What makes a great film?

A great story

When your chasing after ancient treasure it's always key to have a backstory that is interesting and makes sense to the audience. In National Treasure 2 they use a mixture of true and fictional facts and blend them together in a way that makes sense. You truly believe what the characters are going after and part of the fun is finding the clues amongst historical culture. The assassination of Lincoln was a huge blow to the Union after winning the civil war, and to find out that your ancestor was potentially involved was a blow to the Gates family. They have to find the lost city of gold to prove that Thomas Gates burnt the map to stop the Confederacy from finding it.

Great characters

Nicolas Cage plays Benjamin Franklin Gates, a man who has a huge passion for history, and someone who puts others before him. He is immediately likeable and played fantastically by Cage. 

Justin Bartha, who would go on to star in The Hangover after this film, plays tech sidekick Riley Poole. He brings the comedy to National Treasure with great one liners and dialogue. 

Diana Kruger plays National Archives employee Abigail Chase. She is the love interest for Ben Gates and their chemistry on screen is great. She is also knowledgeable when it comes to history and proves helpful throughout the story.

I love that in the second National Treasure we are introduced to Ben's mum, Emily. She is played by Dame Helen Mirren as a College Professor. Her screen time with Jon Voight is great and to watch the tension between them is a great side story too. Jon Voight was in the first film and it's great that the whole family essentially is on the treasure hunt. 

Ed Harris plays antogonist Mitch Wilkinson, and is the other one after the treasure. National Treasure 2 sees Harris and Cage reunite for the first time since The Rock (1996). Mitch is trying to make his mark on history and way he can.