National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (2-Disc Collector’s Edition)

National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (2-Disc Collector’s Edition) / 2008 Disney / 125 Minutes / http://www.disneydvd.com /

National Treasure 2 is obviously the sequel to the 2004 film that starred Nicolas Cage. While I thought it was a flop in terms of ticket sales, I guess I was wrong: it has racked up nearly 500 million in ticket revenues since it was originally released. The story itself revolves around Ben Gates attempting to prove that eir (great great) grandfather was not the mastermind behind the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

Along the way, Ben and friends find the lost city of gold (Cibola) and ultimately find the Book of Secrets. The Book of Secrets is a listing, available to all the presidents, of the facts to conspiracies like the death of John F. Kennedy, Area 51, and the like. This two-disc collector’s edition provides individuals with a number of features above and beyond the film. This means that there is an excellent audio commentary help with Jon Turteltaub and Jon Voight, along with a number of deleted scenes that provide individuals with a little better telling of the story. Individuals that want to see the human side of the actors here will love to see “The Treasure Reel”, a collection of the outtakes and flubs from the filming of the movie. For stunt buffs, the discussion of how the London chase was created will be incredibly interesting. The only thing that I thought was slightly weak was the “Cover Story: Crafting The Presidents’ Book”.

While artistically-minded individuals will likely like this featurette, I found myself not as interested by it. This may be because I am a history buff, but I thought the discussion about the history of the Knights of the Golden Circle was the best part of the bonus features. The Knights of the Golden Circle were individuals that wanted a “golden circle” of territories in Mexico and Latin America to further southern interests. The film itself is compelling, interesting enough to ensure that repeat watchings will compel individuals. The bonus features present on the disc are enough to keep the disc in an individual’s player for weeks to come, and Disney has made the value of this DVD well above the price that most stores will sell the disc for. If you liked the movie during its theatrical run, make sure to pick up the DVD. If you want to understand fully the movie, make sure to pick up the 2-Disc Collector’s Edition.

Rating: 7.4/10