With all its characters racing around the world on a mission to solve puzzles, watching National Treasure: Book of Secrets feels like taking an exciting ride at a theme park.
Although the film is filled with historical references such as the Lincoln assassination and the American civil war, many of the most important moments in the plot points require the audience to just believe in order to enjoy them.
The plot revolves around archaeologist Ben Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage), who has to find the fabled City of God to clear the name of his great-great-grandfather, who is accused by rival archaeologist Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris) of planning to kill the American president Abraham Lincoln.
Helping him on his quest are his scholarly parents (Jon Voight and Helen Mirren) and ex-girlfriend (Diane Kruger). As with most films that are inspired by Indiana Jones, the characters constantly tell jokes even as they come close to death. Unfortunately, unlike the jokes in Indiana Jones, Cage's jokes are lame.
In spite of the boring chatting and bad jokes, all the puzzles that have to be solved will keep you glued to the screen. A very wholesome movie, with no blood or gore, National Treasure: Book of Secrets is a good addition to your DVD shelf.