 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets
- Review Date: May 18, 2008
- PG
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- 2007
Common Sense Media says
Action-packed treasure hunt is age-appropriate but so-so.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that the action in this fast-paced adventure sequel is loud and sometimes tense (car chases, near falls from high ledges in a dark cave, etc.), but for the most part it's pretty tame. The most troubling scene comes early, when, in a flashback to 1865, a child sees his father shot and killed; the sequence also includes a reenactment of Abraham Lincoln's assassination (not bloody, but obvious). In the present day, there's some shooting, car crashes, hand-to-hand fighting, and threats made with guns. Expect some cleavage shots, plus innocuous flirting and kissing.
What's the story?
In NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS, history fanatic/inveterate puzzle solver Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) is making his living lecturing on his family's contributions to U.S. legacies. So imagine his horror when another self-proclaimed patriot, Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris), asserts that a Gates ancestor was a "mastermind" in the assassination of Ben's favorite president, Abraham Lincoln. Declaring that he must clear his family's name, Ben takes off on a treasure hunt along with his history-buff dad, Patrick (Jon Voight), ex-girlfriend/archivist, Abigail (Diane Kruger), and sidekick Riley (Justin Bartha).s Ben's mother (Helen Mirren), who hasn't spoken to Patrick for 32 years, joins the team as translator. The treasure hunt takes the crew from Paris to London to Washington, D.C., with each location affording glimpses of historical monuments and occasions for Cage's antics. Soon the hunters are being hunted by FBI agents (led by Harvey Keitel
Is it any good?
It's never a good sign when you can figure out a secret plot before a movie's characters do. Then again, that's not very hard to do when the plot is the same as the first time you saw it. Unfortunately, this sequel adds precious few new ideas to the blueprint established in National Treasure.
As in the first film, Cage is the primary draw, alternately goofy and smirky and always entertaining. Frankly, he's the only cast member who can make the unwieldy expository dialogue seem at all plausible.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the differences between real history and "Hollywood history." Why do you think filmmakers bend the facts so often? Is real history less entertaining than the kind that's manufactured for the movies? Do you think this movie is trying to prompt kids to take an interest in history? Kids: What do you know about the historical sites featured in the film (the White House, Buckingham Palace, and Mount Rushmore)? How could you find out more?
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AGE
I started watching the movie and really liked it however they use God's name in vain which is worse than cussing. B/c of that I cannot recommend the movie.
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AGE
no no for under 10
very scary its really wierd when u see the skeltons its just plain wierd and the sex com'mon the lady just kisses him and you see that she really hates it and then she stops abruptly when the guy gets wwhat he whants
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AGE
Not for sensitive kids
I wouldn't call this sequel as family-friendly as the first National Treasure. There was no bad language, I have to give it points for that, but it didn't do as well in the other categories. In the first movie two of the main characters bought a house together. It's assumed they were married by this point, but in the sequel you find out that they weren't. And unlike the first National Treasure movie where all the bad guys get caught by the police, the bad guy in the sequel dies. That part could be disturbing to kids.
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AGE
Great Family Movie!
As a parent in his early 30s of children who are ages 8 & 10, this movie reminds me much of The Goonies...without all of the bad language. While the movie is fiction, there are historical elements to the movie that are neat to hear about and can be used as educational tools for your children. For example, the opening scene is a dramatic re-enactment of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Relax...there's no blood or gore associated with it. Most kids will be familiar with the story, but few will know many details about it. On a social level, the movie deals with stuff that some kids will be able to relate to and others won't. For example, Ben Gates' parents are divorced and not necessarily fond of each other but somehow grow closer once again throughout the adventure in the movie. Ben and his girlfriend have lived together and are now broken up. There is a scene in which they're discussing who will take possession of some mutual property. Nothing is detailed throughout it, but your kids may pick up on it. The rest of the movie is action-packed without showing gore or much violence (especially by comparison to the first movie). Ed Harris is a great bad guy as always, who shows a good side in the end. As usual, Disney did a superb job with the HD rendering and the surround sound is great as well.
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AGE
I didn't think that national treasure2 had as much historical content as the first and I find it hard to beleave that the city of gold could be is south dakota. wasn't it suppose to be in south america? the history the movie made up wasn't as beleavable as the first one. a golden city beneath mt. rushmore? I don't think so. a book that is passed down through all the presidents seems logical though.
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AGE
great
i didnt think this was possible but this one is better than the first one it was great
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AGE
good movie 10 and over
very good movie better then first good for family too 10 and over
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AGE
Disappointing...
The first was definitely better...'nuff said.
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| Topics: | adventures, history |
| Studio: | Walt Disney Pictures |
| Director: | Jon Turteltaub |
| Cast: | Diane Kruger, Harvey Keitel, Nicolas Cage |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Run time: | 124 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | December 20, 2007 |
| DVD release date: | May 19, 2008 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | some violence and action. |
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