DVD review: "National Treasure 2"

From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.

“National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets”

“Treasure protector” Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) and his cohorts return for another far-fetched but enjoyable adventure through history in “National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets.”

The Walt Disney picture resembles a souped-up version of the family-friendly yarns the studio cranked out back in the day. The sequel finds Ben and archivist girlfriend Abigail (Diane Kruger) estranged and computer-geek crony Riley (Justin Bartha) in tax trouble.

Matters get worse when antiquities collector Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris) unveils a page from John Wilkes Booth’s diary fingering Ben’s ancestor, Thomas Gates, for planning the Lincoln assassination. Ben, his dad Patrick (Jon Voight) and friends set out to clear the Gates name, a mission that has them jetting from Paris to London to Washington, D.C., scoping out clues.

Eventually, the search points to clues hidden in the legendary Book of Secrets passed from one U.S. president to the next, forcing Ben to kidnap the current president (Bruce Greenwood) from a party at Mount Vernon.