| Overall Grade: |
B- |
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| Story: |
C+ |
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| Acting: |
B |
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| Direction: |
B |
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|
| Visuals: |
B |
|
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Bigger and not any better, but not worse.
by bck (movies profile)
Apr 8, 2008
15
of
26 people found this review helpful
Taking a page from the Indiana Jones series, Benjamin Gates (Cage) is back, and he’s not just got his dad (Voight) with him again, but he’s dragging mom (Mirren) along for the ride as well as ex-girlfriend Abigail (Kruger) and techie partner, Riley (Bartha). Like with the first movie, where the gimmick was stealing the Declaration of Independence, this one revolves around the idea of kidnapping the President (it’s the hook in the trailer), but like with the previous installment, it’s just one of the steps.
The inciting event revolves around the assassination of President Lincoln, days after the end of the American Civil War. It is implied that an ancestor of the Gates clan may have been involved in the assassination and in order to clear the family name, Ben and his gang look into the missing pages of the diary of John Wilkes Booth (Lincoln’s assassin). From there, they discover a cypher that leads them on another treasure hunt while being chased by an unusual bad guy in Ed Harris’s Wilkinson. His motivation is puzzling at best.
Yes, I’m keeping things a little brief there because there is really not much in the way of story plot. Character plots, however, have quite a field day as Ben has had a falling out with Abigail, Riley has had a turn of bad luck while dad has to deal with meeting up with mom again after thirty odd years. The interaction between Voight and Mirren is actually a joy to watch on screen, as is the new dynamic between Cage and Kruger. Keitel provides some sense of continuity and helps with filling in the background of Wilkinson. Bruce Greenwood delivers an amiable and likable President (as much as he did in Thirteen Days playing Kennedy)
Director Turteltaub keeps things moving as a rapid pace, seldom letting things settle long enough for you to question the obvious plot holes. In the end, those little niggling bits don’t really factor into the roller-coaster thrill ride, which delivers the same thrills and edge of the seat moments of the first movie. There’s no real sense of danger though because Wilkinson is such a conflicted character who is very much a cipher with very empty threats.
Still, there’s fun to be had with great moments from our primary characters. If you enjoyed the first movie, you’ll enjoy this as well. It’s just not going to convert you with its Indy lite adventure and James Bond homage. |
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