It's an interesting choice to release National Treasure: Book of Secrets on DVD just a couple days before the release of Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull hits theaters. Perhaps Disney is hoping to tie into everyone's sense of adventure that they're feeling with a new Indy film out. Maybe it's an inside joke since many of the sets for National Treasure were thought to be sets for the new Indiana Jones film, and director Jon Turteltaub did nothing to dispel those rumors. Whatever the reasoning, it'll be interesting to see how the latest National Treasure measures up to the latests Indiana Jones adventure; but I will say this: I actually enjoyed National Treasure: Book of Secrets more the second time I watched it than the first. In fact, this sequel is a much better all around effort than the the first Treasure, despite strictly adhering to the same formula.

The fact that this sequel is so solid is actually quite interesting when considering several factors. This was the first sequel that Nic Cage and Jon Voight have ever done; the National Treasure films are the only experience Jon Turteltaub has had with the action/adventure genre; and they were working on the script as they were filming. The result, however, is an adventure that feels a bit more grounded and far less eye-roll inducing while at the same time providing an excellent mix of history and adventure.

As is the rule with any sequel, the scope of National Treasure: Book of Secrets was expanded to make it bigger by including the international scene while still tying back into the history of America. Plus, the use of practical effects and on-location shooting gives the entire affair a sense of authenticity. The real weakness of the film, however, is the lack of a sense of urgency. There just isn't as much energy this time out. The characters are once again following and solving clues, but there isn't really anything that's driving them to do so with urgency. Yes there's a bad guy who wants the treasure too, but he's content to let the good guys solve the clues and then swoop in and steal the answer.

If National Treasure wants to continue as a franchise, they need stronger villians and more compelling reasons for these adventures to happen. What they need is a Moriarty to play against Ben Gate's Sherlock Holmes-like genius. Still, National Treasure knows exactly what it is: a popcorn flick that mixes education with entertainment, and it never tries to be anything else. It's just good, light-hearted fun that shouldn't be taken seriously.

One of the central themes this time out is the question of how history will remember you. Ed Harris plays the villian, and his main concern is that his family's name will be remembered in history. When we stop to consider just how short our lifetime really is, it can be a bit overwhelming to consider the fact that we're here and gone in space of a few decades. In the eons of history, what does that short lifetime really amount to? What difference do our few years in history really make? For some, that's an all-consuming question as they realize that perhaps the only way they can attain a measure of immortality is to be remembered in history.

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