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The original film worked well with me at one simple level. It woke the inner-child in me and made me feel the magic within history. Larry Daly (Ben Stiller) relives the fantasy once again at the Smithsonian Museum as all the exhibits miraculously come back to life in front of him all over again. The story is told again in a heart warming way as this grown-up divorced business man once again strives to take control of his life. The educational value of the first film had much to teach us although not as much in the sequel. In this sequel of Night at the Museum, much of the initial magic is already lost forevermore. We already know the displays are going to come back to life, and the general feeling of suspense is gone. To make things worse, the whole story feels convoluted and unreal. We are expected to believe that Larry has turned from a no-good night guard at the museum in the first film to this mega-successful businessman during the course of only a few years (and after being a virtual nobody for the vast majority of his life). I mean come on, Hollywood! Where did the charming loser from the first film go so quickly? Stiller's Larry is hardly likable at the beginning, and once he learns that his lovable exhibit friends are moving to the Smithsonian Museum (after the Museum of Natural History closed for technological renovation), things start happening so fast, that his motives for leaving his comfortable job to help rescue his friends are unclear, under developed, and a bit unconvincing. For instance when the couple supposedly enters into the famous WWII picture where the sailor is kissing this girl during a parade, Larry Daly takes his time to push the guy away and takes up the kissing himself, which is totally lame. The main course of this sequel is of course the special effects created by the two museum's re-animated exhibits, with the evil Egyptian Kamunrah (The Simpson's Hank Azaria) acting as the main villain who operates the evil Smithsonian exhibits who strive for world domination. Some effects are cute (Al Capone's gangsters brought back to life in black and white, the Lincoln Memorial rising from his chair) and many others wind up under developed & underused. At times, it seems so much is happening on screen, that you don't really know where to focus your attention. Many returning characters from the first film are outrageously underused (including Robin Williams' Teddy Roosevelt and Owen Wilson's Jedediah) and many comedians who are brought specifically for the film contribute blink-and-you-miss-it performances, including Ricky Gervais & Jonah Hill). The only true contribution for the film is the lovely Amy Adams (Enchanted), who portrays a fluffy re-animated Amelia Earhart who seems more lost than ever. To sum things up, I'd say that Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian may have been cute at times, but it was mostly useless, as it really didn't add any significant notion to the elements presented in its predecessor. The first film felt like an instant classic to me, however, the sequel felt more like a quick money-grab with a lot of missed potential. I'll give this film average 3/5 marks for its ability to grab and keep your attention at times, but seems to be extremely distracting when the action is intertwined with comedy (especially some of the interaction between the squabbling characters) that makes the film look passe' & bugs bunny slapstick for the most part. PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!Read full review
This movie is just too much fun to watch as well as too funny. This movie also has an excellent cast as well as cameo appearances of Darth Vader and Oscar from Sesame Street.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Ben Stiller returns as Larry Daly, the night guard the the original Night at the Museum. The story centers on the Museum characters being moved to storage at the Smithsonian in Washington DC along with the tablet that brings all the Museum characters to life. When Larry is contacted by Jedediah Smith (Owen Wilson) he is called upon to save the rest of the characters from Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria) Ahkmenrah older brother, who is determined to use the tablet to release the demons of the underworld and take over the world. This movie is just as funny as the first movie and all the original cast members are brought back plus a few additional characters, most notably Amy Adams (Enchanted) as Amelia Earhart. If you loved the first movie you will love this one as well.
Get it on time and in good shape. I love this movie.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
A Delightful Movie Series
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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