My family owns the DVD of the first National Treasure movie. We've watched it so many times, we know the dialogue and yet, it still thrills. It's the testosterone equivalent of The Princess Bride at our house. Its intelligence, comedy, dialogue, exotic locations, and incredibly entertaining cast set the bar very high for its sequel in our eyes.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets does not disappoint, I am delighted to say. It stays true to the ethos and action of discovering those clever, quirky clues that led us through U.S. history in the first movie, and still manages to improve upon its predecessor in two distinct ways: it supplies us with a more complicated villain and provides us with more reasons to laugh, relax, and just enjoy the ride without thinking too much -- a great holiday recipe!

The dialogue and situational comedy are spot on, and for fans of the original National Treasure, the sequel pure joy through being reunited with old friends (Nick Cage, Diane Kruge, Justin Bartha, Jon Voigt, and Harvey Keitel reprising their roles) and being introduced to new (Helen Mirren, Ed Harris). Indeed, the performances of Mirren and Harris raised the bar for this stellar ensemble cast.

In a recent interview, producer Bruckheimer stated that because the first installment of National Treasure was "so American," that it didn't get the audience abroad they were hoping for. In this installment, they have taken the story to Europe and back and included important historical ties to engage the overseas market, in hopes the movie will be more engaging to crowds across the pond this go round.

The film opens in 1865, Washington, D.C. Thomas Gates, progenitor of the Gates family of treasure hunters, is seated in a pub with his young son when they are approached by two men asking him to decode a secret cipher inscribed in a diary. As one man watches on, the other turns on his heel, walks over to Ford's Theater and promptly puts a gun to Abraham Lincoln's head. The rest is history.

Thomas Gates discovers that the man standing watch over him is a member of a nefarious group of traitors who want to reverse the outcome of the Civil War. Gates confronts the man, tearing out the pages of John Wilkes Boothe's diary containing the cipher and throws them into the fire. The traitor shoots Gates as his young son looks on in horror. As he lies bleeding in his son's arms, Gates whispers to him, "The debt that all men pay ..." And he dies. The shooter retrieves the partially burned pages as he makes his escape.

Flash forward to the present day. Ben Gates (Cage) and his father, Patrick Gates (Voigt), are giving a lecture on the missing pages of John Wilkes Boothe's diary based on a story told to the elder Gates by his grandfather. They surmise that what was written in those diary pages may never be known. Enter the adversary, Mitch Wilkinson (Harris), who produces one of the missing diary pages, partially burned, stating that Thomas Gates' name was inscribed on that page with the list of those who plotted Lincoln's murder -- a major black mark on the reputation of the Gates family.

As the document is authenticated by Ben's estranged girlfriend, Dr. Abigail Chase (Kruger), the letters of a cipher are discovered bleeding through the back of the page. We learn then that the last words of Thomas Gates to his son holds the key to unlocking the cipher and leads to clues of an ancient Native American legend: a long lost golden city hidden somewhere in the New World.

Tempted by this mystery and energized with the absolute determination to clear their great grandfather's name and restore his place in history, Ben and his team join the race against the villain Wilkinson to find the location of the lost city. Game on.

To all the naysayers who panned this movie: "BAH HUMBUG" to you! National Treasure: Book of Secrets IS a treasure, and terrifically fun! I am not alone in my applause of this sophomore rendering of the "Family Gates" treasure-seeking adventures. The theater was filled with laughter because this movie is genuinely funny and easy to enjoy. And it's safe for the whole family to see, which was one of producer Jerry Bruckheimer's goals this season.

Secrets and revelations abound, and the pace is just fast enough to keep us glued to the screen and tied to our chairs so as not to miss any small detail. It is a twisting, turning plot that takes the team around the world, involves the "kidnapping" of the President of the United States and a break-in at Buckingham Palace to find the "Book of Secrets," a car chase a little bit reminiscent of The Italian Job, and an homage to Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest. Our favorite Masonic FBI Agent, Sadusky (Keitel), even has a hand in the plot ... but which side is he on?

Harris's "precision badness" kept the balance just right in an otherwise fun, frivolous adventure film. His performance adds a level of villainous intensity to the story that balances out Cage's performance as the softhearted, brilliant, quirky historian and treasure hunter. Harris's portrayal is deliciously evil despite the occasional confusing ambivalence written into his character.

And what would a National Treasure movie be without the technological prowess of Riley Poole ("Helloooo"), the quirky facts we find out about our own history (three Statues of Liberty???), and the clever genius of our forefathers ... European and Native American (watch for the "balancing act" under Mt. Rushmore)?

The dialogue was funny, the pace breakneck, and the newly introduced relationship between Voigt and Mirren refreshing. You get the feeling that this ensemble is actually enjoying this adventure as much as we are.

The end of the movie is satisfying, and prophesies of a new mystery to be solved, promulgated by none other than ... well, can't spoil it for you, can I? But, suffice it to say that the Book of Secrets has been opened (sorry to steal from Harry Potter there, but couldn't help myself) and has left the door wide open for a third National Treasure outing with the Family Gates. I look forward to it.

There are a couple of downsides to this offering. Familiarity with the first movie is assumed in the screenplay, and the returning characters do not quite have the clever playfulness that marked the first National Treasure story line.

I suppose there was meant to be a parallel between the rocky relationships of the women in the movie with the two Gates men, but this is barely alluded to and takes too much thought to conjure. Given a little more time and a little less action, these could have been fleshed out with a little more poignancy, but alas, this movie is not about relationships!

The music in the film added a lot in supporting the action, but the cinematography left a lot to be desired. So much of this story was filmed on location around the world, yet the backdrops were grainy and ill defined and barely edited into the picture. I've seen matte paintings and CGI effects that felt more realistic than the location shots in this film. I suppose those details were sacrificed in order to concentrate on the action/adventure storyline, but IMHO, better cinematography could have given the look and feel of the movie a little more clarity and class.

But, despite the taken-for-granted familiarity, I highly recommend this funny, fluffy, family movie. It's great holiday fare. You don't have to think about it, it's not a tearjerker or another movie about the atrocities of war. You won't spend a lot of time twisting your neurons to figure this one out. These people are our friends!

Just sit back, buckle your seat belt, grab your popcorn, and enjoy the ride. It's worth even a full-price ticket to see this deserving sequel at least once on the big screen before you buy it for yourself.
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