'Treasure 2' fares worse than the original

The kind of disjointed, illogical logic that drove the original "National Treasure" has returned to haunt the sequel, "National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets." In fact, everything about this film feels just like a reshoot of the original movie.

Nicolas Cage is back in the role of Benjamin Franklin Gates, an adventurer who has an unbelievable ability to unravel obscure historical clues.

This film has him on a quest to clear his ancestor's name. The clues start with the John Wilkes Booth diary and take Gates and his merry band of treasure hunters to Paris, Buckingham Palace and the White House. He only has to break into Queen Elizabeth's office and kidnap the president to wrap up the mystery.

Each step moves ahead with such fanciful leaps that the movie becomes more comical that adventurous. It doesn't help that Cage can no longer make a movie without throwing in a few scenes where he seems to be winking at the audience.

One of those scenes comes late in "National Treasure 2." Gates, his parents and friends are all being forced to find a city of gold by some ruthless men. Instead of letting the tension build, Cage has a moment where he pretends he has been hurt. The scene is out of character and out of place.

Everything about the "National Treasure" movies feels out of place. In the first movie, Jon Voight stumbled along as Gates' father. Now Helen Mirren has been pulled into the mess. The actress turns in an Oscar-worthy effort -- for not showing how appalled she must have been with the idiotic script.

There is really only one way to enjoy "National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets." Ignore all urges to think of the script in any logical terms. Accept that this is just a movie that depends on smoke and mirrors to create the illusion that it is far smarter than it really is.