Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment – 125 minutes – 2007 – Rated PG – 1080p Widescreen 2.40:1 – Dolby TrueHD audio mix

The first National Treasure was a big hit, and one of the main reasons for its success is that it filled the need for audiences who were raving over the best selling book, The Da Vinci Code, which also dealt with secret codes in famous works. National Treasure outgunned the actual movie adaptation of The Da Vinci Code by getting to theaters first and winning its own audience. The sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets did even better than the first, taking in over $450 million worldwide, giving Nicholas Cage his first franchise character. National Treasure: Book of Secrets is now available form Walt Disney Home Entertainment on Blu-ray, so if you’ve already watched Con Air, The Rock and Ghost Rider and you need to see more Nic Cage in HD, you’re all set.

THE MOVIE

The original casts from the first film have all returned for the sequel, which centers on Benjamin Gates (Cage), learning that a missing page form the diary of Abraham Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth, has been discovered and one of Gate’s ancestors has been named in the plot to murder the 16^th President. Gates is now on a mission to clear his family name and unlock the secret that will lead him to a mysterious lost city of gold where the truth lies.

Along for the ride is his father Patrick Gates (Jon Voight), his geeky comedic sidekick, Riley (Justin Bartha), his ex who he’s still in love with, Abigail (Diane Kruger); and even Benjamin’s mom Emily (Helen Mirren), has been thrown into the mix. Book of Secrets also features Ed Harris, playing Mitch Wilkinson, who is the bad guy of the story, also searching for the city of gold to attain fortune and glory.

It’s hard not to make comparisons to and Indiana Jones or even one of the Mummy movies when watching National Treasure. Benjamin Gates is not a rugged two-fisted rogue like Harrison Ford, nor is he the bumbling adventurer portrayed by Brendan Fraser; instead Gates is more of a “let’s hope this works” type of character. But when you start looking for a ‘lost city’ then you’re treading into Indiana Jones territory, which is something the original stayed away from.

Book of Secrets is entertaining, offering your basic laundry list of action scenes, but you never feel the characters are in any real danger because everything is taken as a joke. Another issue is that Gates never is challenged by any of the so-called secrets he’s supposed to unlock; he just figures it all out on the first try. Yes, this is a family friendly Disney movie, but does that mean everything must be so easy and simple?

The whole conspiracy backstory concerning the Lincoln assassination, and the Book of Secrets handed down from all the Presidents is a great premise, but nothing is ever done to make any of this more spectacular. The movie is fun in places, but when it’s over, there’s no need to watch it again, because there is not one scene that stands out as original, like Indiana Jones being chased by a giant rolling boulder, a sequence that’s still talked about 27 years later.

With the bank load of money the National Treasure films have raked in, there is obviously going to be a third one, because Hollywood loves trilogies. Let’s hope that they try to take more risk the third time around, but unfortunately it’ll probably be another sequel from the ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it handbook.’ Book of Secrets is not a bad film, it’s just so Disney sweet that it may give you a toothache.

VIDEO

Book of Secrets looks really good, offering a 1080p image and a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. The beauty of new movies is that the transition to Blu-ray results in a nice clean image, with accurate flesh tones and solid black levels. The film was not photographed in the flash and dazzle style you would see in a Michael Bay film, so it doesn’t jump out of the screen; but it will stand out and you should be satisfied.

AUDIO

The audio sounds even better than you would expect, pushing out a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix that will put your speakers to work. There’s plenty of dialogue going on during the action scenes, and the balance is done well so that nothing overlaps. The films finale in particular stands out with sound effects and music spread all around to draw you into the action. No complaints with the audio, so if you’ve got a good sound system the experience will be better.

EXTRAS

Disney went all out with the bonus features offering a nice selection with everything presented in full HD, so fans of the movie will not be disappointed.

An audio commentary features director John Turtletaub and actor Jon Voight, which of all the cast members is an odd choice, but maybe Nic Cage was prepping Ghost Rider 2 or something. If you liked the film you’ll find the commentary interesting, because Turtletaub does seem passionate about his work.

There’s an hour long documentary divided into eight sections that covers various aspects of the production:

• Secrets of a Sequel features producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Turtletaub along with some cast clips as they talk about the first film and the desire to make a sequel.

• The Book of Secrets: On Location shows all the filming locations such as Paris and London.

• Street Stunts shows what went into the London car chase sequence.

• Cover Story: Crafting the President’s book looks at the design of the book used to hold the secrets in the film.

• Underground Action shoes off the set of the film’s cave finale.

• Evolution of a Golden City looks at the fabled gold city of Cibola, including designs and special effects.

• Inside the Library of Congress shows off the set for the historic location including interviews with the cast.

• Knights of the Golden Circle takes a look at the real group of men who attempted to continue the Civil War, and is probably one of the most interesting extras.

The Blu-ray offers two exclusive deleted scenes (only five are on the standard DVD). Director Turtletaub talks about why each of the scenes was cut. None of the omitted scenes stand out, but it’s interesting to see them.

‘The Treasure Reel’ is a five minute collection of bloopers. None of them are knee-slapping hilarious, but it’s quick.

‘Book of History: The Fact or Fiction of National Treasure’ is an interactive feature that tries to actually educate viewers using events in the film, via choosing icons and answering questions as you watch the film. This feature is divided into the categories ‘Desk of the President,’ ‘History Makers,’ ‘Chronology,’ and ‘Archives.’ The nice thing about it is that you can save your progress and continue later.

BOTTOM LINE

National Treasure: Book of Secrets is your basic sequel, so if you enjoyed the first film, you’ll also get a thrill out of what this one has to offer. The Blu-ray itself is a solid package with great picture and sound, as well as a nice variety of bonus features. It’s recommended that you get both films on Blu-ray because owning the just the sequel will look very odd on your shelf; they are a matching set. National Treasure 3 is obviously being worked-up somewhere in Hollywood land, but until then Disney’s Blu-rays will satisfy your Benjamin Gates fix.

SCORES (Out of 5):

The Movie: 3.0

Video: 4.0

Sound: 4.0

Extras: 4.0

Bottom Line: 4.0