bartha returns in the films Han Solo role as Riley Poole, the wise cracking everyman. Although, we quickly see him lose his red hot sports car early on while noting of this unfortunate turn of events: “You know what taxes are for 5 million? 6 million!” I find it odd in general that frisky single people always seem to opt for red sports cars. Jon Voight also returns as the cranky father figure. This time around he seems to have lightened up some. Diane Kruger reprises her strong female character of Abigail that while dressing prim and proper can be just as gritty and no holds barred as any male. Nicolas Cage of course is back as the cryptographer and historian extraordinaire Ben Gates. This is certainly a role that Mr. Cage shines in, yet I never quite understand why he runs like a retired NFL football player in both films. Mr. Cage is the right mix of classic movie hero charisma and quirky offbeat charm. He is a happy puppy like character with brains that won’t bite you, but will certainly find a way to beat you or sneak out of the backyard. New to the cast of particular note are Ed Harris and Helen Mirren. Mr. Harris is effective in a limited role. Helen Mirren seems to just revel in being in a silly role as the mother of Nicolas Cage. The Star Wars: A New Hope moment her and Mr. Voight share in the film is about the most ridiculous thing I’ve seen in film this year outside of the hell sequence in Uncle’s Paradise.
Just like the first film, the film is just as interested in the main characters figuring out each clue as it is with them finding the treasure at the end. In many treasure hunting films the clues merely serve as a small plot device to keep the main plot moving forward or to place the lead character in another exciting location. The National Treasure series aims to have each clue and the solving of it as its own unique set piece. Most sequences of sleuth and solving the clues do seem to be too greatly simplified, in comparison to the first film. The massive screenwriting team the film boasts clearly doesn’t want the audience to have to think as much as it did in the first one. While this certainly works to give the audience more time to sit back and enjoy the ride, it results in it having large set pieces with even less things to do in. And with less things to do, things do feel more padded out than they should be. The padding mostly comes in the form of character development, so if you like the characters and really enjoy them, then you have nothing to worry about. We spend more time exploring the characters, what makes them tick and how they respond to adversity. The themes of adventure, history, patriotism is still there, but it is themes of family and global harmony that mark this second outing and set it apart.
Just as in the first film we get to travel to and explore locations tantamount to American history. Book of Secrets unlike the first film sweeps through American history on a global scale and more national scale, we aren’t just stuck on the east coast of America. This serves to make the new outing even more sweeping and epic. We also once again get to see historical locations with an all access type insiders’ glee, which adds some additional excitement in seeing areas we in our real lives would never be able to.
The set design like the first film is just amazing to take in. One of the huge selling points of this series to date is how rich accurate they try and craft their set designs. History from the past is wonderfully realized through massive and imaginative sets and finished out with digital effects. The blending and balancing of the two creates a magical universe we get to travel into with our characters. In addition the film once again makes incredibly fun use of actual historical places that civilians would never in real life get to explore in this fashion. I think many people have often visited a historical place and wondered what was behind roped off or closed areas. The National Treasure films play into this curiosity very well.
Book of Secrets is constructed into two parts. The first part works as more of a traditional spy film. As we see our main characters chart across the globe as they try to unravel each subsequent clue and riddle. The second half of the film really switches in into more traditional action and adventure film territory. An over the top heist is still on the menu along with a car chase and some escape scenes.
Despite the fact the film features many more locations than the first outing, it seems to be much more about exploring the characters themselves than everything else. So if you like the main characters from the first film, then chances are you will really like this one. If your looking for more action and adventure this time around, then you might walk away disappointed. It’s less about being a cat and mouse thriller or adventure and more character driven.
Book of Secrets is a film crafted for the entire family to go out and see and have fun this holiday season. As such it’s easily the most thrilling family adventure of 2007. If your looking for a film to take your entire family of all ages to see this Christmas, where you don’t have to check your watch every five seconds and pray the end credits will roll soon, then this film is your best choice. And besides I don’t think your family is quite just ready yet for you to show them the latest Yuji Tajiri film over a warm lit fire with egg nog and Neil Diamond holiday songs crackling in the background.
Overall, I think Book of Secrets is a way too simplified version of the previous film on a much grander scale. I think what the ending really gets wrong is not introducing any mythical, supernatural or resonating moments of transcendence in its final act. Some combination of these elements and themes at the end would have certainly taken it to another level of spectacle. We get to a spectacularly realized set piece that gives us and the characters little more to do than just yawn, which is an odd way to go out of an otherwise often exciting film. Fans of Indiana Jones at least have this as a rare treasure hunting film to fill their appetite before Indy and gang invade theaters in 2008.
As a series it certainly will be interesting to see where they take it next. Nicolas Cage (who can next be seen starring in the Pang Brothers Hollywood remake of their own film) seems to be booked up solid for the foreseeable future, as does Jerry Bruckheimer. Turteltaub has set in motion a tent pole series with promise. Now they just need to decide if they want a more full throttle paced like the first film or a more leisurely paced and family oriented like the second on. I think the series is more than open to now have guest directors chime in with each new entry. I would love to see a Justin Lin entry or a Stuart Gordon entry… heck even a Julien Leclercq one would be cool!
***
Before the film audiences will be treated with a new Goofy cartoon short called “How to Hook up Your Home Theater.” For cinephiles like me that have ever had a comedy of errors and crazy stories setting up a home movie theater, this short is deliriously laugh out loud funny! I loved the Goofy cartoons from the past that really worked great as snapshots of a particular time. Here the Disney crew just flat out nail every aspect of needing, wanting and buying a home theater and setting it up! To say anything more about this or spoil anything would be absolutely cruel.
***
The first National Treasure film got a new double disc DVD release this week. I missed the original release of the film and not exactly sure how it matches up.
Below are the contents of this new release.
DISC ONE
Film
Film with additional trivia track viewing mode (Easter Egg)
Featurettes:
* National Treasure on Location
* Opening Scene Animatic (Commentary from director optional)
* Alternate Ending (Commentary with director optional)
* Deleted Scenes (All have optional director commentary tracks available)
- Thomas and the President (1:45)
- Extended Shaft Sequence (6:02)
Note: To get to the bonus area of the disc you need to get clues at the end of each featurette. Once you have all of these and decipher the clues you have been given correctly you can move on to the bonus area.
Bonus Featurettes:
* Treasure Hunters Revealed (9:32)
* Riley Poole’s Decode This
* The Templar Knights (9:31)
Note: Once you have completed this area you will be given a master code that unlocks the trivia track viewing mode Easter egg. There is a book in the top right icon of the main menu you can use at anytime to re-enter your code into all bonus features.
DISC TWO
Featurettes:
Ciphers, Codes & Codebreakers
* Exploding Charlotte
* To Steal A National Treasure
* On the Set of American History
* Deleted Scenes (All have optional director commentary tracks available)
- Reviewing the Plan
- Extended Scene: Ian Breaks Silence
- Sadusky Takes Charge
- An Unexpected Detour
- Lighting the Path
***
I don’t see myself as ever being a treasure hunter. Though I can say if I did get that itch the first thing I would be looking for would be the loot Jesse James supposedly hid near the Stagecoach Inn. As for all-time personal favorite treasure hunting film, I would have to say Raiders of the Lost Ark (which if I was a cinephile treasure hunter I would be searching high and low to find the uncut version of it). As for favorite family treasure hunting film I would have to say my choice would be The Goonies, despite it having the worst fake octopus in the history of cinema in it. A random side note on this is while growing up I didn’t know a single soul that also liked this film. It wasn’t until I got in my 20’s that I found others that also liked it.
