National Treasure: Book Of Secrets DVD Review

In many ways the actual release of a National Treasure film on DVD is far more interesting than the film itself. The expected fan-base for the films seem to be lovers of riddles and puzzles, as the hero Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) is essentially an Indiana Jones-type adventurer with only the book-smarts as a tool. As a result the DVD treatment is often filled with several codes and puzzles as a way of hiding special features and passing the time. I certainly cannot argue with a hero that uses his mind to get the edge on the bad guys, especially considering the alternative, but there is a slight bit of monotony in National Treasure 2. Nearly all that we were left with at the end of the last film has faded away and we are left to make a similar trip all over again, with many of the same results.

We join Ben Gates a short while after the first film ended, and he has a few problems. Although he has new research that shows his grandfather as even more of a hero, in life and in death. Apparently Gates believes that his great-great-grandfather helped to win the Civil War by hiding a the secret of a hidden treasure from the south, but in the middle of his presentation he is interrupted by a man of the audience (played by Ed Harris) who claims that his great-great grandfather tells the story differently, basically accusing the Gates name of being involved in the assassination of President Lincoln. Ben knows that he must clear his family name so he gathers the old clan to go on another clue hunt. Jon Voight is back as Ben’s father, although he is used mostly for comic relief in this outing. Ben’s romantic story from last film has also already fallen apart and they must go through the same familiar motions in order to get back on track again.

As if hunting for a lost city of gold somewhere in America isn’t enough, they also begin looking for a book of secrets that is to be seen by the President alone. The only way that they can get a look at the book is with the help of the President, so they decide to kidnap him. This is actually a small portion of the film and not nearly as dramatic as it sounds, although the trailer seemed to hinge upon this twist. Every twist just points at the unbelievable elements of the film, but each time they base a scenario around real history it somehow balances the whole premise out, just so long as no heavy thinking is done.

The DVD is jam-packed with special features. The first disc has a commentary track with director Jon Turteltaub and Jon Voight, but disc two is where all of the larger special features are held. There are deleted scenes, bloopers, outtakes and tons of behind-the-scenes footage. There are mostly featurettes, some of which explaining the truth behind the fiction, while others are more focused on the technical aspects of the film, such as the stunts.