Let’s not spread this around too much, but I really enjoyed the original Night at the Museum. I thought it was a cute, family-friendly movie with a lot of laughs… and if you tell anyone else that, I’ll deny it up and down. So I was pleased when I heard they were doing a sequel. Ben Stiller is overdue for a decent flick, after all. Tropic Thunder was the only funny thing to come out of him in years, and frankly Robin Williams could probably use the cash.
OMG Napoleon what are you doing to Ivan?!
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian takes place 2 years after the first film. Larry Daley has started a successful “As Seen on TV” invention company, but he misses the fun he had with his possessed inanimate objects at the Museum of Natural History so he visits every once and awhile, bag lunch and all. He shows up after having been busy with work for a few months, only to find the whole museum is getting boxed up and moved to the Smithsonian; the exhibits are being replaced by digital reproductions.
The next evening, Daley gets a call from Jedediah Smith (Owen Wilson); the tablet has brought Kahmunrah, Ivan the Terrible, Al Capone and a handful of other baddies from history back to life, and they’re running a muck in the Smithsonian. It’s up to Daley, as always, to save the Museum from itself and put things right.
Amelia Earhart was apparently kind of hot.
So, yeah; the premise is nothing new. Museum comes to life. Havoc ensues. Daley ultimately saves the day, but not without causing trouble along the way. The formula worked for the first film, and it’s still pretty satisfying this time around. The new characters were fun, especially Hank Azaria as Kahmunrah and Alain Chabat as Napoleon. The only major disappointment I had with the film was their very brief use of Jonah Hill as the Smithsonian security guard. The trailers left you thinking he would have a larger role in the film, but all he has is one scene. Could have been way more entertaining if they’d used him throughout the movie.
Even so, my opinion on Battle of the Smithsonian matches that of the first film. If you’re looking for a solid, humorous, and family-friendly movie you can’t go wrong here.
[rating:3.5/5]
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