National Treasure: Book Of Secrets

Mmmmm.......not sure what I can say about this film.

It's certainly entertaining, it's got good action pieces, it continues the tradition of breaking into impossible places, it's got a good story.

Except, you could easily add the words "just not as good as the first one." to all of the above statements. The story is virtually identical, with a few trips down cliché boulevard to trick you into thinking it's different. The action pieces are broadly similar, the clues they follow are presented in a similar manner (and order) and the finale is pretty much the same. All this being so noticeable detracts considerably from the sense of peril that should have underpinned the film. At no point did I ever feel a sense of danger.

Overall the whole enterprise smacks of "why did they bother?" It's basically a remake of the first film. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it, it's a reasonably good action film. Just don't expect anything radically different or new.

Score: C-. Would probably have been a B- if I hadn't seen the first film.

OQ: Maybe one day I'll wear this to a party I'm actually invited to.

Trivia: According to IMDB, there are a plethora of lines in the US trailer that didn't appear in the film.

Because of her role in The Queen (2006), Helen Mirren was invited to meet Queen Elizabeth II, but couldn't make the meeting because she was in South Dakota filming this movie.