Not so Treasury

It all began in 2004 with the finding of one treasure by Benjamin Gates [Nicholas Cage],based upon the Gates family legend. In 2007 the legacy continues and our treasure protector [claimed by him in the first movie] is back. But sorry to say he is not back with a vengeance.

About the plot first; the missing page of John Wilkes Booth’s [the assassin of Abraham Lincoln] comes into picture and Thomas Gates is accused as the main conspirator. Now this Gates is the ancestor of our hero and to prove his innocence he embarks on a journey to hunt another treasure. Hunting a treasure will prove him innocent; there is a story behind it. The way to treasure can only be found by solving some clues, and our hero is a master at it. Along with him are his girlfriend Abigail, his friend Riley, his dad and his mom a new addition. And yes someone else is also after the treasure.

Now the sad news, the movie hardly lives up to the expectations. Why? The content of a great adventure movie is thrill, smartness of the hero, extent of the puzzle relating to the clue and surprise. We all had this in the first movie and that too above par. So this time the expectations were higher but the content was repeat and that too only at par. The extent of repetition is to the extent that every now and then you feel like watching the first movie with a slight variation, which anyone can make out.

Ben’s blatant declaration to kidnap the president of US reminds you of his declaration to steel the declaration of independence. Sadasky behind his tail, Riley telling him something which he doesn’t knew already and many more like these are a straight pickup from the first instalment. And the fact that clues this time are not that scintillating makes it a big let down.

Trivia:-

• Helen Mirren was invited to meet Queen Elizabeth II [due to her role in The Queen], but thanks to the filming of this movie she was in South Dakota and she missed the chance.
• The name on a realty sign in the background of one of the scenes is Segars’ Realty. A reference to one of the film’s executive producers Charles Segars.
• ‘Cinnamon’ was the title of the release prints when they were delivered to theatres.

Although with all these characteristics, still it is not boring and passing the time is not a big deal. Also for those who due to some reason missed the first one, it’s a great chance to make up for that mistake. All in all, one can watch if one is a Cage fan, or doesn’t have anything else to do.