I had a hard enough time staying awake in American History class, so you can imagine when the first National Treasure came out - I was a bit tainted in my judgment. I mean seriously, a movie about American History would have to be rather stellar to interest me. But, they did a pretty enticing job with the internet media so I gave it a shot. It was good. I didn't think it was the cream of the crop, but it was good (which from me considering the topic material - that is worthy praise). Then the promised sequel arrives; and once again the clever advertising had me wishing to see it though I never did get the chance. Until now... National Treasure: Book of Secrets Special Collector's Edition Arrives on DVD the 20of May and I was lucky enough to delve into Bill Gate's unique world once again.

DVD Promo

Walt Disney Pictures and legendary action producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Pirates of the Caribbean) present a spectacular, star-studded race across the globe when National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets comes to DVD, two-disc Gold Collection DVD and Blu-ray Disc on May 20, 2008 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. This thrilling Adventure for the Whole Family is priced at $29.99 SRP; 2Disc Gold Collector's Edition Gold Collection DVD and Blu-ray Disc are each $34.99 SRP.

The missing pages of a diary hold a secret so explosive it could change the course of history in National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets. An irresistible blend of historical fact and fiction, the high-voltage adventure stars Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage (Best Actor; Leaving Las Vegas, 1996) as Benjamin Franklin Gates, treasure hunter extraordinaire. A search to uncover the truth behind the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, is packed with breathtaking stunts, awe-inspiring backdrops and a lightning-paced international treasure hunt.

Oscar winners Jon Voight (Best Actor, 1979; Coming Home) and Helen Mirren (Best Actress, The Queen, 2007) head up an extraordinary supporting cast that also includes Oscar nominees Ed Harris (Best Actor, Pollock, 2001; and Best Supporting Actor; The Hours, 2003; The Truman Show 1999 and Apollo 13, 1996) and Harvey Keitel, (Best Supporting Actor, Bugsy, 1992) as well as rising stars Diane Kruger (Troy) and Justin Bartha (National Treasure). The film is directed by Jon Turteltaub, who also directed the blockbuster original.

Rarely do you find sequel movies to surpass the originals, there is always something lacking or a direction gone awry. Not so in this case! I thought this was an amazing movie. Way better than the first, with a perfect blend of adventure, drama and humor. You could definitely tell they had more fun with this one and the cast fit back into their roles with comfortable ease. The edition of Helen Mirren was a stellar choice for Ben's mother - she definitely adds to the second film. I also loved how it expanded to include various world locations instead of being centered in America (and yet it all tied together). The effects were exemplary and I sorely rue having missed this one in the theatre. I bet it was amazing on the big screen. In any case the DVD does not disappoint. Well... okay it does in one way but that has nothing to do with the movie itself. If you've not seen it - you really should. After all, even I can tell this is going to be one of those ongoing franchises to enjoy. Well enough of my natter on the movie, more than likely you're looking at this to check out the goodies of the DVD to see if it's worth its salt! Right then, let's get to it!

Bonus Features

I cannot possibly say anything bad about the bonus features on this release. You have a plethora to enjoy, there are featurettes galore, deleted scenes and Easter Eggs to hunt for. The first disc with the feature is a bit deceiving as it listed "Bonus Features" and all that consisted of was the Commentary option with both Jon Turtletaub and Jon Voight (I never really considered that to be a bonus feature really). The second disk is your treasure trove. Now before I explain all those goodies I am compelled to explain what I was a bit disappointed as mentioned in the previous paragraph. I am a creature of habit when it comes to DVDs - I like to turn it on and be at the menu (after a few previews of course), I expect this and when it doesn't happen or I am forced to go through something I'd rather not... well that disappoints me (after all, I know who made the movie, I know where the DVD came from). The first disc throws you with a simple menu of English, French or Spanish - that is it, no sub titled explanation (you are suppose to know this I'm figuring though I'd be willing to wager this would confuse my grandparent) no enter or menu button options visible just the screen. Of course I made my English choice and was horrified to have to sit through so much promo material. I am happy to see a few things, but the amount was too much. Your disc is frozen through almost all and so you watch a (nice) Disney company promo, Disney Blu Ray promo, Sleeping Beauty on DVD promo, Theatrical release Wall-E trailer, DVD promo for Nightmare before Christmas, a garden variety commercial (no kidding), and DVD Points for Disney Movies promo. We all love Disney, and I cannot wait for Wall-E to hit the screen but man... I felt like I being brainwashed.

So why did I mention this (aside from the preparation warning of course)? Because disc two almost gave me palpitations when the same English, French, Spanish screen showed up again and what lay beyond it was unknown. I breathed a sigh of relief once I mustered the courage to choose English and braced for what I thought was going to be an identical Disney cram fest. It wasn't. But you did get another blank menu screen with a faint eagle in the lower portion. I get that they are trying to be clever and interactive but once again I can practically hear my Grandma (who loves to watch DVD and yet cannot grasp menus) on the phone saying its broken or something (LOL) Ahem... yes majority of us know that you enter on the Eagle and then the nifty Bonus feature menu pops up with its golden steps full of stuff to explore. However, they shouldn't take for granted everyone is DVD menu savvy - even my parents get stuck from time to time. Consideration is all I'm saying...

Now, the deleted scenes (as many will know I live for deleted scenes) had a twist, not one I expected but one I did enjoy a lot! Jon Turtletaub goes over each deleted scene; he explains them, how they were shot in some cases, what they were replaced with and why they decided to remove them. I've heard director voice on some deleted scene features, I've seen director intro on some but I have not seen them break away to director after each scene to discuss the details in such a degree. That was really cool, it falls second this time though on my favorite feature this time around (yes... another feature actually topped the deleted scenes for me). The Secrets of a Sequel discusses how they were formulating the second movie while the first was being filmed along with how unprepared they were for filming. The Book of Secrets on Location gives details on why and how they chose what they did for the location filming in Paris and London etc... The Treasure Reel: Blooper and Outtakes was a lot of fun, a lot of laughing and lot of interesting bits. Street Stunts went into the meat of the London chase scene and definitely opens your eyes to the enormity of this type of sequence.

The second set of steps gives you the Underground Action featurette - which for me was the best featurette of them all, I loved the underground scenes, the way they did the city and the water and you get a good background on all of the underground adventures when you watch this one. The Evolution of a Golden City gives you details on how this idea came about, Knights of the Golden Circle featurette imparts a bit of real history to help in understanding the movie, Cover Story: Crafting the President's Book was another noteworthy featurette discussing the design and finer points. Finally is the Inside the Library of Congress a great featurette giving you information on just how artifacts and other treasures of history are preserved. Oh, and yes, there are Easter Eggs - quite a few of them I gather, however I didn't have time to hunt them all and I'm not one to ruin the fun of the hunt for others!

When all is said and done, I can forgive Disney for the extra helping of their name in the movie beginning because the movie and the features are so stellar. This set is definitely worthy to be called a Collector's Edition. You don't want to miss or pass this set by even for a single version - the extras are worth every penny and then some!