#41 National Treasure: Book of Secrets
Year: 2007
Director: Jon Turteltaub
MPAA Rating: PG
MPAA Rating: PG
Epic Co-stars: Jon Voight, Ed Harris, Ty Burrell, Harvey Keitel, Diane Kruger
Running Time: 124 minsCage Time: 99%
Cage Kills: 0
Cage Flip-outs: 2
Skyler's Review:
Alright, here we go. A second National Treasure. This time Ben Gates (Cage) is super famous for finding all that gold in the last movie. So Gates is telling the story of his ancestors and some guy (Ed Harris) stands up and reveals that he has a page from of a diary that indicates that the Gates family might be traitors to Lincoln and the Union during the Civil War. This, of course, upsets Nic Cage, so he goes into full-on high-powered investigation mode: he has to prove that there is another amazing gold treasure room to somehow prove his family's standing.
To set up the movie at the beginning, Riley makes some kind of joke about the IRS taking his car due to "taxes." That actually sounds a lot like Nic Cage, and how the IRS took his stuff due to "taxes." Did he write this movie? Later they show the inside of a giant house that is supposed to be Ben's. Was that actually Nic Cage's house? This all made the movie extra special, making us feel closer to Dr. Cage's personal life.
The rest of the movie unfolds in what you would expect from a quest-based farce. Nic Cage and his crew break into high-security venues to steal historical artifacts and run away from bad guys with guns. No target is too high profile, no location is too high of security. I mean, he's Nic Cage, for goodness sake. His charisma is off the charts, so he can bluff his way out of any situation. There is no catching this guy.
All in all, this is a great film. Nicolas Cage is totally in his element: freak outs, ridiculous lines delivered with conviction, and every emotion that they make. I can't wait to see what they try to steal and break into in the next one! Bravo, Cage!
Plot Holes:
Alright, here we go. A second National Treasure. This time Ben Gates (Cage) is super famous for finding all that gold in the last movie. So Gates is telling the story of his ancestors and some guy (Ed Harris) stands up and reveals that he has a page from of a diary that indicates that the Gates family might be traitors to Lincoln and the Union during the Civil War. This, of course, upsets Nic Cage, so he goes into full-on high-powered investigation mode: he has to prove that there is another amazing gold treasure room to somehow prove his family's standing.
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| Ed Harris blackmails Cage into jumping into clue finding mode. |
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| We may have stole this out of a desk in Buckingham Palace and security/bad guys are moments behind us, but let's take a moment to look at it in plain sight. |
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| They always end up in some cave with some kind of ancient yet unrealistically sophisticated technology. |
All in all, this is a great film. Nicolas Cage is totally in his element: freak outs, ridiculous lines delivered with conviction, and every emotion that they make. I can't wait to see what they try to steal and break into in the next one! Bravo, Cage!
Movie quotability:
- "Do you know what the taxes are on five million dollars? Six million dollars." -Riley
- "Of course someone else is after the treasure. That's the axiom of treasure hunting."-Riley
- "That's ABSURD." -Dr Cage
- "So let's recap: We've broken into Buckingham Palace, and the Oval Office, stolen a page from the President's super-secret book, and actually kidnapped the President of the United States. What are we gonna do next, short-sheet the Pope's bed?" -Riley
- "I'm gonna kidnap him. I'm gonna kidnap the President of the United States." -Cage
- "Bangers and mash. Bubbles and squeak. Smoked eel pie. Haggis!" -Cage
- Riley: "So, what's new with you?" Ben: "Well, my girlfriend kicked me out, I'm living with my dad, and my family killed President Lincoln." Riley: "All right."
- "That was not love. It was excitement, adrenaline, and tequila. I was trying to get course credit." -Helen Mirren
- "This movie even insults the intelligence of Nicolas Cage fans." -James
Plot Holes:
- Ben Gates doesn't speak French? I thought he spoke like every language ever.
- Ben Gates can smell perfume around a giant bouquet of flowers. She must really reek.
- Everything about the hack into the London Police Database
- There is no Section 25 of Article 1 of the Maryland Constitution. Lawyered.
- If the Presidents' Book is a book known only to the presidents, then how does Ben Gates (non-president) know about it?
- Giant stone teeter-totter. What the fuck.
CAGEamatic
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Cinematic
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|---|---|---|
| Skyler |
Outstanding
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Exceeds Expectations
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| Shauna |  | |
| James |
4.13/5
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3.11/5
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| Martine |
!Stayed in the CAGE!
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3 comments:
Review #4
For some reason I enjoyed this one more than the previous. Not because of the plot hole or anything like that, but because it's just.. well, to sum up Nicolas Cage has the brilliant idea to kidnap the president of the United States. He yells a lot, he says Nicolas Cage stuff and in the end, it's all about the treasure.
Nic Cage factor: a little above average.
Again not much to expect since it is a Disney film, so Cage can't just run around and punch people as he usually does.
Grade:7.3/10
Sorry for my short three last reviews, I've watched all of those in the last week and I'm a bit tired right now. But I won't stop here! A great journey lays ahead, and I'm still on the easy road. Next stop, the old ones ( if I can find them) : Best of Times !
I don't know that I like this one any more or less than the first. To me they are different yet still enjoyable for what they are. The first was more about about a lengthy trail of challenging clues and less about breaking into one high security location after another with few clues to labor over. There are plenty of high risk "break in" movies like "Ocean's 11" and "Italian Job" so I think I prefer the first movie for being a little different and spending more time trying to understand the clues and the history related to them.
At any rate, if one can let go and sit back and allow themselves to believe that this country is littered with vast treasures lost to time that are just waiting for the Gates family to find them then it will help pleasantly pass a few hours of your evening. Our man does a great job of providing just the right mix of self control, calmness, and just a couple flip-outs masterfully delivered. The fake argument in the palace was nicely done and was very convincing.
The only gripe I have about the trail of clues is the eagle on the rock that doesn't darken when it gets wet. Are we to believe that some chemical can be applied 150 years ago that would still remain today? Granted, the Black Hills doesn't get a whole lot of acid rain (or rain for that matter), but that eagle plus the activating of the switch that uncovered the entrance is a bit much for me. Actually, all of these Indiana Jones style lost cities is too much for me with huge stone doors and walls moving with the slightest touch or twist of the correct object and entrances that are designed to crumble away the first time they are discovered, leaving it clearly obvious to all who follow. So yah, pretty enjoyable right up to the lost city part where I had to roll my eyes and wait out the predictable and worn out series of events copied and pasted from a previous hit film. It's bound to work just as well the second or twentieth time, right?
#18 National Treasure: Book Of Secrets (2007) First Time View! Another good movie!
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