Karnataka   

For some silly laughs

National Treasure II Book of Secrets (English)

Cast: Nicholas Cage, Diane Kruger, Ed Harris, Jon Voight, Helen Mirren,

Director: Jon Turtletaub

Never has such a large collection of Academy Award winners come together in such an inane film.

However, it is not such a bad thing. Thespians too need a break and what better way to do so than to swing around underground caves all the while shouting pop history making preposterous leaps of faith in logic? And if all else fails, there is super producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s big fat pay cheques to make things smarmy and smooth.

This is a sequel to the equally inane National Treasure, which came out in 2004 riding on the conspiracy theory tsunami, thanks to Dan Brown and his cement-like The Da Vinci Code. Everyone reprises their roles, including director.

The new additions are a villain (it would have been hysterically funny if the villain returned as well — as punishment for your dastardly crimes, you are consigned to sequel limbo) and the hero’s mum.

So, there is intrepid archaeologist Benjamin Franklin Gates looking for the lost City of Gold, clear his ancestor’s name and be all round good guy.

His ancestor, incidentally, has been named the key conspirator in the assassination of President Lincoln.

He is helped by national archivist and on-off girlfriend Abigail Chase, nerdy Riley, reluctantly aided by dad Patrick Gates and mum Emily, who is a professor of ancient languages and the only one who can decode the symbols, which she does in a flash.

FBI agent Saduski, who was after him in the first movie, also returns.

The movie is totally preposterous moving at lightning speed from the U.S. to Paris to a break-in at the Buckingham Palace, then off to kidnap the President and then a satisfying and incredibly unbelievable climax on Mount Rushmore involving half-litre bottles of mineral water.

“The Book of Secrets” is saved by its likeable goofiness.

The cast have obviously had a rip-roaring time and it shows.

Nicholas Cage looks academic and hip as Ben, Diane Kruger is Amazon goddess Abigail, Justin Bartha is Riley, Jon Voight is suitably paternal as Papa Gates, and Harvey Keitel is FBI officer Saduski.

Newcomers are Ed Harris as the villainous Mitch, who only wanted his name to be remembered by history and even apologises for his dark dastardly deeds in the end and the imperious Dame Helen Mirren as Emily. Watching Voight and Mirren swing on handy tree roots across unfathomable chasms, one wonders if we were being prepared for another intrepid archaeologist, Indiana Jones, who is manfully doing the jumping and running stuff at 65.

MINI ANTHIKAD CHHIBBER

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