Benjamin Franklin Gates is back and this time he's looking for the truth behind the "lost diary of John Wilkes Booth" so he can clear the name of his ancestor, a man accused of being one of the conspirators in the Lincoln Assassination. With the help of his partner, Riley, Gates is on the quest to solve the biggest mystery in American history and at the same time, find the legendary City of Gold.

Nicolas Cage, Justin Bartha & Jon Voight

I wish the filmmakers had watched Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold because then they would have realized that the City of Gold doesn't fare well in movies. Well, I take that back. The original Duck Tales pilot episode used the City of Gold very well. Book of Secrets falls somewhere between Duck Tales and Allan Quatermain - not great and not terrible - but utterly forgettable and tragically average.

Unlike the engaging and Indiana Jones-like map-following and puzzle-solving of the original film with secret keys, moving walls and ancient crypts, the new film plays out more like The Three Stooges Search for the City of Gold. Gates, Riley and his still-forgetabble love interest bumble about for two hours in scenarios that are so far over the top, there's no believing them. It's amazing how easy they are able to gain access to the Queen's office in Buckingham Palace, the Oval Office and kidnap the President of the United States all within a few days.

Diane Kruger & Cage.

The writers and the filmmakers really overspend their suspension-of-disbelief capital here and the check bounces badly. Most of the film is a series of conversations with unfunny quips and all-too-easy puzzle solving - sometimes simply reading engravings on walls or being fortunate enough to sprinkle water from a small drinking bottle onto just the right part of a massive stone mesa to find the secret before the water runs out.

The only Indy-like bend to the film is the fact that it's a search for an ancient legend, but the movie tries too hard to tie it to American history like the previous film's plot.
Indiana Jones' adventures weren't limited to Christian artifacts like the Holy Grail. The Ark was Hebrew, the Sankara Stones of Hindu lore and the upcoming Kingdom of the Crystal Skull will focus on objects of South American legend if the title is accurate. Why then does Benjamin Gates have to find yet another massive treasure within North America's borders? The better question is what third major treasure will they contrive for the inevitable National Treasure 3?

I don't know, but I can tell you I won't be waiting around to find out. (MF)