An action adventure that isn't adventurous enough
What National Treasure: Book of Secrets really lacks is the mystery required to make an adventure movie work. Sadly, Book of Secrets offers no great puzzles and isn't as involving as it could have been.
Rather than trying to make the audience piece the puzzle together slowly, Gates (Nicolas Cage), accompanied with female interest Abigail (Diane Kruger) and slightly-amusing sidekick Riley (Justin Bartha) stumble from clue to clue and find the puzzle piecing itself together through fortune more so than anything else.
Indeed, there seems to be no limit to what the team can do. Clues are so easily spotted it makes you wonder why we don't all go out seeking treasures. When needing to break-in to high security buildings, be it Buckingham Palace or indeed the White House, the team just seems to waltz right in. Furthermore, Riley, a computer whizz, has the ability to hack into just about whatever he sees fit. It's all far too convenient.
Moving from city to city, the team finds clues at locations such as Paris' Eiffel Tower, London's Buckingham Palace and Washington's White House. There isn't therefore a lack of grandeur, locations are plentiful and in terms of exploration, the adventurers certainly get around.