Movie · 2007 · Action, Adventure, Mystery, Thriller · 2h 4m · PG · English
Curator score: 1.6/10 (471.1K ratings)
The greatest adventure history has ever revealed.
Overview
Benjamin Franklin Gates and Abigail Chase re-team with Riley Poole and, now armed with a stack of long-lost pages from John Wilkes Booth's diary, Ben must follow a clue left there to prove his ancestor's innocence in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.6/10
IMDb: 6.5/10
Letterboxd: 3.00/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 35%
Metacritic: 48
TMDB: 6.4/10
Director
Jon Turteltaub
Production
Walt Disney Pictures, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Saturn Films, Junction Entertainment, Sparkler Entertainment, NT2 Productions
Cast
Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Ed Harris, Jon Voight, Helen Mirren, Harvey Keitel, Bruce Greenwood, Ty Burrell, Michael Maize, Timothy V. Murphy, Alicia Coppola, Armando Riesco, Albert Hall, Joel Gretsch, Christian Camargo, Brent Briscoe, William Brent, Michael Manuel, Brad Rowe
Where to watch
Disney Plus, Hulu, AMC+, AMC, Philo
Curator Review
Verdict
A breezy, overstuffed sequel that trades the first film’s novelty for bigger set pieces, faster pacing, and even more absurd historical conspiracy fun. It’s not especially sharp as a mystery, but it is very watchable if you enjoy playful treasure-hunt adventure with a self-aware, family-friendly tone.
Best for
fans of light adventure movies with puzzles and clues
viewers who enjoy alternate-history nonsense played straight
people in the mood for a fast, glossy studio sequel
Nicolas Cage enthusiasts
families or casual viewers looking for easy escapism
Skip if
you want a tightly constructed mystery
you dislike goofy historical revisionism
you need high stakes or emotional depth
you prefer grounded action over cartoonish spectacle
Overview
Book of Secrets is a sequel built on momentum rather than surprise. It keeps the original’s museum-hopping, code-cracking spirit, then pushes it into bigger, sillier territory with presidential history, secret pages, and a conspiracy that treats American landmarks like a scavenger hunt. The result is less elegant than the first film, but often more openly entertaining.
Worth noting
What makes it work is the cast’s easy chemistry and the movie’s refusal to take itself too seriously. Nicolas Cage leans into the manic, earnest energy that makes this franchise feel distinct, while the film keeps tossing out new clues, reversals, and comic detours before you have time to question the logic too hard.
Bottom line
As a mystery, it’s mostly vibes and velocity. As a crowd-pleasing adventure, it delivers exactly what it promises: polished studio escapism, a few memorable images, and enough ridiculous confidence to make the whole thing go down smoothly.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Sara Clements (4★) · 1531 likes
WHAT WAS ON PAGE 47!!!!!!
clownhead · 1053 likes
baby: m... m... m-
mother: honey! come quick! baby’s about to say her first word!!
baby: m- m- m... mount rushmore was a coverup
Lucy (4★) · 667 likes
i’ve been trying to finish this rewatch for over a week now which really sums up how my quarantine is going. also, these two movies were cinematic nirvana when i saw them in theaters as a kid and that feeling never went away. who wants to go treasure hunting with me when this is all over?
David Sims (3★) · 637 likes
I'd vote for Bruce Greenwood
Keegan ✌🏻 (4★) · 540 likes
If you don't bite your lip in anticipation of the line; "I'm gonna kidnap the President of the United States", are you truly human?