Who knew faux history could be so much fun?
Video:
For the most part, the 1080p picture (AVC/MPEG-4 codec) looks very good. Presented in 2.40:1 aspect ratio, it delivers a high level of detail and a pleasing sensation of 3-dimensionality, especially in scenes where Patrick appears (I guess Voight is a 3-D kind of guy). This is a film that has been tweaked so that the colors convey a certain mood, and there's a golden-brown caste to many of the scenes. Some of the external scenes with high action have a little noise and possibly compression artifacts along the edges, but overall it's a nice picture--certainly nothing I'd complain about. I sometimes feel that we can be overly critical on video or audio reporting, where if you just sat back and watched the film you probably wouldn't notice a thing.
Audio:
Disney went with an English Dolby TrueHD (48kHz/24-bit) featured soundtrack on this title, whereas the first "National Treasure" sported (to my mind) a more dynamic PCM audio. But I think there must have been advances in TrueHD over the past year, because the last few discs I've reviewed with TrueHD had a much livelier sound and better spread across the speakers than earlier discs. This one has a nice balance of treble and bass, and it's capable of handling the subtle tones just as well as the brassy and bold action scenes.
Extras:
A nice package of extras are included, but I'll warn you right now, unless you have a player with Profile 1.1 capability you won't be able to access "Book of History: Fact and Fiction of National Treasure." Right now, Blu-ray technology is in such flux that I'm not about to upgrade to a new player until one is available that can handle 1.1 and the new BD-Live features, so I couldn't access this feature. The studio described it as a separate video stream integrated into the main feature which shows icons that transport you to featurettes. The interactivity also includes pop-up questions and a running tally that rewards trivia buffs with additional features at the end.
I did enjoy the commentary track with Turteltaub and Voight. They manage to have a good time while also giving an awful lot of information. I particularly appreciated the way they talked about what was real and what was invented, and though I'm usually not a fan of "we shot this scene in such-and-such-a-place," when you're dealing with well-known locations it's fun hearing all the details. A better-than-average commentary, for sure.
Seven deleted scenes are included, playable with or without commentary. Some directors treat these in a perfunctory manner, but Turtletaub really spends time on them, offering long intros to the scenes and reiterating his philosophy that "Movies are too long." Editors are gods, in his world, and he gives credit to them in a number of places on the bonus features.
Aside from an okay outtakes/blooper reel, the other main feature is really an eight-part, hour-long "making of" feature that covers the usual bases. What makes it worth watching, though, is that the outfit that put them together really doesn't skimp on behind-the-scenes footage. There's a lot here. "Secrets of a Sequel" hits the basics, while "The Book of Secrets: On Location" takes you abroad, "Street Stunts: Creating the London Chase" shows you what it took to do the impossible, "Inside the Library of Congress" gives you a behind-the-scenes tour, and features on "Underground Action," "Cover Story: Crafting the Presidents' Book," "Evolution of a Golden City," and "Knights of the Golden Circle" talk about the blending of fact and fiction. They're all quite watchable, but I have to admit that my favorite was hearing from the head of Buckingham Palace and police security about the four police checks that every cast and crew member had to pass. "Sadly," he laughs, "not everyone made it."
Bottom Line:
Because it's so formulaic and because there are moments when logic stretches like Silly Putty, "National Treasure 2" is one of those films that's more popcorn movie than it is a classic. But when you add location filming and just enough action to stir things up, and when you throw in a lot of facts as well, it's a pretty big bag to munch on. Who knew faux history could be so much fun?
For the most part, the 1080p picture (AVC/MPEG-4 codec) looks very good. Presented in 2.40:1 aspect ratio, it delivers a high level of detail and a pleasing sensation of 3-dimensionality, especially in scenes where Patrick appears (I guess Voight is a 3-D kind of guy). This is a film that has been tweaked so that the colors convey a certain mood, and there's a golden-brown caste to many of the scenes. Some of the external scenes with high action have a little noise and possibly compression artifacts along the edges, but overall it's a nice picture--certainly nothing I'd complain about. I sometimes feel that we can be overly critical on video or audio reporting, where if you just sat back and watched the film you probably wouldn't notice a thing.
Audio:
Disney went with an English Dolby TrueHD (48kHz/24-bit) featured soundtrack on this title, whereas the first "National Treasure" sported (to my mind) a more dynamic PCM audio. But I think there must have been advances in TrueHD over the past year, because the last few discs I've reviewed with TrueHD had a much livelier sound and better spread across the speakers than earlier discs. This one has a nice balance of treble and bass, and it's capable of handling the subtle tones just as well as the brassy and bold action scenes.
Extras:
A nice package of extras are included, but I'll warn you right now, unless you have a player with Profile 1.1 capability you won't be able to access "Book of History: Fact and Fiction of National Treasure." Right now, Blu-ray technology is in such flux that I'm not about to upgrade to a new player until one is available that can handle 1.1 and the new BD-Live features, so I couldn't access this feature. The studio described it as a separate video stream integrated into the main feature which shows icons that transport you to featurettes. The interactivity also includes pop-up questions and a running tally that rewards trivia buffs with additional features at the end.
I did enjoy the commentary track with Turteltaub and Voight. They manage to have a good time while also giving an awful lot of information. I particularly appreciated the way they talked about what was real and what was invented, and though I'm usually not a fan of "we shot this scene in such-and-such-a-place," when you're dealing with well-known locations it's fun hearing all the details. A better-than-average commentary, for sure.
Seven deleted scenes are included, playable with or without commentary. Some directors treat these in a perfunctory manner, but Turtletaub really spends time on them, offering long intros to the scenes and reiterating his philosophy that "Movies are too long." Editors are gods, in his world, and he gives credit to them in a number of places on the bonus features.
Aside from an okay outtakes/blooper reel, the other main feature is really an eight-part, hour-long "making of" feature that covers the usual bases. What makes it worth watching, though, is that the outfit that put them together really doesn't skimp on behind-the-scenes footage. There's a lot here. "Secrets of a Sequel" hits the basics, while "The Book of Secrets: On Location" takes you abroad, "Street Stunts: Creating the London Chase" shows you what it took to do the impossible, "Inside the Library of Congress" gives you a behind-the-scenes tour, and features on "Underground Action," "Cover Story: Crafting the Presidents' Book," "Evolution of a Golden City," and "Knights of the Golden Circle" talk about the blending of fact and fiction. They're all quite watchable, but I have to admit that my favorite was hearing from the head of Buckingham Palace and police security about the four police checks that every cast and crew member had to pass. "Sadly," he laughs, "not everyone made it."
Bottom Line:
Because it's so formulaic and because there are moments when logic stretches like Silly Putty, "National Treasure 2" is one of those films that's more popcorn movie than it is a classic. But when you add location filming and just enough action to stir things up, and when you throw in a lot of facts as well, it's a pretty big bag to munch on. Who knew faux history could be so much fun?
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]23158[/release]