Indiana Jones. Lara Croft. Benjamin Franklin Gates. With National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Mr. Gates can now join the company of those other well-established, world-traveling, adventuring treasure seekers. The only difference is Mr. Gates doesn’t begin to compare to Indy for adventure or to Lara for... certain... other reasons. That’s not to say that National Treasure 2 is a bad movie, but it isn’t really a good one either. The concept seems to be an idea that really was only good for one outing (although the ending of this film suggests otherwise). We’ve seen all of this before (twice, actually if you count the drugdery of The Da Vinci Code) and it’s not quite as exciting the second (or third) time around.

This time, Ben Gates and his cohorts are looking for the fabled city of gold. It’s actually a good piece of history to center a gripping, breath-taking, intriguing treasure hunt around; unfortunately that’s not what we get. Granted, all the pieces are there—obscure clues and ciphers, car chases and intrigue, conspiracies and comedy—but it’s just not as fun this time around. After the first couple of clues, they start to feel tedious. The movie moves at such a brisk pace that no awe or wonder can be built up over the discoveries—but that may be a good thing because if the movie moved any slower, you might notice just how little sense any of it makes.

Plus, the clues are really so obscure there isn’t even the slightest chance that we might be able to decode them; so I just had to wait for the characters to do it and then wonder how they would have ever come up with that answer without the convenience of a script. By the end I wasn’t sure what the real motivation of the villain was, what the discovery of the lost city of gold would mean to anyone, or why I should care. Then again, this isn’t the type of movie that asks you to care, just to have a good time.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets certainly does it’s best to make sure you have a good time. There’s a car chase that borrows a page from the Bourne movies with the shaky, hand-held camera shots to ratchet up the intensity and rawness of the chase; and there’s some sardonic and witty remarks for comic relief from Justin Bartha, who plays Riley. There are some innovative puzzles, daring break-ins, deadly traps, double crosses and romances, and even some swashbuckling by Jon Voight that proves adventuring ain’t only for the young. And there’s even a little education in history tossed in as well. Unfortunately none of this feels as fun as it should. Perhaps that’s due to the fact that the dull doldrums of The Da Vinci Code exposed just how tedious these types of treasure hunts can be, which may not bode well for Indy’s next outing.

The one fact that may astound you the most is the fact that the city of gold is real, and it can actually be found quite easily. Cortez looked for it in the wrong place, as does Ben Gates. The city of gold I’m referring to isn’t the fabled Cibola, but rather the New Jerusalem described in the Bible; more commonly known as heaven. Not only is it real, but it’s not some ancient relic collecting dust, but rather a beautiful, vibrant city full of life: eternal life. Best of all, it’s not really all that hard to find. Jesus told us that he is the way to this beautiful city of gold. We don’t need to be experts in world history or be able to crack ciphers or vague clues, all we need to do is accept the fact that his sacrifice on the cross provided for us the way to heaven. It’s a treasure that’s hidden in plain sight for anyone who cares to have it.

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